We were neighbors first, passing each other outside and sharing quick hellos while coming home from work or tossing the trash. Pretending not to notice what we both secretly did: we thought the other was really cute. One day, that turned into something more when Erica found a letter waiting under her doormat. In it, Jose asked her out on a date. She responded the only reasonable way...by asking him to give her options. He delivered. A week later we were eating Italian food and somewhere between the pasta, the conversation, and the laughter, we realized this was more than just a neighborly crush. From that night on, love felt easy- and right next door.