"Should I just ask someone to help me with all this?" Noah sighed, feeling exhausted.
In front of him were several unopened boxes, all neatly stacked. He took off his mask and walked toward the kitchen counter. Then his mind drifted back to what happened the day before, when he reported Anne to the Dean and found out about her wild life.
~~~~~
Flashback.
"Seriously?! I don't know what your problem is, but that kiss was clearly an accident!" Anne shouted while following Noah from behind. Her small pinky-finger kept jabbing toward him in frustration. But Noah didn't even glance at her—he just kept walking.
There weren't many people in the parking lot, maybe two or four, and they probably thought it was just a typical argument.
"Hey! I'm talking to you, okay? Oh my God, that attitude of yours! You know what? You're still a student here, and I know all the professors, I could ask them to mess up your grades–" Her words were cut off when Noah suddenly turned around.
"What? Are you threatening me now?" Noah said coldly, his brows furrowed.
Anne let out a long sigh. "What I meant was… can we just talk about this first? I mean… what happened this afternoon was clearly an accident. Do you really think I'd go around kissing people without their consent?"
"Well, I wasn't suspicious at first, but seeing your kind of lifestyle… maybe you really are a pervy woman," Noah replied, his tone insulting.
Anne crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing at him. "Excuse me?! Wow, I didn't think you'd be this rude. Don't you have a life or something? How can you talk like that to me?"
Noah chuckled. "Why would I want a life like yo–"
"Or… are you a virgin?" Anne blurted out.
Noah clenched his jaw tightly.
Okay. Jackpot.
Anne smirked. "You are a virgin. No wonder you fainted from just a tiny accidental kiss. It was barely even a peck."
Noah glared at her like he wanted to kill her.
"Oh, are you one of those little princess who wants the first kiss to be from true love? Like a true loves kiss?" Anne teased. Her face was now really close to his, even though she had to tilt her head up a bit.
She reached out to touch his face, just to tease him more, but Noah flinched and swatted her hand away immediately. He hated being touched.
"Hey, there's no need for that," Anne snapped, annoyed that he brushed her off like that. But Noah had already turned and was walking away quickly, leaving her behind.
~~~~~
Back to Reality
Noah shook his head, trying to push any thoughts of Professor Harper out of his mind. He left the kitchen and went to the bathroom to wash his hands before getting back to unpacking his things. After all, he finally had a place of his own.
After spending nearly the entire day organizing and cleaning, all Noah had left to do was take out the trash. He grabbed two full garbage bags and opened the front door, only to freeze when he heard a familiar voice.
He peeking out slightly, and looked to his right.
And there she was.
The woman he despised the most.
"I can't wait to hear your story. I think we need champagne," said the woman with shoulder-length black hair.
"Yeah, totally. That'll help ease the pain. You're buying though, Amanda," Anne laughed.
Of course it was Anne Harper. Noah would never forget that voice—or that face.
She lives next door? Seriously?!
Noah quickly shut his door as quietly as possible, but Anne still noticed it.
Huh? Did the new neighbor just move in?
"What's wrong?" Amanda asked, noticing Anne glance to the side.
"Nothing, I think someone's moved into the unit next door. Come on, let's go in," Anne said, opening the door for Amanda.
Meanwhile, Noah rushed to grab his phone and immediately called the landlord.
[RING RING]
"Hello?"
"Hi, I'm really sorry, but is there any chance I could get a refund for the three-year rent I already paid?" he asked, panicked. The realization that the crazy woman was now his next-door neighbor had completely thrown him off.
"You're kidding, right? It clearly says in the contract—no refunds. Is there a problem?" the landlord replied flatly.
Noah collapsed onto his couch. "No… it's just… it's…" He didn't even know how to explain it.
"Look, Noah, right? If you've got a problem with mice, bugs, leaks—whatever, just let me know. But there's no refund."
[BEEP.]
The call ended just like that. Noah immediately checked his bank account. The money he had left was only enough to cover his living expenses, there was no way he could afford to rent a new apartment. And asking his dad for money? Absolutely not. His pride wouldn't allow it.
Noah let out a deep sigh.
These next three years were going to be hell.
~~~~~
"Wait—so you bumped your head and your lips accidentally landed on his, and now you're officially a campus pervert?!" Amanda wheezing with laughter like a hyena.
"You're laughing?! Do you even realize I got fired just because of that?" Anne huffed, annoyed, while opening the box of cheese pizza.
"You got fired?! What, did you flash the whole campus or something after that?!" Amanda nearly choked on her drink, slamming the table like she was watching a soap opera.
Anne let out a long sigh, her face filled with frustration and sadness. "Well… because…"
"Because...?" Amanda pressed impatiently.
"Because that blonde guy from SS Club came to campus to return the stuff I left at his place," Anne mumbled, lowering her voice.
"And…? That's it? Did he say you guys slept together? I mean, that guy is hot, and sleeping together shouldn't be a problem," Amanda teased, nudging Anne playfully.
"The problem is… he showed up waving my G-string around like it was a party flag. No bag, no shame, just—ta-daa! And Dean James saw it—" Anne let out sigh.
"And to make it worse, that crazy student was there too. So Dean James thought I was damaging the campus's image as a lecturer, especially since a student witnessed it... the same student reported me for sexual harassment, so…" Anne groaned, covering her face in embarrassment and disbelief.
