THREE - BLAIR

I wake up to the sound of knocking on the door. It’s dark outside and none of the lights are on in my apartment.

“Hello? Anyone home?” A deep, husky voice calls out.

I groan as I get up from the couch. My hair must be a mess. I stumble to the door in the dark to find the handsome stranger who just moved in next door standing in front of me. I rub my eyes. His wide frame towers over my small 5’4 body by nearly a foot. He is holding a bundle of white sheets in his arms.

“Hi,” My voice cracks, giving away my state of being fresh out of slumber. “Are these my sheets? Sorry!” I stretch out my arms, offering to take over.

“Hi,” he says, as he hands over the sheets. “Yeah, I'm Hunter. I just moved in next door. I needed to use the washer so I took your sheets out and dried them. I hope you don’t mind.” Hunter’s tone is not unfriendly, but definitely not super friendly. The best word I can think of to describe it is lukewarm.

“No, not at all!” I try to keep a cheerful tone, “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble. I was meaning to take them out earlier... but fell asleep on the couch.” I say sheepishly, as I gladly take the sheets off his hands. Our arms brush against each other as we make the exchange. I look up from the sheets to meet his eyes, and his deep brown eyes stare back at me intensely. Just like in my daydream. His touch brings to my stomach a strange feeling—a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. I chalk it up to the weird sex thing when he popped into my head earlier.

Although he’s not that friendly at least it was quite sweet of him to dry the sheets for me. Some of these assholes in our building have straight up taken out my wet laundry and left it on top of the washer before. Real gems of humanity we’ve got here.

“Sorry to wake you... Hey, at least now I know you don’t normally go about your life in the dark. Here I was, thinking you were some weirdo when you first opened the door.” He teased.

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. His face opens up into a faint smirk that was just a little bit smug, seeming to be pleased with himself. Faint lines around his eyes crinkle slightly, highlighting his mature features that have certainly aged finely. Hunter seems like a man who knows how to make women laugh and he knows it, all the while pretending to be stand-offish. I bet the ladies in his life do all the chasing.

“Oh, I’m Blair by the way.” I offer an extended hand.

“Nice to meet you Blair,” he takes my hand in his and gives it a firm squeeze. When he lets go, my hand isn’t the only part of me feeling weak. My stomach does another flip flop.

Gosh, what’s wrong with me. My body is acting like some country bumpkin whose never seen a hot guy before.

“Any chance you know of something good and quick to eat around here?”

My stomach growls, as if right on cue. I let out a small laugh to cover up my embarrassment, “Only if you don’t mind me joining you.”

“Yeah. I mean, sure, if you’d like to?” He seems taken aback at how forward I am. Isn't he used to being chased by the ladies?

“Come in, let me just get appropriately dressed for this occasion.” By which I meant I would put on a bra. I open the door wider as an invitation for him to come inside my apartment, “excuse the mess please, I’m in the middle of a project...”