Amara stood by the threshold of the small bakery just across from the pottery shop where she was working. Her mouth slightly opened with incredulity. Wasn't this space just an empty lot three days ago? How was it even built in that spot within that short amount of time?!
Her shock was etched in her face as she looked up at the banner above the threshold.
'A's Bakery.' Amara read the name in her head. There was even a tiny tagline, 'Bread that can make you growl.'
Amara raised her eyebrow, "…shouldn't it be 'can make your stomach growl'...?"
"Hm?" Azer turned his head to her and stared again at her with those enigmatic eyes. Amara avoided his eyes and shook her head, mumbling the word 'nothing.'
"Do you own this?" she asked, shifting her eyes inside the bakery. There were only a few display racks, and no breads were on sale yet. There was another door beside the counter, and Amara guessed it probably led to the kitchen.
"Yes," Azer answered. He went inside, his eyes filled with curiosity as if it was also the first time he'd seen his own bakeshop. Amara stayed by the door, hesitating to enter and impose herself further.
"It was just a space a few days ago…" She mumbled as she still couldn't believe she'd have another neighbor. One that seemed mysterious and noble. However, she was pretty glad that the shop was a bakery, as she didn't need to bake her own or walk two streets away to buy her breakfast.
"I hired many men to finish it quickly," Azer answered nonchalantly. He strolled inside, gesturing for her to come inside. She awkwardly smiled and took a step forward.
Amara was skeptical when he asked her to be a good neighbor. She truly believed the man was an aristocrat, but then he stood and offered to accompany her to her home. He ended up introducing the newly built bakery right before the pottery shop.
The building has two levels, which a commercial building usually does. The lower floor was intended for business, while the upper was for residential purposes.
"Are you…going to run this business alone?" Amara asked as she scanned the small room.
"Of course not," Azer answered.
Amara waited for him to continue, but the man only opened the door to the kitchen, peeked his head, and eventually entered.
When the man, whose name Amara didn't know yet, took too long to come out, she decided to leave and crossed the street. She opened her own shop and scanned the area, searching for any signs of break-in.
She was about to climb upstairs when she heard the bell chiming, indicating that someone had entered her shop. She quickly looked back and saw her new neighbor sauntered inside. His eyes bore to her, and Amara flinched at the intense gaze.
"D-Do you need anything?" She asked, hiding the uneasiness she felt.
Azer saw discomfort in Amara's face, and it made him frown. But thinking about what the lady had gone through at a man's hands, he could understand where she was coming from. He sighed and answered, "I'd like to introduce myself. I'll be your neighbor starting from today. Call me Azer."
"My name is Amara." She curtly bowed her head, a habit she had learned from her dead father. "S-Since we'll be neighbors, you can ask me for anything regarding this neighborhood. I'll try my best to help you."
Silence answered her.
"Ahm. If there's nothing more, I'm going upstairs."
"You should lock the door first after I leave. What if someone entered while you were inside?" Azer looked at Amara; his face looked annoyed. He couldn't help but think, 'How could this woman be so careless?'
"Ah, r-right." She walked up to Azer, waiting for him to leave. When the man looked at her with an irritated face, she answered him apologetically. She was grateful he was concerned, but did he have to be annoyed that much? Amara always locked the door whenever she left the shop and only forgot to do so because she was too eager to check her room.
Azer averted his gaze and went out, entering his empty shop without looking back.
Amara was dumbfounded. The man looked annoyed at something. Was it because she had just forgotten to lock her door? She went and did what he wanted, then whirled around and climbed upstairs.
The door to her room was still locked, to her relief. She took the key taped behind the old lamp mounted in the wall of the wooden stair and opened her living quarters.
Her bedroom was still the same, and the windows were locked, just as she had left them before she met her ex-lover. The curtains were also closed, and she tied them so sunlight could pass through. Then she unlocked the windows and opened them.
As she did that, the man across the other building also opened his window, stealing her attention. Her enigmatic neighbor's grey eyes bore into her as though they were staring at her soul, digging into her hidden secrets. His face was unreadable, and his lips were pressed in thin lines.
It made Amara uncomfortable, so she quickly let go of the curtains, which she intended to tie initially, and just left them blown away by the wind. She held the necklace against her chest, a habit she always did whenever she felt troubled, and sighed to erase the image of the man.
She cleaned the entire room, on and under, until she was exhausted.
"I should go to the market tomorrow to deliver the vases," Amara mumbled to herself. She had a friend in the market who sold and arranged flowers, and she supplied the flower shop with vases and other pots for their business. Amara mumbled a simple prayer before she finally drifted to slumber.
Her sleep was woken up by the incessant banging of the door outside. She was too sleepy to feel scared, and she felt annoyed for disturbing her sleep. She groggily sat herself up and peeked on the window. There was a man, whose state seemed drunk, who was continuously banging on the glass door of her shop.
Amara scrunched her eyes to see better, and her body stiffened after recognizing the inconsiderate man.
"How dare he come back?!" She shouted to herself. Her voice quivered in both fear and anger. 'Is he here to drag me again?'
She embraced herself and quickly hid after the man looked up.
Then, Amara heard Gerard say from below, "Ara, please open the door! I was wrong! At least let me…let me apologize properly, please…"
His voice was filled with sorrow and regret, but Amara's heart had already hardened. Apologies weren't what she wanted; his disappearance would satisfy her more. She couldn't even bear to look at him as the images of that night reappeared in her mind.
She quickly hid when she saw him look up. Her heartbeat drummed, and she held her breath as if breathing would get her discovered. It was probably midnight, and by the only lamp illuminated her room, she hoped that the man missed her silhouette.
A few shouts and banging continued. Amara was tempted to go down and shoo him away as she felt the neighbors would soon yell at them. But her thoughts were cut off when she heard a low guttural sound, as though a beast was nearby, growling at the noise that disturbed its sleep.
"What was that?!" Gerard shouted, frightened. He looked around but could not see any animals nearby.
Another growl erupted in the silent street.
Gerard shivered. He felt like something was glaring at him, making his skin crawl. He looked up and shouted behind the window again, "I-I'll be back tomorrow, Ara! I promise!"
He then scurried away in fear.
Amara sighed in relief as she watched the man run away. Though she wondered where the sound came from, she shook her head and decided to just go back to sleep. Someone might have been greatly annoyed by the noise and pranked Gerard, as the growl indeed sounded like a beast, but there was no way a beast could enter the capital without being detected.