Zara lay on her couch, still fuming. She had replayed the argument in her head a dozen times already, and every time she pictured his smug grin, her chest tightened.She needed an outlet. Something.Her phone buzzed.At first, she thought it was just a random notification, but then she saw it...Building Residents Group Chat: “14B vs. 12A Showdown”Someone had changed the chat title. Zara’s jaw dropped.Scrolling up, she saw the thread.Neighbor 7C: “Was that screaming last night from 12th floor? Sounded like WWE out there.”Neighbor 10A: “Nah, that was Zara and Cade again. Round 99. I swear those two need a reality show.”Neighbor 8D: “Honestly? Kinda rooting for Cade. At least he’s funny.”Neighbor 12B: “Funny? He’s a menace! Poor Zara can’t even breathe without him being a jerk.”Zara’s blood boiled. People were talking about them like it was entertainment.Before she could type, Cade chimed in.Cade (14B): “For the record, princess started it. She’s obsessed with me. Sends me love
Zara told herself she wouldn’t do it. She told herself she was above this childish back-and-forth. But her hand wouldn’t stop twitching, her pen wouldn’t stay still. Before she could talk herself out of it, she was already scribbling.“Dear Cade,You are without a doubt the most arrogant, insufferable, obnoxious man I have ever met. Every word out of your mouth drips with ego, and every smirk you give makes me want to vomit. Don’t flatter yourself thinking I’m obsessed. The only thing I can’t stop thinking about is how wonderful it will be when you finally move out. The building will smell cleaner, sound quieter, and look brighter without you in it. Signed, Your fed-up neighbor.”She shoved the note into an envelope, stomped down the hall, and slapped it against his door so hard the sound echoed. Without knocking, she spun around and started back to her apartment.But Cade was faster.The door swung open, and there he stood, shirtless, his hair still damp like he had just showered. Za
Zara stared at the blank sheet of paper, gripping her pen so tightly her fingers ached. Last night, Cade’s smug grin and mocking words replayed over and over in her head, keeping her awake. She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to call her princess like it was a joke they both shared. He wasn’t going to win this.She leaned forward and began to write, her pen moving fast, sharp strokes tearing slightly into the page.“Dear Cade, You think this is funny, don’t you? You live like a slob and think you’re clever for making excuses. Newsflash: you’re not charming, you’re not witty, you’re just pathetic. Grown men don’t act like spoiled teenagers. If you’re trying to get my attention, congratulations, you’ve succeeded. Now every time I walk into the hallway, all I can smell is your laziness. Signed, Someone With Standards.”She sat back and read it over. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.She grabbed another sheet and rewrote it, angrier this time.“Dear Cade, If I ever needed a reason to
Zara couldn’t take it anymore.She stood in her kitchen, pacing back and forth with her pen clutched in her hand, glaring at the crumpled pieces of paper scattered on the counter. Each one was a failed attempt at saying what she really wanted to scream in Cade’s face.All morning, she had been forced to step over his damn garbage bag sitting right outside his door. Again. It was full of pizza boxes, beer cans, and God-knows-what-else. The stench had already started creeping into the hallway. The man had no shame.“Disgusting,” Zara muttered under her breath as she sat down again, smoothed out a fresh sheet of paper, and slammed the tip of her pen against it.She wrote in bold, angry strokes:“Cade, you’re not twelve years old. Stop leaving your trash in the hallway like an animal. People live here. Do you have any idea how inconsiderate you are? Some of us have standards. Try developing some.”She stopped, read it over, and snorted. Too soft.She crossed it out with furious lines, gra
The stench hit Zara before she even turned the corner.She froze, gripping her grocery bag tighter, already knowing what she would see and there it was again, another black garbage bag slumped against the wall outside apartment 10B, leaking something sticky onto the carpet. A pizza box leaned on top of it, a soda can lay crushed nearby and a balled-up napkin clung to her shoe.Her jaw clenched. “Unbelievable,” she muttered, kicking the napkin off with a sharp shake of her foot.It wasn’t the first time. Cade Walker, her arrogant, messy, smug neighbor had been living in 10B for barely three months, and in that short time, he had already turned their clean hallway into his personal trash station. He never seemed to care about the building rules or, worse, about the people forced to live next to him.Zara wrinkled her nose and fished her keys from her purse. She could feel her temper boiling, the way it always did whenever Cade was involved. It didn’t matter if she saw him in the gym, in
And they had.Later that afternoon, as they walked down one of the quieter halls, Olivia heard footsteps echoing behind them. When she turned, she saw Professor Smith, the one who had once looked at her like he suspected something was happening during her tutoring days. He stopped in front of them, his eyes scanning the two of them holding hands.Olivia’s stomach tightened. This was the moment she feared most.But then, Professor Smith’s expression softened. Slowly, he gave a smile.“Congratulations,” he said, his voice warm but formal. “I had my doubts at first. But it’s clear now, you’ve both chosen for each other, and it shows. Well done.”Olivia blinked, unable to process it for a second. She’d expected disapproval, maybe a lecture, but not this.“Thank you, sir,” Julian said firmly, giving a respectful nod.Professor Smith turned his gaze on Olivia, eyes kinder than she had ever seen. “You’ve grown, Miss Bennett. More than I thought possible when you first entered my class. Hold