Back at the building, I walk past people who are simply loitering around or chatting, not so many friends here since I'm being a stuck up introvert who staggers home every Friday.
Lord knows what these people think of me, I thought, but immediately grimace of actually knowing their perception of me.

The few people I talk to are those who have questions concerning a topic of their interest which has been published by the magazine and require more explanation.

If I'm being honest, I view them as people who bug my existence, but it's my job after all and the people need their answers, so, I render it.
Walking towards the elevator, I see Mrs. Bells who lives on the same floor as I do, sitting patiently on one of the fancy sofas that decorates the foyer, when her eyes meets my approaching frame, it lights up, and she stands awaiting me.

Internally, I sigh, what has David published about flowers now? I wonder.
"Hello Mrs. Bells" I say in my sweetest voice
"Oh! Eleanor, you look good in that dress, how are you doing, dear?" She compliments before inquiring about my welfare, just as she does when there's something to ask.
"I'm well, Mrs. Bells, what question do you have for me now?" I ask, going straight to the point because I can't wait any longer to get out of the outfit.

She chuckles slightly, her cheeks warm with pink, embarrassment?
"Oh! My, I must have been bothering you with questions so much that you think that's the only reason I want to talk to you".
Yes, I reply mentally.
"I'm not here for questions dear, I'm actually leaving the building" she adjusts her pink round-shape glasses.
My smile falls immediately after her reply, I don't believe what I'm hearing until I look behind her to see the luggage beside the sofa she had been sitting on.

"Uhm!" I struggle for words to say, anything but it's not there.
Merely a while ago, I was complaining about these people bugging me, with Mrs. Bells being one of them, now she's leaving and instead of me being elated, I can't seem to decipher the emotion I feel but it's far from happy, outright far, more like the opposite.

"I know, you weren't looking forward to this, neither did I, but my only daughter recently gave birth and I have to be by her side" says Mrs. Bells whose now all smiles, surely at the thought of meeting her new grandchild.

"Congratulations ma'am" I cheer.
She smiles a wide one then suddenly looks to the floor, then the sofa and finally lay her eyes on me, her cheek slightly a shade of pink again.
"Well, I may not have a question, but there's a request".
"Oh! Anything for you Mrs. Bells" I nod vigorously.

"You see, my son, Cale, got a transfer from his workplace to your magazine firm, and he'll be staying at my apartment from now on. I know it's embarrassing to say this to a grown woman, but please....look out for him, he's not new to Tarleton, only to your workplace".
I haven't taken in what she said, because I have to ask
"Aren't you coming back?"

"I doubt. Magdalena is my first grandchild, I'll like to be near and spoil her" she chuckled.
I grin widely all because of watching Mrs. Bells marvel at the realization she is a grandma, no doubt she'll be good at it.
She snaps from her woolgathering to ask
"Can you do just that for me, Eleanor?"

I nod again.

"Alright dear, my taxi should be waiting. Cale isn't home, but I've told him about you and I think you both will get along".

You 'think?'

"It's time to leave, or I'll miss my flight to Pearlbot. Goodbye dear" Mrs. Bells calls out already in a rush to pick her luggage and leave.
On impulse, I go in for a hug.

Mrs. Bells has been one of the many tenants who have bugged my life since I moved into this building three years back, so it's only fitting, I bug her for a hug, the first, and maybe the last.

She didn't stiffen by my action but wrap her arms around me and I might have heard her sob a bit.

After helping Mrs. Bells place her luggage in the taxi, I went in for a hug, again making sure to take her scent in, flowers, delicate lilies, before watching her leave.
I stand at the sidewalk, watching the taxi zoom out of the building driveway and off to the busy intersection.

Still standing at the same spot, I realize I will no longer see her for a while, I mean, I wasn't looking forward to loosing all-inquisitive Mrs. Bells. Who'll do the honors in bugging me now about the Media's issues on flowers?
I wonder blankly as I make way to the elevator.

This time, I'm not tapping nor clicking, but patiently waiting for someone to make it open. Thought to thought, I drift, from the first day I saw Mrs. Bells to the first time she asked me if I was working at Eagle Eye's Media firm because she was so meticulous to see my name as the writer of a particular topic on clay pots in the magazine. When I said yes, her eyes beneath those pink glasses lit up, and she never let me breathe the other days that follow.

I pout at the thought of loosing someone close to a mother again, but a curious one.
Just as I have wished, somebody tapped the elevator button, and it immediately flies open, absentmindedly, I follow in step, walking closely behind until that scent hit me, the same fragrance from Friday night, and now I've sneezed thrice like a freak.
My eyes bolt up to meet the face, unknowingly he is also staring down at me.

We both hold each other's gaze, my perfect opportunity to absorb his features. He stands tall, taller than me by far many inches, his dark hair has been trimmed with the slightest fade that is shaped tremendously. The rigid shape of his jaw totally gives me the impression of him being a stern person, then there's his eyes, wide not poking out of the socket but wide enough to be captivating, their color just like that of the wild sea.

He shoot his right eyebrow up, revealing double forehead lines and we look around the same age, probably he'll be in the late twenties but with those lines, he definitely stresses himself out.

If you ask me, it is creepy staring at someone like I am doing, and he may not be intently doing the same, but he won't break the gaze and neither will I.
With the realization that I won't budge, his stare becomes intense, with his lower lips moving slightly upward.
Is he attempting a smile? I thought and break the gaze.

Dammit!

On cue, the elevator chime open at the third floor, he must have set it at the third floor as we are the only ones in it, that means we live on the same floor?
Can he be the Cale, Mrs. Bells' son? Cause The Torres family are still occupying their space same as the other three tenants who also holds apartments on this floor.

I gather my thoughts and slowly glance his way, but he isn't moving from his spot, I decide to look up again to his face, but he's also staring at me.
"Don't you live on this floor?" He demands angrily.
I look away immediately and scoff
"Well I didn't ask you to—wait a minute. How did you know I hold an apartment on this floor, do you too?" now it's my turn to ask.
I await my reply but the door abruptly close as I watch him immediately set it to the fifth floor before it takes us up.
"Hey!" I yell, but he pays me no heed, looking only straight ahead.

The elevator opens up at the fifth floor, when I look to my side, he has disappeared, leaving only me and his receding form approaching the far end of the hallway. I stomp my feet in anger and embarrassment of how stupidly I just acted, then tap, tap and tap the button to the third floor until the elevator doors shut.

======

"Ugh!" I moan while dropping to my living room sofa. Lately, I've been having weird days and today has been one of them but more hectic than the rest, right from Esse reminding me of my mum, to Mrs. Bells leaving, not to mention, I have to take care of her son at work, then there's the fragrance guy, weird, fragrance guy, but he keeps popping up, and I'm ashamed to admit that his scent is registered up here. Ah! I forgot the girl at the restroom, including the whole Rosa's birthday and HR's hotel.
Perfect moment to facepalm myself in distress.

"Today has to be the worst" I groan loudly.
"Eleanor, you need to rest" I pat my shoulder.
I sluggishly make way to the bathroom to take a shower making sure the water hit my scalp and change dresses into an oversized tee with an elephant hula dancing on it with pink shorts beneath to match.

I proceed to the living room to pick my phone, but stopped short when I heard voices from the hallway.
On instinct, I glance at the huge clock that's hung above a frame of painted flowers, 11:30pm.
The voice becomes more stiffen, then shuffles, moans, screams and lastly a door jamb shut.
"Ewww!" I grimace, someone must have been getting it on in the hallway, the more reason to sleep this day off.

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Thank you for reading this far.
~Darasimiwrites.