Ethan had barely slept. His mind kept replaying their conversation over and over again. Sienna’s laughter, the sharp bite of her words, the way she had dismissed his feelings like they were nothing. He told himself he wouldn’t think about it anymore, that it was better this way. He had no place in her world, and she had made that clear.And yet, late into the night, just as the city had settled into quiet murmurs of distant sirens and rustling winds, something pulled him from the haze of his restless thoughts.Soft, muffled sobs.At first, he thought he was imagining it. Sienna was not the type to cry—at least, not in front of anyone. But as he sat up in bed, straining to listen, the sound became clearer. It wasn’t the distant, passion-laced moans he had become used to hearing through the thin walls. No, this was raw, broken.Sienna was crying.Ethan’s chest tight
Ethan barely slept that night. The sound of Sienna crying had unsettled him in a way he couldn’t quite shake. It had been soft at first—muffled, broken sobs barely slipping through the thin walls. But then they’d become harsher, raw, as if something deep inside her had shattered. He had sat up in bed, staring at the wall that separated them, his chest aching.He wanted to knock on her door. To do something. But what right did he have? She had brushed off his confession like it was nothing. She had told him to go home, and yet here he was, unable to think of anything else but her pain.By morning, he was exhausted but determined. He couldn’t just pretend he hadn’t heard anything. As soon as he heard movement from her apartment, he was out the door.Sienna was locking her door when he stepped into the hallway. She was dressed as immaculately as ever—tight jeans, a cropped black top, her hair pulled into
Ethan tried to go about his day as if nothing had happened, but Sienna's words lingered like an echo in his mind. Emotions make people weak, Ethan. You should learn that before it gets you hurt. It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? That one moment of vulnerability, one night of muffled sobs behind thin walls, could shake him so much? But it did. It bothered him that she had dismissed it so easily, as if her pain was nothing more than a passing inconvenience. By the time evening rolled around, he had exhausted himself with overthinking. His laptop lay open on the desk, untouched for hours, a blank document staring back at him. He had barely eaten. He had barely done anything. His thoughts kept circling back to her. Finally, he gave up. He needed a break. Maybe some fresh air. Maybe he just needed to see her, even if it was from a distance. Stepping out of his ap
Ethan knew he should stop. He knew he should turn away, shut his door, and drown himself in the distractions of his books, his sketches—anything but this. But he didn’t. It started with a sound—low murmurs, a breathy laugh—drifting through the paper-thin walls. He recognized her voice instantly, but it was different tonight. It wasn’t the teasing, confident tone she usually used with him. It was softer, sultrier. His heart pounded as he stood frozen by his door, staring at the thin line of golden light spilling from Sienna’s slightly open doorway. He shouldn’t look. Don’t look, Ethan. But something about the way the door wasn’t completely shut, the way the soft sounds of movement filtered through, made it impossible for him to move away. He took a step closer. His pulse hammered in his ears as he peered through the narrow gap. Th
A few days later, Ethan saw Sienna's door open again, he should have known what happened since he had seen it, but curiosity enveloped Ethan who seemed to never be satisfied when it came to Sienna.Ethan stood frozen in the dimly lit hallway, his pulse thundering in his ears. The door—Sienna’s door—was ajar, just enough to betray a sliver of light, a soft golden glow spilling into the darkness. It was an invitation. Or a trap.He should walk away.He should turn around, go back to his room, and pretend he hadn’t noticed.But he couldn’t.The air between them had been charged for weeks, an unbearable tension that neither of them acknowledged, yet both of them indulged. The lingering glances, the teasing smiles, the way she said his name like a whispered secret. And now, this. A door left open—deliberately.His fingers trembled as he pressed them lightly against the wood, nudging it just enough to widen the space. His breath caught as he peeked inside.Sienna was seated at the edge of h
Ethan had always thought of himself as a rational man. Someone who didn’t let emotions cloud his judgment. He prided himself on self-control, on the ability to stay detached when necessary.But as he stood there, frozen outside Sienna’s apartment, his knuckles tightening, he realized—he had never been more wrong.The door was slightly ajar. A sliver of golden light spilled into the dim hallway, casting a thin line across the floor. He should have turned around. He should have walked back to his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him, erasing whatever he was about to see from his mind before it destroyed him.But his feet wouldn’t move.Instead, they carried him forward, one step at a time, until he was close enough to see inside.At first, it was just a flicker of movement. The curve of her bare shoulder, the way her dark hair cascaded down her back, loose and wild. The silk strap of her dress slid from her arm, hanging precariously, as if it could slip off at any moment.And
