Her good fortune

I hated moving like I hated a bad orgasm.

‎I'd been in and out of seven apartments in ten years, and somehow it never got easier. I told myself for the hundredth time that this was the last move I would ever make but you never knew where life would take you eventually. 

‎Luckily for me, I got the apartment for a suspiciously cheap price for this kind of area but I wasn't complaining. It had two bedrooms, good lighting, and was perfect for my budget. I didn't ask too many questions about why the rent was so low because right now, I just needed a freaking win.

‎I grabbed the heaviest box out of my truck and made my way into the apartment building. My arms were already shaking by the time I was halfway down the narrow hallway, and I could feel the box slipping out of my sweaty hands. No. No. No. No. 

‎I decided to give up and let it fall when I felt two powerful hands take the box from me. I looked up, very sure I was looking like a swamp creature and panting like one, to see the most beautiful human being I'd ever had the pleasure of setting my eyes on. 

He was tall, with broad shoulders that practically filled the narrow hallway. His arms were covered in ink, with more tattoos peeking out from the collar of his shirt. He had dirty blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes so light they almost looked silver. He was attractive in a way that made my stomach tighten instantly with a heavy, unfamiliar heat. 

‎"Easy. You'll hurt yourself if you aren't careful." He smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. "I see you're the new person."

‎‎"Yes," I managed to say, desperately trying to tuck a sweaty strand of hair behind my ear. "I just moved in all the way from North Carolina."

"I'm right next door. We're neighbors." He gestured toward the door beside mine. "Do you need help carrying the rest inside?" He gave me a sympathetic look, clearly reading the utter exhaustion on my face.

‎I wanted to say no, and pretend that I had it handled, but that would be a flat out lie. "Actually... yeah. That would be amazing."

‎‎I followed him back down to the truck, shamelessly staring at the muscles in his back contracting as he lifted two massive boxes at once like they weighed nothing.

‎Back in NC, guys that looked like this were a rare species. Now, I apparently had one living right next door. Maybe moving wasn't so bad after all.

‎‎I studied the way his biceps flexed under his tight black t-shirt. His ass looked so yummy in his jeans, and I bit my lip and imagined grabbing handfuls of it and the friction of him grinding against me. 

‎‎Whoa. Back up now. Where on earth did that come from?? I shook my head, trying to clear my head of the explicit images of my neighbor that I conjured up. 

‎‎"Thank you," I said once the last box was safely inside my living room. I was panting like I’d done the heavy lifting myself. "I'm Annie, by the way."

‎"Nicholas, but you can call me Nick." He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. The man was built like a Greek god, making my mismatched leggings and oversized NC State shirt feel completely ridiculous.

I noticed he was still staring at me, his gaze sweeping over my face with an intense, quiet curiosity that made my cheeks burn. He made me incredibly nervous. I didn't usually turn into a puddle in front of guys I just met, but his energy was overwhelming 

‎‎"Nice to meet you." he said, his voice is low and rough. and something about it made me want to clench my thighs together.

‎My cheeks heated up and I smiled. "Yeah, same. Thanks again for the help. I owe you one." I let out a high-pitched, awkward laugh that made me want to facepalm myself on the spot.‎

‎"Anytime," he said, pushing off the doorframe. "Oh yeah, heads up, the bathroom sink runs cold for the first minute. If you need anything else, I'm right next door. Welcome to the building." He gave me a reassuring smile and his arm brushed mine as he turned to leave. 

Goosebumps exploded all over my body at the brief contact.‎

‎I stood in my half-assembled apartment, surrounded by cardboard boxes, and let a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I was definitely attracted to this man, but there was no way anything was going to happen. He was ridiculously out of my league, and sleeping with your neighbor was one of the top ten things you shouldn't do. 

My phone buzzed at that moment, interrupting me out of my thoughts. I hope that's not who I think it is.