OVERREACTING NEIGHBOR

TYLER

Tyler let out a low cuss when he realized that he had forgotten to pick up his keys again. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He didn't understand why he was so forgetful those days but it wasn't a good thing.

He didn't deal with changes like that so much. Especially huge gratifying changes that turned his whole life around.

Letting out a small exhale of reproach, he turned around and started to head back into the building. He didn't understand how he could have missed out on the key that was right there in his face. 

He had even placed it in the crystal bowl filled with mints just so he could pick it up when he wanted to fill his pocket with some of the candy. But he had forgotten to take the keys when the candy touched his tongue.

He stepped into the elevator and hit the keypad. Taking out his phone from his pocket, he typed a quick text to his best friend, Gabriel who he was sure was already waiting for him as usual. He groaned. He hated making people wait. It wasn't a part of someone who had spent all their lives being punctual.

When he returned his phone to his pocket and the elevator stopped, he stepped out of it and was immediately assaulted by the powerful screams of the woman who had been nothing but rude to him only a while ago.

Tyler's first thoughts were that his building was burning but it wasn't. If it was, he would have caught on to the smoke.

Taking wary steps closer to the woman he termed crazy, he watched as she wouldn't stop screaming while pointing at whatever was at her door, laying still. They were tears in her eyes which somewhat managed to irritate Tyler.

Wasn't she the one insulting him a few minutes ago?

How come she was crying this much in the space of a few minutes?

He couldn't help asking himself as he watched her try to wipe her runny nose clean. Her fingers were pressing around a cell phone and they were trembling badly. Tyler found this was very unusual with the woman he knew. 

Though, he didn't know much about his next-door neighbor having moved in only a month ago. Besides, their first meeting hadn't been a nice one at all he almost ripped off her flowing dress with his shoes and she got extremely mad and whiny. Tyler thought she looked cute then but looking back, he decided that she was nothing but trouble embodied in a human.

Frowning, he made no move to approach or try to inquire what was wrong as he walked toward his door. She was still screaming and wailing, not pausing for a second even though he was there.

Tyler was just about to walk into his apartment having unlocked the door with his card key when he caught sight of what had her disturbed. Laying on the floor was a bouquet of black roses. 

His blood ran cold as he bolted in and shut the door.

Black roses? 

He couldn't help questioning himself. That was not a good sign in any way. Black didn't mean well on a norm because it signified a lot of negative things. Like death. And in the case of the roses, the meaning was not far-fetched either way. It meant vengeance, revenge, and of course death.

That was enough to have anyone falling into depression.

But Tyler still thought that she was overreacting. He walked over to the glass bowl and picked up his keys. He was about to start going out when he realized that it would be cruel of him to just let her handle the mess. It wasn't him trying to be nice or friendly toward her but he just wanted to be polite.

By helping a person in distress.

He took his phone out of his pocket and placed a call to the security at the gates, guarding the place. 

“Hello, sir.” The man who had answered his call and who Tyler knew as Tennyson spoke up after Tyler introduced himself.

“My neighbor just found black roses by her doorstep without ordering them. Do you want to explain how that could be?” Tyler snapped.

“Firstly, it's not in your place to lay a complaint. Secondly, how the fuck am I supposed to know anything about that spoiled brat?” He retorted.

Tyler was stunned for only a second before his mouth flew open and a humorless chuckle escaped him. Of course, he wasn't laughing because he didn't find anything funny. He was laughing because the man on the line thought he was a nobody when he owned the building and many more in the world.

If only he knew who he was. He would have never spoken to him that way.

“It's your business because you are in charge of security. You should be able to tell who dropped the flowers for her.” Tyler's voice was still strangely calm.

“Sir, why don't you just mind—”

“Do what you have to do and do it now while I'm still being reasonable!” He didn't give him a chance to talk before he ended the call in anger. 

The man would kiss his ass and worship the ground he walked on if he opened his mouth and told him who he was. But he wasn't ready for that revelation yet and he probably still wouldn't.

Tyler thought about heading back out but decided against it. He had to make sure she was calm before leaving. So, he grabbed a handful of his mints candy and stuffed them into his mouth while he paced about the spacious room. 

A month ago, he never would have thought that he would leave the luxury of the large mansion to stay in one of his apartment homes but he was there now and there was nothing he wanted to do about it.

When he was certain that his neighbor had ceased crying, he headed out. Heaving a sigh of relief, he sauntered past her door back into the elevator where he received a call from Gabby.

“I'm on my way, Gabby. I will be there soon.” Tyler mumbled while hoping that for his sake, Gabby had done the wise thing by throwing a private party for his birthday. One that didn't include crimes and attention.

Especially attention.