All Chapters of The apartment next door: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

The next morning, I woke up thinking about Ethan. My eyes had barely opened before yesterday came rushing back. His hand around mine. The way he had looked at me after I finally said it. I like you too. I pulled the blanket over my face. Nothing terrible had happened. I had simply admitted that I liked the boy who lived next door, annoyed me almost every day, stole my food whenever he got the chance, and somehow managed to get under my skin without even trying. Completely normal. I rolled onto my side and reached for my phone. 7:42 a.m. There was already a message waiting. Ethan: Are you awake? Before I could reply, another one appeared. Ethan: I can hear you moving around. I sat up and looked toward the wall separating our apartments. Me: That’s creepy. Ethan: Good morning to you too. I smiled before I could stop myself. Then another message came through. Ethan: Come outside. Me: Why? Ethan: Just come. I looked down at myself. Oversized shirt. Shorts. My scarf

Ethan stopped a few feet away from us. For one long second, nobody said anything. Mia stood beside me with her arms crossed, looking completely calm, which somehow made everything worse. Ethan looked at her first. Then at me. His expression changed. “What are you doing here?” Mia gave him a small smile. “Nice to see you too.” “I’m serious.” “I can tell.” His jaw tightened. I looked between them. Whatever tension existed between Ethan and Mia had always felt strange, but now it was impossible to ignore. Especially after what she had just told me. Ethan looked at me again. “How long have you been standing here?” “Long enough.” His eyes moved back to Mia. “Mia.” “What?” “What did you say?” She shrugged. “I told her I’m leaving next week.” “That’s not what I meant.” “I know.” Something passed between them. A warning. An entire conversation without words. I hated it. “Can you both stop doing that?” They looked at me. “This thing where you keep staring at each

The first thing I noticed when I stepped outside the next morning was Ethan.The second thing I noticed was that he was already looking at me.He leaned against the wall beside his door with a cup of coffee in one hand, like standing there at exactly the same time I left my apartment was completely normal.I stopped.He smiled. “Morning.”I narrowed my eyes. “Why are you standing there?”His eyebrows lifted. “Outside my own apartment?”“You know what I mean.”“I really don’t.”“Ethan.”I adjusted the strap of my bag. “Were you waiting for me?”“No.”The answer came too quickly.I stared at him.He sighed. “Maybe.”A smile tried to escape, but I refused to give him the satisfaction.“That’s weird.”“You’re smiling.”“I’m not.”“You are.”I walked past him, and he followed me.“I have class.”“So do I.”“Your class is in the opposite direction.”He glanced ahead like the hallway had suddenly become fascinating.“I can take the long way.”I laughed before I could stop myself.“There,” he

By the time I got home that evening, I had almost convinced myself that breakfast with Ethan had been normal. Almost. Then I saw the hair tie around my wrist. I stared at it while unlocking my door. Ridiculous. It was a hair tie. A piece of elastic. People wore them every day without attaching unnecessary meaning to them. Unfortunately, my brain had apparently decided otherwise. I dropped my bag on the chair and kicked off my shoes. Three knocks came through the wall. I smiled before I could stop myself. There was something deeply embarrassing about that. I knocked back twice. A few seconds later, my phone buzzed. Ethan: You’re back. Me: Excellent observation. Ethan: I heard your door. Me: Creepy. Ethan: Thin walls. Me: Convenient excuse. Ethan: Come over. I stared at the message. Me: Why? Ethan: I need help. That got my attention. Me: With what? Ethan: Cooking. I actually laughed. Me: Absolutely not. Ethan: Maya. Me: You told me you could cook. Ethan: