"You are on time!", Liz greeted Olivia cheerfully when she entered the apartment. "Come in, make yourself at home…"
"Is everything OK?", Liz asked when she realized that Olivia is not mentally present.
Olivia snapped out of her daze. "You didn't tell me that you are living right next to the hottest guy on the planet!"
"Mr. Anderson?" Liz was confused for a second, but then shook her head and smiled.
Ah, youth… even though Liz is only four years older than Olivia, Liz always felt that she is less impacted by all the useless romancing compared to others her age. And Olivia right now looks like an enamored teenager with hearts in her eyes.
Olivia saw Liz's reaction and she had to ask: "How can you be so indifferent? Don't you know how hot he is?"
Liz shrugged. "I've seen him. He is handsome, but it's not like I will lose myself over a guy just because he is attractive. There are many handsome guys out there."
Olivia patted her chest dramatically. "But there is no guy like this one! He is the king of the night! The parties can't be successful without his presence. Do you know that he has a different girl every evening? The rumor is that the total is going in thousands! Thousands! Women are throwing their panties at him!"
Liz frowned. "Why are you talking like that is a good quality? Do you really believe that a thousand women touched his heart? Let us assume how that rumor is true… he is either compensating for something or he is extremely superficial. No matter how good looking a guy is, if he treats women like disposable items, he is worthless. Do you want to be treated like that? Or do you think that you are the one who will make him change his ways and commit to a monogamous relationship? Hmph! Those things don't happen in real life. Stop glorifying his outrageous behavior!"
Olivia exhaled helplessly. "Can't you let me enjoy a bit longer before you break my happy bubble with the ugly truth? You are a party pooper."
Liz laughed. "In this case, I will take that pooper thing as a compliment. Now come here, let me show you the place. Oh, and the view is amazing!"
…
11:01 AM
Liz is next to her front door (inside her apartment). Her hand is hesitantly hovering above the door handle.
Olivia left about half an hour ago, and right now the doorbell is reminding Liz that Hunter is on the other side of that door.
The whole morning Liz was completely fine, ready for her outing with Hunter, but now that she is aware of his proximity, Olivia's words are on repeat in her mind: 'player… thousands of girls… pantie throwing? ...' She shook her head while telling herself that the last part must be a ridiculous exaggeration.
But, is it possible that the outrageous description is for the same sweet man she had dinner with yesterday? And he helped her with those boxes… and paid for dinner… and he left as soon as she gave a hint for him to leave… he didn't try anything inappropriate... and he likes to read.
Ah, what if all that is just a part of his plan? What if he is weaving a web to catch her, and because she is so inexperienced, she doesn't see it?
Is it possible that it's a different person? But the physical description matches, and she confirmed Anderson, neighbor… how can it be anyone else?
Now what? Will she pretend that she is not at home? Will she avoid him for a full year? Sneak around so that she does not bump into him at the parking lot, or in the elevator? Or in the common areas?
Liz's phone rang and she got startled… and it fell on the floor. She cursed internally. Hunter is right on the other side of that door, and he heard that thud. How can she pretend not to be home?
Well, it's daytime, and if they stick to public places, she will be fine… right?
She lifted her phone and saw that the caller ID is… Hunter. He is in the hallway and called her because she is not answering the doorbell. Ugh!
Liz exhaled and opened the door.
"Sorry, it took me so long.", she forced a smile while telling herself that no matter how handsome he is, and no matter what sweet lines he throws at her, she should not succumb. He must have some secret weapon if he managed to charm thousands of girls, and she needs to stay vigilant. That is thousands of innocent victims and she will be damned if she joins that crowd!
Liz calmed herself by chanting silently that they will go for a walk in the area, have lunch, and then she will come up with an excuse to leave. Yes. She can avoid being enchanted by him for so long no matter how potent his magic is.
Hunter gave her a charming smile while keeping his phone back into the pocket. "Not a problem. I was worried that something happened to you because you didn't answer the door. Ready?"
…
They went to the Pike Place Market, and to the first Starbucks store, and then walked along the piers. The weather was cloudy, but not rainy. It was great for sightseeing on foot.
Hunter was curious to find out more about Liz, but because Olivia's voice was still in her head, Liz was unusually stiff, and she kept her answers short.
Hunter noticed the difference in her behavior compared to the previous night, and that she kept an arm's length distance between them, but he could not figure out why. Did he do something? Is it possible that Liz met with Max and she knows already that Max is her neighbor? Not possible…
Since she is not talking much, Hunter did his best to stay focused on his role of a local guide and talk about the places they passed by.
For lunch, they went to a French restaurant with a great ocean view.
Hunter pulled a chair for Liz, and she ended up facing away from the door. He did this on purpose, because he wanted to be the first one to see Max when he arrives.
They ordered appetizers and he checked the time on his phone. Right then, he got a message from Max that he is one minute away.
Hunter cleared his throat. "I have a confession to make."
Liz froze. Oh, God! Is he starting now? The charming part?
Hunter saw that she is entering a panic mode. Who knows what is on her mind? He decided not to delay. "I am not your neighbor."
Liz paused. "What?"
"Last night I went to visit my brother, and you assumed that I'm the neighbor. I had fun talking to you, and I forgot to correct that misunderstanding. Please, don't think that it was intentional. To make up for it, I invited my brother over. He will join us for lunch, and you will get to meet your real neighbor."
Liz's eyes darted around while she processed what he said. Well, if he is not the thousand-girlfriends neighbor, that means that she didn't spend the evening with a horrible man, and that is a good thing, right? And that also means that she kept her guard up for last two hours for no good reason. Ah, never mind that. Better safe than sorry.
She didn't finish her thoughts when a deep voice came from behind her: "I thought it will be just the two of us..."
Max froze when Liz turned toward the voice.
Both Max and Liz frowned while looking at each other.
Hunter smiled: "Max, this is Elizabeth. Liz, this is my brother, Maximilian."
Max's mind: 'What is she doing here? What is she doing here? What is she doing here? ...'
Liz's mind: 'This is his brother? My neighbor? Out of all the people in the Seattle, does it need to be this unpleasant man?'
Hunter leaned back into his chair and looked at Max and Liz with anticipation. He threw the bomb and now he will enjoy seeing his lying brother squirm out of this.
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