Ethan stood frozen.His hand still gripped the doorknob of his apartment, knuckles white, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t.The sounds filtering through the thin walls were too much—too vivid, too real.Soft moans. Breathless laughter. The rustle of fabric against skin. The unmistakable creak of the mattress.Sienna.She was in there, just beyond that wall, tangled with someone else. And she wasn’t stopping. She wasn’t hesitating.She was letting him hear.Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, his pulse hammering in his throat. He told himself to turn away, to walk into his bedroom and drown it out, to bury himself under blankets or blast music loud enough to erase the sounds seeping into his bones.But he didn’t.Instead, he turned. Slowly, painfully, as if dragged by some unseen force, he stepped toward her door. The light still poured from the small gap where it hadn’t closed all the way. An invitation. A temptation.Don’t do this.But his feet carried him forward anyway.Ethan’s fingers br
Ethan felt her gaze before he saw it. A weight, invisible but suffocating, pressed into his back as he reached the stairwell landing. His steps slowed, just for a second, betraying him. Then, the softest sound. A creak. His jaw clenched as he turned his head—just slightly, just enough. And there she was. Sienna. Framed in the dim glow of her apartment hallway, leaning against the doorframe as if she had all the time in the world. Her dark waves were a tousled mess, strands slipping over her bare shoulder, framing her sharp collarbone. The oversized T-shirt she wore barely reached her thighs, hanging off one shoulder, revealing smooth, tempting skin. Ethan swallowed hard. Damn her. She had just been with another man. He had seen it, heard it. His pulse had throbbed with every broken sound she made, every soft moan slipping through those walls, and still— Still. She stood there now, like a ghost haunting him, like she knew exactly what she was doing to him. His knuckles tig
Ethan tried to ignore her. Tried to erase the image of her from his mind. Tried to forget the way she had looked at him—the way her lips had curved around his name like it was some kind of forbidden pleasure. But it was impossible. Everywhere he went, she was there. Not physically—he made damn sure to avoid her. He took the long way to the stairs instead of passing by her door. He ignored the temptation to linger by the wall when he knew she was home. He even kept his headphones in at night, blasting white noise just to drown out the possibility of hearing her again. But it wasn’t enough. She was in his thoughts. In his bones. In the flickering neon lights that cast shadows against his window. In the scent of cigarette smoke that drifted faintly through the vents, making his stomach twist. And worst of all, she was in his dreams. Ethan lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his sheets twisted around his legs. His body was hot, his mind restless. Every time he closed his eyes,
Ethan slammed the door to his apartment behind him, his breath coming in ragged, uneven pulls. His hands were shaking, his heart pounding so hard it echoed in his skull. He felt sick. Disgusted. Betrayed. And yet— Why the hell was he still thinking about her? His body still burned from the way Sienna had looked at him. That brief second when their eyes met—before she shut the door in his face, sealing herself away with another man. A client. Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, dragging both hands through his hair. You’re a fucking idiot. Of course, she was with someone. He had always known what she did, who she was. She never pretended to be anything else. So why did it feel like she had taken a knife to his gut? He braced himself against the edge of his bed, his fingers digging into the sheets as if grounding himself. But it didn’t help. The images wouldn’t stop—the soft moans he had heard through the walls, the way her voice had melted into pleasure, the way she had said his n
Ethan felt her gaze before he saw it. A weight, invisible but suffocating, pressed into his back as he reached the stairwell landing. His steps slowed, just for a second, betraying him. Then, the softest sound. A creak. His jaw clenched as he turned his head—just slightly, just enough. And there she was. Sienna. Framed in the dim glow of her apartment hallway, leaning against the doorframe as if she had all the time in the world. Her dark waves were a tousled mess, strands slipping over her bare shoulder, framing her sharp collarbone. The oversized T-shirt she wore barely reached her thighs, hanging off one shoulder, revealing smooth, tempting skin. Ethan swallowed hard. Damn her. She had just been with another man. He had seen it, heard it. His pulse had throbbed with every broken sound she made, every soft moan slipping through those walls, and still— Still. She stood there now, like a ghost haunting him, like she knew exactly what she was doing to him. His knuckles tig
