It's really a strange thing, how you can live in an apartment and go for months without ever meeting your neighbors. Yeah, you see them in the hall, maybe the lobby, and exchange a few words here and there, but you rarely ever make what you could call a 'connection'. I lived in apartment 409, in one of those trendy downtown apartments for a year before I actually met my neighbor. We were both young anyways. I was 24, I figure she was she was around there too.
Every day since I moved in, I'd see her, often in the morning, but more usually at night. Five or more nights a week, we'd usually get home at the same time, exchange hellos, and slink into our rooms. She was short, maybe five feet, possibly a bit taller. She had very light skin, almost pale, and black hair you could tell was dyed, but I wasn't complaining. Her green eyes were absolutely amazing, too. You could see just how bright they were, even in the dimly-lit hallways, from the six foot distance between our doors. The word enchanting always came to my mind. It was cold in the City at night, so she'd always wear a long, warm looking coat and the hottest boots I'd ever seen. It was always closed, so aside from those boots, and occasionally gloves, I never really knew what her 'style' was. For about a year, we exchanged helloes almost every night, but never actually met.
I had a girlfriend that year too, so I never really put much stock in going out of my way to approach a new woman. It seemed like it would be pretty sketchy, and I really wasn't the unfaithful type so, I was happy to simply continue our brief meetings. My girlfriend would see her occasionally on her way out or in, and every so often the two would talk, but I wasn't ever really present. My girlfriend didn't like her all that much, but she was the type of girl to smile to your face, and scowl behind your back.
One day last week, the shit hit the fan, so to speak. I'd call it the worst day of my life. I took a massive cut in pay and hours, for budgeting reasons. I was asked to cut my shift short, lost my wallet on the bus, got punched in the face for not giving a homeless guy a cigarette—I don't smoke—And my girlfriend was waiting for me when I got home. She normally called ahead. She seemed like she was in a good mood, so I figured the day was looking up. We went upstairs and headed into my apartment. I barely set my keys down before she said, "I've been thinking a lot lately about us, and I don't think it'll work out. I'm sorry." She left. That was literally all she said, and I was left there, standing in my room, dumbfounded. Reality came back after a few minutes of just standing. I didn't really know what to do with myself. I figured I'd get coffee, try to calm my nerves. I grabbed whatever change was on the table next to the door and slipped out. I just stood in front of the door for a bit, going over the day's events in my head again. I reached into my pocket, for my keys, to lock the deadbolt—the knob was always locked, but opened from the inside, and I always locked the deadbolt for good measure when I went out. My keys weren't in my pocket.
It was like I was in a haze at this point. It was like walking though syrup as I meandered to the manager's door and knocked. Nothing. I called his cell. No answer. That was the last straw, the one that broke the camel's back. I wasn't just tired from the day, I was drained. I wandered back to my door and hit it hard as I just let myself kind of fall into it with my back and slid down, sitting in front of my door. I buried my head in my hands and fell asleep to the sound of someone's TV blaring the 6 O'clock news.
I don't remember what I dreamed, but I woke up to the sound of giggling. I didn't even look up when I opened my eyes at first; I figured it was someone wandering past my door. There were boots in front of me, and the person stooped down. It was my neighbor, still giggling.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Half-coherent, I straightened my hair a bit and rubbed my face. I must have been sleeping on the crease of my pants, because I could feel it on the side of my face. I finally looked up at her.
"Yeah, yeah... Just locked out," I said, pushing the best smile I could manage to get out. She smiled back, her smile had genuine warmth. Her coat was opened; I could see she was wearing a cute dress that accentuated her full breasts. It stopped mid thigh, showing just enough skin to give a hint just how shapely her legs were, until they disappeared at the boots, which rose just under her knees.
"How long have you been out here?" she asked, after a moment.
"Maybe an hour, I think?" I looked at my phone. It was nine thirty. "Make that three."
She shrugged a bit, but her smile returned, "Well, your girlfriend's on the way, right? I just saw her heading into the Outlander, are you supposed to meet her there?" The outlander was a notorious pick-up place.
"We... Just broke up."
"Oh..." She looked down and away, her expression turned serious. There was a long pause. Her smile returned. "Have you had dinner, yet?" I shook my head.
