Next-door Heat 1

One

“I need this book ready by Friday, Theo. Why is it taking forever to have a look at it and share your opinion?”

Theo Landon let out a frustrated sigh, the itch in his ears only biting worse.

He glanced out the floor-to-ceiling window in his apartment unit, at the panoramic view of Chicago downtown.

He’d chosen this apartment unit for this particular view, because at first glance, it seemed like the kind of therapy book-lovers would subscribe to.

Hearing the whiny voice in his ear stole away the peace of the therapy.

He was at a loss for words…

The right words he could use to communicate to this writer that has been on his neck, that he couldn’t find it in him to continue with the horrible fanfic tale she’d submitted on his desk. For editing.

He’d tried a few pages, the first few. And the more he’d flipped, the more it seemed like he was losing his creative touch. He was scared for himself. His brain. His fucking IQ.

He massaged the space between his brows, letting out another sigh. “Listen, Jenny, there’s no way in the world of creative writing, that you could write manhwa characters like that.”

Jenny scoffed on the other end. “Like what?”

“I mean, so…lifeless. Nothing spicy or entertaining or even thirst-trappy enough to keep the readers hooked.” Theo ran a hand through his hair. “That’s actually the whole point of this, you know.”

His doorbell rang just then, and he whipped his gaze to the door, wondering who it was.

“Listen, you know what?” Jenny’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“What?”

The doorbell rang again, shrill and annoying, and Theo rose to his feet with a sigh.

“Why don’t you meet me out downtown,” Jenny continued, “instead of staying holed up in your apartment every freaking day?”

Theo checked the biometric screen before pulling the door open.

A chicken delivery guy stood there, a box of chicken in hand and an impatient look on his face.

“And maybe we could share a—“

“Can you just…give me a second, Jenny? I need to take care of something real quick.”

Without waiting to hear her response, Theo ended the call and returned his attention to the delivery guy. “Sorry about that.”

“Sure.” He held out the box to Theo. “Please sign here.”

Theo had just scribbled his signature and was lifting his head when his peripheral vision caught the figure staring at him from across the hallway.

He stiffened, taking the box with numb fingers. “Thank you,” he murmured to the delivery man.

Then he snapped his head up, his eyes colliding against a pair of hazel gray ones.

He paused, his eyes trailing down the rest of the face.

“Uhm, hi.” A deep, languidly hypnotic voice boomed out, trapping the air in Theo’s gut for a moment.

He cocked his brows at the man, who seemed like he was openly ogling him.

And Theo found it irritating that a man would look at him like that.

He was an easy 6’3 yeah, with dimpled cheeks and a wicked hair the color of honey brown, matching his eyes. And he attracted women like honey did bees.

Sometimes he got attention from men too. But no one had quite looked at him the way this man standing in the next door did now.

It discomfited him, and Theo wasn’t the type that enjoyed discomfort.

“Hello?”

Theo snapped back to reality, realizing that he’d crawled inside his head yet again. That zoning out thing that usually happened to him.

He cocked his brows at the man, a silent indication of a variety of things.

“I’m sorry, I was saying I just moved in next door,” the man continued. “My name’s Nico.”

Theo stared at him for a moment longer than he intended, his jaw ticking.

Then, without a word leaving his mouth, he turned on his heels and walked into his apartment, shutting the door behind him, not before he caught the look of confusion on his new neighbor’s face.

As if on cue, his phone rang just then, and letting out a sigh of utmost frustration, he whipped it out to see the name he dreaded glowing across the screen.

“Jenny,” he said in a strained voice, setting down the box of chicken on the table.

“As I was saying,” she started in a nonchalant tone, “maybe you could share a little cup of coffee with me, why we have a little heart to heart? That way you could openly air your opinion to me.”

“Jenny look—“

“You can’t keep dishing me rejections if you aren’t going to make yourself available to brainstorm together!”

“Jenny, it’s your book. Why would we brainstorm together?”

Theo’s lips curled up in a dry, humorless smile, the aggravation eating at him.

Jenny was a pain in his ass. A writer he tried as much as he could to avoid working with. He always canceled personal meetings with her, because he knew better than anyone that she had the hots for him.

And she was the kind of girl to jump you, given the chance.

He’d tried as much as he could to avoid her because he liked to be professional. And because he hated being in compromising situations. With women, especially.

Plus, he had a type. And it wasn’t petite women with ridiculously pretty eyes that made you want to fall in love at first glance.

Or 6ft tall men with tattooed arms and brow piercings — just like the one that’d stared at him from across the hallway only moments ago.

“I’ll pass.”

“Oh, Theo. Don’t be such a party-pooper.”

“Talk to you later, Jenny. I’ve got work to do.”

He ended the call and threw the phone on the couch, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window. He stared at his reflection with different, curious eyes. Trying to see what his new neighbor had seen that gave him that fascinated look in his eyes.

Maybe he needed to do more holing up in his unit.

No more bumping into good-looking weirdos that made his gut twitch.

He walked up to his fridge and pulled out a can of beer, and as he started towards the chicken on the table, the doorbell rang again. Shrilly. Persistently.

Theo heaved a frustrated sigh as he set down the can of beer, dragging his feet to the door and pulling off his glasses to rub at his eyes.

He pulled the door open with one hand, his hand between his eyes.

He paused as he saw who stood there, his glasses hanging loose between his shoulders.

The new neighbor had a small, lazy smile on his lips, his eyes roaming over Theo’s face. “Has anyone told you?” He lifted his brows slightly, tilting his head. “You look much better without those glasses. You could pass for a model.”

Theo stared at him pointedly for a while, his mouth dry, and just…speechless.

Then he mustered a few words. The fastest he could think of.

“Can I help you?” His voice was strained and glaringly unfriendly.

The neighbor seemed…baffled. Slightly. “Uh, well like I said earlier, I’m the new neighbor.” He cleared his throat. “And I’m sorry to bother you—because it clearly looks like it— but I was curious about one thing.”

Theo cocked his brow, silently urging him on.

“So, I was wondering if you have some kind of hearing loss or something?”

It was Theo’s turn to be baffled. “What?”

“I mean, I said hello to you earlier, a simple courtesy I owe as your new neighbor. But you just outright ignored, and honestly, I haven’t been able to get past that. That’s why I’m here, to know for myself. And I have confirmed that your ears work perfectly well. You’re probably just a snub, and that’s understandable.”

Theo scoffed in spite of himself, amused by the fact that he’d been sidetracked with a rambler for a neighbor.

“Look,” he cleared his throat, fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose, “I’m sorry if I came across as rude—“

“Like that isn’t intentional?”

Theo sighed, ruffling his hair. “Not really. I just like to keep to myself.”

“Well that is noted, and this will be the last time I bother you.”

Theo nodded and started to close his door.

“Can I ask, though?” The neighbor called out, stopping him.

Theo poked his head out, lifting his brows in a silent gesture.

“Where can I find the incinerator around here? I’m still a newbie so—“

“Out back,” Theo cut in abruptly, and before his neighbor could respond, he slammed the door shut.