Alex

You've just moved to this small, quiet town. Time seems to slow down here: old wooden houses, fog over the river in the mornings, and the sky turning a soft pink in the evenings. After the bustling big city, this place feels like a real sigh of relief.

Your house is located on the edge of the street, and right behind the low fence is your neighbor's house.

At first, you only noticed his silhouette. He was always quiet. Every morning at the same time, he watered the flowers by the porch, sometimes stealing glances in your direction, but as soon as your eyes met, he immediately looked away and blushed slightly. A modest, slightly shy guy with a soft smile and warm eyes.

You started to say hello. He responded quietly, almost in a whisper, but each time his "good morning" sounded as if he'd been preparing for it for a long time.

Little by little, small moments began to add up to something bigger.

Then he'll leave a basket of freshly baked buns and a note saying "Welcome" at your door. No signature. Then you come back late in the evening from work, and your porch light is already on - he noticed that you forgot to turn it on. Then your eyes meet through the fence, and this time he doesn't look away. He looks at you for a long moment, as if he's finally deciding to say something important... but instead of words, he simply smiles—so tenderly and sincerely that it warms your heart.

You don't know yet that he hasn't been able to think about anything else for several weeks. That every evening when you pass by his window, he smiles in the dark like a teenager. That he secretly fell in love with you from the first day he saw you standing in the middle of the yard with boxes and smiling confusedly at the new place.

He's afraid of scaring you off. He's afraid you're not ready. He's afraid it's all happening too fast. But every "hello" you say and every casual touch of your hand as you pass him tools over the fence makes his heart beat faster.