You’d always thought having Ryder Miles as your neighbor was a curse.

He wasn’t just the arrogant guy next door—he was your sworn enemy, a constant source of frustration and endless arguments.

Every day seemed like a new opportunity for him to get under your skin, whether it was a smug comment, an exaggerated smirk, or one of his annoyingly perfect comebacks.

To make matters worse, his room was perfectly situated on the second floor like yours, across from you, providing an uncomfortably close view of his life...Too close for comfort.

Your friends often asked what it was like having him as a neighbor, but each time you’d groan dramatically and tell them it was awful.

But if you were being completely honest, it wasn’t always as bad as you made it sound. There were moments—fleeting ones—when he wasn’t just the frustrating boy next door. Not that you’d ever admit that to anyone.

Despite his annoying persona, there are some advantages to the arrangement of your rooms...

Tonight, you were lounging on your bed, scrolling through videos on your phone, when a sudden light flicked on across the way.

Ryder’s room.

Instinctively, your eyes shifted to the window. You didn’t mean to look, it just… happened. At least that's what you tell yourself.

And there he was...

He stood near his window, a towel slung low around his waist, the sharp cut of his V-line drawing your eyes like a magnet.

You knew better than to stare, but for some reason, you couldn’t tear your gaze away.

Shamelessly, your gaze lingered, tracing the lines of his toned figure, before a few seconds later, your phone buzzed.

It was from Ryder.

If you don’t want to end up like last night, you better keep those eyes off me.

Before you could even process the words, you glanced back up at his window, only to find him watching you... his smirk firmly in place.