2
Cole
The cold metal box that sits outside my complex almost makes me pull my hand back in shock, and the freezing air makes me grab my mail in such a rush that I don’t realize I have someone else’s buried in the stack under my arm until I get to my apartment. Luckily, it’s just the guy across from me. I’ve never talked to him before, but I’ve seen him a few times leaving for work, which is where I assume he goes when he is heading out in the mornings. His eyes never meet mine and are always facing the ground with his head down low and his sunglasses and hoodie covering his face. He always walks so fast I don’t have time to even say hi. I was starting to think he just wasn’t a friendly guy until another neighbor told me he was just shy because of the scars on his face left over from an accident. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about since I never see him without something covering his face. Now it all makes perfect sense. I just wish he didn’t feel the need to hide himself from people. I guess if he doesn’t answer, I could always just leave his mail in front of his door.
I knock three times before the door opens, and a slender man with deep brown eyes and dark hair appears in front of me. His eyes meet mine, and I am so focused on them that it takes me a while to notice the scars that cover the top part of his face. They appear to be burn scars and don’t seem to be very old. He doesn’t say anything when his eyes land on me with a look of surprise.
I pull the mail from my pocket and hand it to him, my eyes never wanting to leave his. “Hey there. I'm Cole, your neighbor. I think I got some of your mail by mistake. Are you Danny Welch?” He nods and still doesn’t say anything, so I continue. “Looks like this belongs to you. Must have made it into my box by accident.”
He takes the mail from my hand before nodding again and the brief touch of his fingers leaves my skin vibrating. I’m starting to think this guy may be mute until shaky words finally make their way out of his mouth. “Thank you for bringing it by.”
I nod before taking a step back into the hallway. “Yeah, no worries. Well, have a good day and, I'll, uh, see you around.”
He waves before shutting the door, and I make it slowly back to my apartment without being able to shake this lingering feeling left from his paralyzing gaze and the adorable slight smile that appeared on his face as he waved goodbye. His dark hair fell on his forehead a bit in the most adorable way; and he had the cutest dimples when he smiled.
Wait, why am I even still thinking about him? This guy has lived across from me for years and has yet to say hi to me, and here I am, crushing on a stranger. The scars didn’t bother me; they weren’t the first thing my eyes went to when looking at him. I’m not sure what he looked like before the scars, but he is beautiful even with them.
I grab the sparkly purple and bright blue invitation sitting on my countertop. I’m really not much of a party person, but I managed to let my buddy Paul convince me to attend the party he’s throwing Saturday night. It seemed like a good way to get my mind off the long week I had at work. I was ready to relax and drink myself stupid this weekend. Paul’s party was the perfect excuse for that. Paul and I work together, and he used to come by my apartment a lot to drag me out to pointless parties and bars to find women to hook up with. That was, until he ran into Melanie one day waiting for me outside my door. They managed to hit it off right away, and I was grateful because it saved me from attending all the double blind dates he made me go on with him that never lead anywhere for him or me. The girls he dated always brought a girlfriend, and well, girls aren’t exactly my thing, so it was always awkward for me when the girl felt something for me that I clearly didn’t feel for her.
Lately, I haven’t seen Paul outside house showings or work meetings. So I’m willing to suck it up for one night. Besides, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to find some cute guy to ring in the New Year with, and perhaps I could get more than just a kiss at midnight. That thought alone is enough to make my dick go hard. Then my mind goes back to Danny and those gorgeous eyes of his, along with those pretty pink kissable lips. I shake the thoughts from my head once I realize I’m thinking about my neighbor again.
I pull out an old black masquerade mask I used for a Halloween costume a few years ago, knowing it would be perfect. All guests must attend the party in a masquerade mask. I’m not a fan of things that stand out, so the black would do just fine for me. It also matches my white button-down and black vest and slacks I will be wearing on Saturday. I set it on the kitchen counter, that way I can just grab it on the way out on Saturday. My stomach grumbles reminding me how starved I am.
Reaching in the fridge, I find the Chinese takeout leftovers from last night. I’m happy to not have to drive back out in the snow to grab something to eat. I hardly ever left my place to begin with. All I did was work and it normally took me away from going to visit my family. They only live a few hours away but with how little I see them, you would think it was a lot further.
The only person I had here was my boyfriend, Michael, but he broke up with me last Christmas. He was the reason I found a place here after meeting him on a business trip. I wasn’t as hurt by it as I should have been. We were together for seven months, but Michael was far more invested than I was, and that is exactly why he said he was ending things. He already managed to find a replacement shortly after, and I can’t even be mad at him for it. Hey, at least one of us is happy, right?
I pour my now-warm food from the container onto an actual plate because I have those now. It only took three years of living here before I finally invested in some dishes and eating utensils. Perhaps cookware will be next. I highly doubt it since I don’t cook and don’t plan on learning anytime soon. I’m a takeout guy. Michael hated it, and that probably wasn’t the only thing he hated about me. I’m starting to wonder if I’m destined to be alone.
I sink my body into my black leather couch with my food in my lap before turning on King Henry on Netflix. I begin shoving forkfulls into my mouth, and man, does the tangy and saltiness taste good after going most of the day without eating. My eyes fall to the invite across the way, sticking out on the counter and I wonder if my neighbor across the way will be there since I saw Melanie on our floor with invitations in her hand. She must have been handing them out to everyone in the building. I met this guy one time, and already he is overtaking my mind. Here I am, hoping he will be at the party when the guy lives right across from me.
