Chapter 1

I disliked Rob the day he moved into next door although I couldn’t put my finger on why. Maybe it was the way he cockily strutted around the neighbour as if he owned the entire street. Maybe it was the fact he towered almost a foot over me and had hard muscles in places I didn’t even know could HAVE muscles. Or maybe it was the way my wife looked at him when we first saw him.

He had just flung open the doors of the moving van and was carrying a large box almost the size of me. We both went to the window to catch a glimpse of the new neighbour; we were both noisy like that. He carried the box with ease and determination. He placed it down in the garden and ripped off his shirt. Muscles flexed in the sunlight, his rock hard six pack pulsing slightly, and sun softly glinted off his body. I looked to Danni to make a sarcastic joke about a stripper moving in next door, but her face made me stop. She was starting at Rob with wide, yearning eyes and softly biting her lip.

Finally, I made the joke, “Looks like we’ve got a stripper next door!” She didn’t laugh, just murmured, “Mhmm”, while absentmindedly playing with her glasses.

I caught her at the window a couple of times throughout the day. She always moved on as soon as she heard me come into the room, but I knew what she was doing. Rob spent the whole day going to and from the moving van, flexing his absurd muscles and splashing water on his face. Its almost like he knew what he was doing.

“Any signs of a wife?” I asked Danni despite her attempts to look like she wasn’t staring.

She seemed to fidget nervously ... or excitedly, “Not yet,” she replied, swiftly exiting the room as if embarrassed.

I was prepared to forget about the giant of a man that was now living next door, but Danni didn’t seem to want to. In the evening, she dropped my shoes into my lap while I was watching TV, “Come on,” she sang merrily, “we’re going to greet the neighbour.”

“Why?” I protested, although I found myself slipping my shoes on anyway, “We didn’t speak to the old one.”

“And that was a crime. We should be neighbourly. A community,” she was already standing by the door. Her eagerness gave me chills.

I trudged a few steps behind Danni as we made our way to next door. Danni knocked cheerfully and there were a few crashing sounds coming from inside before the door was swung open. Rob was standing there, still with his shirt off, sweating dripping down his bulging muscles. His eyes widened when he saw us.

“Oh sorry,” he made a vague attempt to cover himself up before realising it was useless, “I was expecting another mover. I was mid workout.”

“Not a problem,” Danni said, and I swear there was seduction in her voice. “We’re your new neighbours, I’m Danni, he’s Luke,” she grabbed my arm and pulled me forward as I’d still been a few steps behind.

“Rob,” the mountain said taking Danni’s hand first before grasping and almost shattering mine, “Nice to meet you guys. Do you want to come in?” I think the offer was meant for both of us but he was looking squarely at Danni when he said it.

“No, we-” I tried but Danni cut me off.

“Sure, we can come in for a few minutes.” Rob moved to the side and Danni slid in, her boobs almost brushing his chest as the crossed. Rob followed her immediately and I was forced to catch the door to stop it closing in my face. I reluctantly stomped after them.

The house was as you would expect it. Covered in boxes, cases and odds and ends in the wrong place. There were pots and pans on the stairs and a large bench press in the middle of the living room. His sofa was pushed away against a wall right opposite the window. It was clear what his priority was his workout gear. The sofa only sat two. Rob beckoned Danni to sit and the two of them took the sofa leaving me to awkwardly stand. They chatted for a while barely involving me in the conversation at all except a few mentions. They seemed to get comfortable with each other super quickly, at one-point Danni was leaning over him looking at pictures on Rob’s phone with a hand a little too far up his thigh. He would have had a good view down her top.

By the time we went home my legs were aching and it was dark out. Danni couldn’t stop talking about Rob and smiling widely. It wasn’t until we were in bed that I finally found the courage to say that I didn’t like him. She laughed it off and told me not to be silly, that he’s a lovely guy and we’re lucky to have him living next door to us.

Over the next few weeks, I felt Rob was taunting me. One day, the weather was perfect for a barbeque so I spent ages pulling it out, running to the store to buy coal, going back to the store because I had forgotten to get meat and trying to light the damn thing only for Rob to invite us over for one at his place which Danni agreed to without even consulting me. His barbeque was a lot nicer than ours, of course, and he had plenty of food which was lucky as the whole street near enough turned up. I swear he had seen me struggling and just wanted to torment me. Danni spent the entire evening next to him at the grill laughing, joking, and softly touching his arm or shoulder. By the time we left I was burning with rage and jealousy.

He would constantly work out in the front garden, sometimes just in a pair of boxers. It was obvious when he was doing this because I constantly caught Danni by the window while he was out there. I’m certain every housewife on the street was watching.