Chapter 1: Man in the Window
Summary: Reader falls head over heels in love with her neighbor after a bad break-up. Will he also turn out to be her knight in shining armor as well?
Warnings: smut, language, sex, alcohol use. 18+ only!
The sun was finally shining bright after several dreary days. You decided that this would be the best day to start working on your tiny balcony oasis. You had moved into your new fourth floor apartment in New York City about six and a half months ago. After months of saving, you were able to finally buy the cute decor items that you had your eye on for so long.
Your new three-piece cushioned black wicker patio set had just arrived. You had gone to some of the small local shops and found some fake plants and ceramic jars that varied in sizes and shapes. To accent the entire scene that you had envisioned was a large navy blue and white mosaic outdoor rug.
After carrying everything out of the sliding glass door and onto the terrace, you took a step back and leaned against the railing to picture where you would put everything. Finally, after about an hour of moving things around, you had finished.
“Phew!” you exclaimed as you sat down in one of your new chairs and wiped the sweat from your forehead.
As you sat, you watched the sun go down behind all the tall buildings. The city lights were getting brighter as the sky darkened, and you looked around to take everything in. You had only been outside three or four times because of the cold weather so this was the first time that you had been able to actually enjoy an evening outside. You were noticing things that you hadn’t yet and it intrigued you.
Your red brick apartment building has five floors and is in the shape of a big U. So as neighbors were opening curtains, or turning on lights, you would glance in their direction just to be nosey and see what was going on and who lived where. On the second floor, you could see an older woman watering her plants in her kitchen window. A middle aged man lived on the third floor in a corner apartment. He was in his living room watching football. The lights suddenly turned on in the apartment across from yours. You quickly glanced to watch and see what would appear.
“Holy shit.” You said aloud to yourself when you saw the man walk up to his glass door and peer out.
You couldn’t stop staring at him. He was gorgeous. Tall, slender built, and dark brown hair that was styled back neatly. He had a black suit and tie on. He loosened his tie as he stood looking out into the distance.
He stood still for a few minutes, then turned and walked out of view. You took a deep breath in and decided that you’d go inside for the night. You walked into the kitchen and poured yourself a glass of Chardonnay. Then, you went into the living room and plopped yourself down on the couch.
A few hours and three glasses of wine later, you had fallen asleep on your couch while watching Grey’s Anatomy. Around 3:30 in the morning, You were jolted awake from the nightmare that you were having.
“It was just a dream! It was just a dream!” you kept saying to yourself over and over as you sat up trying to calm down.
You felt like your heart was going to pound out of your chest. As you stood up, you turned off the television and walked your glass into the kitchen where you placed it in the sink. You looked over to the glass door and saw that you hadn’t shut the curtains yet. You walked over to pull the curtains, but when you looked out and over to the windows across from you, you saw the man from earlier now just in black boxers staring straight at you.
You let out a gasp and hurried to pull the curtains closed. Shit! Did he see me earlier? How long has he been standing there looking in my windows? These thoughts were racing through your head as you hurriedly made your way to your bedroom.
As you laid down in bed, you kept thinking of him. His gorgeous hair, those dark eyes, and that undeniably sexy body. You started to feel a bit of a tingling sensation, but snapped out of your thoughts quickly. You literally just got out of a relationship! Granted it was awful, but still! Plus, you don’t even know this guy!
The next morning, you woke up and got ready for the day. You grabbed your computer bag, and headed out the door to the little coffee shop on the corner. You love this tiny cafe and do your work there every day as you eat and drink your usual duo. A lemon blueberry scone and an iced caramel macchiato with cold foam.
You have become one of the regulars, so every morning when you walk in, the barista has your meal ready for you. Then, you sit in the same back corner booth and begin work. You work for a marketing firm out of California, so your job is completely virtual, which you absolutely love. You don’t like going out in public very often, and when you do, you try to go when you see that there aren’t many people. However, living in New York City made that a bit more challenging, but you're adjusting.
“Need a refill?” one of the waitresses and now your friend, Johanna says with a big smile on her freckled face.
You looked up at Johanna and smiled as you replied, “Absolutely! I think today is going to be a long one.”
“You got it!” Johanna said as she spun around and twisted her curly red hair up into a bun on the top of her head.
The bell rang and someone new walked in. Not many people frequent this small establishment, so when the high pitched noise rang out through the air, you looked up curiously to see who it was that came inside. Your heart felt like it skipped a beat. It was him. The man from the window.
You sat back quickly and tried to hide in the booth, but it didn’t work very well. He spotted you and gave you a smile. Then, he ordered his coffee and left. A huge sigh of relief left you when he walked out. You had no idea what you would say to him if he approached you. You were a hot mess when it came to talking to guys.
Over the past few months, you had tried to meet someone. You thought it would help you move on from your ex-boyfriend Spencer faster. You quickly learned just how awkward you are and how awful you are at conversations. You had been on three dates so far and every one of them ghosted you after the first night. It was only a dinner date, and yet somehow you had managed to run them off every time.
“OH. MY. GOD! Girl, did you see how hot that guy was?!” Johanna said as she handed you your new drink.
You stared at her for a moment and then giggled, “yes, I saw him.”
Johanna sat down across from you and started talking so fast, “I could barely even speak! Ugh! Could you imagine being with someone like him?!”
“Yeah, it definitely would be interesting!” You laughingly replied and then let out a long sigh, “I should probably get going. I’ve finished my work for the day. It wasn’t as bad as I thought after all.” You started packing up everything and slid out of the booth.
“Okay! Will I see you tomorrow?” Johanna replied as you stood.
“Maybe!” You said in a high tone as you made your way to the door, “See you later!”
You made it home and flopped down onto the couch. You couldn’t stop thinking of the guy across from you, but then all of those thoughts were interrupted when your phone dinged from a notification. You grabbed your phone from your pocket and opened up the screen. It was a Facebook notification about memories that you had from two years ago.
You immediately felt sick to your stomach. You knew that all of your past memories included Spencer. You decided to swipe the notification away without opening it and laid your phone facedown on the coffee table. Those memories were a thing of the past and that’s where they needed to stay. You were tired of anything and everything dredging up things and reminding you of the life you used to live. It’s time to move on.