Amanda sat across from her, mouth wide open in shock. That was probably the most humiliating thing she'd ever heard. Anne Harper always had a good image. No one would believe that the Anne Harper sitting in front of her was, apparently, a sex maniac.
"You're serious? What the hell…" Amanda's face turned serious.
"Ugh! What do I even do now? I'm unemployed!" Anne whined.
"Why don't you appeal the decision?" Amanda asked.
Anne immediately looked up. "Appeal?"
"Yeah, he didn't give any proof that you kissed him on purpose, right? I mean, harassment has to involve an intention. And you didn't even realize your lips touched his."
Silence.
What I'm saying is, you didn't even count that as a kiss. It was barely a peck. And Noah—was that his name?—he also didn't have proof that you did it intentionally. Plus, if there's CCTV footage of the incident, it should clearly show that you getting pushed by the boxes the students were carrying," Amanda said, sipping her champagne.
"Right! Why didn't I think of that? Damn, you're a smart ass." Anne's face lit up as she took another big bite of her pizza. Amanda lightly slapped her head in return.
"Well, this just means you need to stop doing one-night stands and actually find a real partner! See? This stuff gets messy!" Amanda teased while munching on a slice of pizza.
"Ugh, no thanks. You know I'm not ready," Anne replied, sounding bored.
Amanda shifted in her seat and turned to Anne. Anne, still enjoying her pizza, looked back with raised eyebrows.
"It's been five years, Anne. You should start thinking about letting it go and moving on. Seriously—he has a kid now. You can't keep torturing yourself over some jerk who's already living his happy little life," Amanda said softly, reaching out and holding Anne's left hand.
Anne slowly placed her slice back onto the plate. "But I'm happy, though. I have you, plus I can fulfill my bedroom needs whenever I want with whoever I want. That's enough for me."
Amanda gave a small, bittersweet smile. "Still, you really need to stop hooking up with random guys like that. You know, I just hope, and pray that you'll find someone who truly matches you, Anne. I really wish for your happiness."
Tears began to fall from Anne's eyes before she even realized it. She wiped them quickly and leaned in to hug Amanda tightly. She felt so lucky to have her as a friend.
"Okay but hear me out. What about Dean James? Total zaddy vibes. That man's aging like premium cheddar," Amanda teased, making Anne laugh and pull away from the hug.
"Or… that Noah guy! I bet fifty bucks he actually has a crush on you!" Amanda kept going, unable to resist.
"Oh shut up, you better shut your mouth before I kick you out!" Anne laughed as she lightly kicked Amanda, making her slide a bit off her chair. They both burst into laughter.
~~~~~
The next morning, Anne tried to clear her mind before writing her appeal letter by doing what she did best: baking. Blueberry and chocolate scones—her go-to comfort food.
[DING]
The sharp chime of the oven made her perk up. She quickly put on her oven mitts and opened the door, letting the warm, sweet aroma of freshly baked scones fill the entire kitchen.
This is great. This is therapy. This is cheaper than therapy.
Of course, in typical Anne style, she had baked enough scones to feed a study group. Or a small wedding.
She stared at the mountain of scones and sighed. Yep. This is a party tray. For a party I wasn't invited to.
After letting them cool down, she got an idea. Maybe she should give some to her new neighbor. Every other tenant on the floor had already tried her infamous scones, some even requested specific flavors, except the new guy next door, He should try the best scones in the world.
She wrapped a few of them nicely and crept closer to the wall, trying to eavesdrop just a little. Faint music was playing from the other side of the wall—just enough to tell her someone was home.
~
And I'll be here, 'cause we both know how it goes
I don't want things to change, I pray they stay the same always
And I don't care if you're with somebody else
I'll give you time and space, just know I'm not a phase
~
Alright, he's in there.
Anne stepped out and headed toward unit 1233, just next door to hers. She knocked twice, then rang the doorbell a few times for good measure.
Noah peeked through the peephole and nearly choked on his own breath. Anne Harper. Standing at his door. With baked goods, neatly wrapped in plastic.
What the hell? What is she doing here?!
He immediately rushed to lower the music, hoping she'd think no one was home. But unfortunately for Noah, Anne Harper was not the type to give up easily. She pressed the doorbell again. And again.
Noah started pacing in panic, unsure what to do. That's when he spotted a piece of paper on his kitchen counter. He quickly grabbed it, scribbled something, and slid the note under the door.
Anne is already considering giving up and going back inside her unit, until she caught sight of the note just in time.
A folded paper. With only four words.
What do you want?
She stared at it in disbelief. Seriously? He couldn't just open the door like a normal human? Did he think I was gonna rob him or something?
"Hey! Listen here, neighbor from 1233," she said loudly, annoyed. "I came here just to offer you my famous scones. Everyone on this floor has had them, and I thought I'd welcome you properly. That's all!"
Silence.
Then another piece of paper slid out from under the door.
I don't eat things like that. Please take it back.
Anne's jaw dropped.
He… he rejected my scones. My scones.... What kind of monster…
She stared at the door in disbelief. Wow. Not only was her new neighbor rude, he was also a complete jackass.
"Alright! You know what? You don't deserve my scones anyway!" she snapped, giving the door a tiny, completely ineffective kick that hurt her toe more than his door.
Without another word, she stormed back into her unit and slammed the door behind her.
What. A. Jerk.
She glared at the remaining scones.
Fine. More for me.