Ethan stood frozen.His hand still gripped the doorknob of his apartment, knuckles white, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t.The sounds filtering through the thin walls were too much—too vivid, too real.Soft moans. Breathless laughter. The rustle of fabric against skin. The unmistakable creak of the mattress.Sienna.She was in there, just beyond that wall, tangled with someone else. And she wasn’t stopping. She wasn’t hesitating.She was letting him hear.Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, his pulse hammering in his throat. He told himself to turn away, to walk into his bedroom and drown it out, to bury himself under blankets or blast music loud enough to erase the sounds seeping into his bones.But he didn’t.Instead, he turned. Slowly, painfully, as if dragged by some unseen force, he stepped toward her door. The light still poured from the small gap where it hadn’t closed all the way. An invitation. A temptation.Don’t do this.But his feet carried him forward anyway.Ethan’s fingers br
Ethan had always thought of himself as a rational man. Someone who didn’t let emotions cloud his judgment. He prided himself on self-control, on the ability to stay detached when necessary.But as he stood there, frozen outside Sienna’s apartment, his knuckles tightening, he realized—he had never been more wrong.The door was slightly ajar. A sliver of golden light spilled into the dim hallway, casting a thin line across the floor. He should have turned around. He should have walked back to his apartment and slammed the door shut behind him, erasing whatever he was about to see from his mind before it destroyed him.But his feet wouldn’t move.Instead, they carried him forward, one step at a time, until he was close enough to see inside.At first, it was just a flicker of movement. The curve of her bare shoulder, the way her dark hair cascaded down her back, loose and wild. The silk strap of her dress slid from her arm, hanging precariously, as if it could slip off at any moment.And
A few days later, Ethan saw Sienna's door open again, he should have known what happened since he had seen it, but curiosity enveloped Ethan who seemed to never be satisfied when it came to Sienna.Ethan stood frozen in the dimly lit hallway, his pulse thundering in his ears. The door—Sienna’s door—was ajar, just enough to betray a sliver of light, a soft golden glow spilling into the darkness. It was an invitation. Or a trap.He should walk away.He should turn around, go back to his room, and pretend he hadn’t noticed.But he couldn’t.The air between them had been charged for weeks, an unbearable tension that neither of them acknowledged, yet both of them indulged. The lingering glances, the teasing smiles, the way she said his name like a whispered secret. And now, this. A door left open—deliberately.His fingers trembled as he pressed them lightly against the wood, nudging it just enough to widen the space. His breath caught as he peeked inside.Sienna was seated at the edge of h
Ethan knew he should stop. He knew he should turn away, shut his door, and drown himself in the distractions of his books, his sketches—anything but this. But he didn’t. It started with a sound—low murmurs, a breathy laugh—drifting through the paper-thin walls. He recognized her voice instantly, but it was different tonight. It wasn’t the teasing, confident tone she usually used with him. It was softer, sultrier. His heart pounded as he stood frozen by his door, staring at the thin line of golden light spilling from Sienna’s slightly open doorway. He shouldn’t look. Don’t look, Ethan. But something about the way the door wasn’t completely shut, the way the soft sounds of movement filtered through, made it impossible for him to move away. He took a step closer. His pulse hammered in his ears as he peered through the narrow gap. Th
Ethan tried to go about his day as if nothing had happened, but Sienna's words lingered like an echo in his mind. Emotions make people weak, Ethan. You should learn that before it gets you hurt. It was ridiculous, wasn’t it? That one moment of vulnerability, one night of muffled sobs behind thin walls, could shake him so much? But it did. It bothered him that she had dismissed it so easily, as if her pain was nothing more than a passing inconvenience. By the time evening rolled around, he had exhausted himself with overthinking. His laptop lay open on the desk, untouched for hours, a blank document staring back at him. He had barely eaten. He had barely done anything. His thoughts kept circling back to her. Finally, he gave up. He needed a break. Maybe some fresh air. Maybe he just needed to see her, even if it was from a distance. Stepping out of his ap
Ethan barely slept that night. The sound of Sienna crying had unsettled him in a way he couldn’t quite shake. It had been soft at first—muffled, broken sobs barely slipping through the thin walls. But then they’d become harsher, raw, as if something deep inside her had shattered. He had sat up in bed, staring at the wall that separated them, his chest aching.He wanted to knock on her door. To do something. But what right did he have? She had brushed off his confession like it was nothing. She had told him to go home, and yet here he was, unable to think of anything else but her pain.By morning, he was exhausted but determined. He couldn’t just pretend he hadn’t heard anything. As soon as he heard movement from her apartment, he was out the door.Sienna was locking her door when he stepped into the hallway. She was dressed as immaculately as ever—tight jeans, a cropped black top, her hair pulled into