"...here..." Sarge gave Eli, his best friend, a bottle of juice and sat on the arm chair next to it. They had just finished putting together some of the furniture in Sarge's apartment.
"Thanks." Eli said. Then, "Does she know?"
Sarge looked toward the main door and shook his head, 'no'.
---
"Thanks for getting this for me." Sarge said as his agent, Casey, as they entered the 2-bedroom unit.
"...it wasn't easy..." Casey replied. "Anyway, this building is at a very good location. You have malls and restaurants just next door and around the block. Schools are also down the road. There's a chapel in one of the malls...on the upper floor. And, the hospital is just a few blocks from here."
Sarge nodded. "Prime location." He smiled.
"...there are a lot of hospital employees who also live in the area...on this floor alone, I think there are about 3 or 4 of you who work at the hospital..."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Your neighbor across, I think she's a doctor at the hospital..."
"Ah..." Sarge said.
---
"...this is the one-bedroom...it comes furnished but you can add stuff if you want. Just inform the owner."
"Nice. Oh, and the balcony looks out into the garden below..." Aina said as they stepped out onto the balcony of the unit. Her building was in a compound of other apartment buildings and they shared a lot of open spaces like the playground or gardens.
"Yes. Because there isn't any building or wall near you, or on any of your windows, the breeze cuts through." The agent said. "Would you want to take a look at the other unit?"
"You know what? I've been thinking. Since I'll be the only one renting anyway, I don't really need an extra room. Plus, I instantly fell in love with this unit the moment we came in earlier."
"Good choice. Let me draw up a contract and so I can handover the keys as soon as possible."
"Good. Thanks!" Aina said as they left the unit. "...who lives there?"
"That's the other unit I was going to show you. Two-bedrooms with a loft."
"Whoa! That's too much for me."
The agent nodded. "...and it won't be available until next month still..."
"Oh" Aina replied. In about a week, she moved in and settled into her 'new' apartment.
---
Because they worked at different departments at a big hospital, the chances for them to see each other physically were slim. They were still enjoying their chats and video calls when Sarge unexpectedly met Aina in person for the very first time.
He was smitten the first time he saw her at the orientation. However, he was too shy to go up to her and introduce himself. Sarge pledged that he would gather guts to get to know Aina more and watch out for her.
"...but what if she's in a relationship already?" Eli asked when Sarge mentioned Aina to him.
"I'm willing to wait..."
"Whoa! You don't even know her yet..."
"We'll meet...I'm sure of that..."
"How?"
"I don't know how yet but we will...In the meantime, I'll just watch out for her and make sure she isn't hurt..."
"Man! You're creepy! It's as if you're a stalker and CIA all rolled into one."
"Nah. I don't know much about her..."
"...yet...you don't know much about her yet..."
"...that's why...I want to get to know her more...but I don't want to freak her out, too..."
A few months after this conversation with Eli, Sarge was able to get a unit at an apartment complex near the hospital. Before this, he was renting at a condominium in another city. He once saw Aina enter the complex but didn't know which building or unit she occupied. He didn't want to ask either since he and Aina agreed that they wouldn't ask each other personal questions until they personally met.
---
To drown out the noise of the vacuum cleaner, Sarge had a habit of turning on some music while he cleaned his house. In fact, he would normally turn on music especially when he was reading or studying. He recently discovered videos on bento box making and experimented on them. Since he and Aina had already 'met', he was thinking of inviting her for a picnic. After cleaning and organizing his apartment, something he always did on the first day of his days off from work, he took a shower. "I'll message her after...maybe we can have a nice picnic at the park..." he said to himself as he showered.
Aina had just finished cleaning her own apartment. She also showered, and settled on her sofa to read. It was her day off and all she wanted to do was relax. However, she was starting to become annoyed with the loud music coming from one of the other doors on her floor. She tried to ignore it at first but somehow, she was more sensitive toward the underlying beat of the music. Honestly, she was annoyed by the sound of constant beeping which was very common in her workplace. At home, she avoided having analog clocks that had the constant tick-tock sounds; she also couldn't stand electric fans that had knocking sounds (like when the head gets stuck or it's on an uneven surface and wobbles as it swings). Aina just got used to the beeping sounds of hospital machines because it was essential at her workplace, but if she could avoid it, she would.
Aina needed to know where the annoying beat and music was coming from. Her heightened senses usually gave her an idea where the sound sources were coming from. Because her unit was 'special' her unit was right next to the fire escape door. She would normally hear the security guards or maintenance staff passing outside her door and using the stairs to either go up to the roof deck or walk down. The doors of the other units on her side of the building were on the next 'block' after the hallway that led to another building perpendicular to hers. Along the "top of the T" from that hallway were the other units of her building.
As Aina opened her door, she immediately pinpointed her 'suspect' – it was the door almost across from hers. Besides, the bathroom window of the unit was by the railing that separated her side of the building from the opposite side. The light inside was on and she could hear the shower running in spite of the loud music.
Aina tried to ring the bell and knock on the door. Sensing someone at the door, Sarge quietly peeped from the bathroom window. He watched a very angry Aina repeatedly knock and ring the doorbell. Not wanting to cause more trouble, Sarge remained silent. He watched Aina storm back into her unit and then march out again, slamming the door behind her. He then quickly finished showering, got dressed, and messaged her. He followed her to the park after asking her where she was. They never talked about the incident except when Aina shared the reason why she was at the park when Sarge first asked where she was.
---
"Remember that noisy neighbor I mentioned about the last time?" Aina said one afternoon. Even if Aina basically turned Sarge down, they remained friends. He offered to walk her home.
"Oh, what about that? Are they still annoying you?"
"That day was actually the first and last time I heard music from there."
"That's good, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess." Aina mused. "Thinking about it now, I haven't heard music from that door again."
"You probably scared them. Did you report it?"
"I...I don't recall...I was fuming when I left..."
"Oh"
"...I think it was also partly because of hormones..."
Sarge was surprised by what Aina said so he glanced at her. "...I had my period then..."
"Ahh...Well, hopefully it doesn't happen anymore."
"I hope so."
As they were nearing the gate of the apartment complex, Aina didn't notice the uneven pavement. She stumbled and twisted her ankle. It was a good thing Sarge was there to break her fall.
"Are you okay?" Sarge said as he helped her stand up. He also picked up her bag and water bottle.
"I...I think...OWWW!" Aina said as she steadied herself and tried to continue walking.
Sarge guided Aina to the nearby bench and assessed her. He then gently removed her sneaker and carefully massaged her foot. After a few minutes, he offered to carry her on piggy back.
"Are you sure? Isn't the bus leaving soon?"
"It's okay. Your unit is in this building, right? I can take the later bus...c'mon, hop on and let's get some ice on that right away..."
"Wait...what?"
"...Doctor's orders..."