THREE

"So when will I get to meet him?" Maddie asked, already sensing the drama.

"Maddie, what part of everything I just told you didn't you understand? That guy doesn't even like me, how am I supposed to introduce you to him?"

She puffed out her cheeks and clasped her hands together in an exaggerated pleading gesture.

"But I want to meet him! At least tell me which apartment he lives in... I’ll pretend it’s a casual encounter."

"Stalker," I sang, looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

Maddie snapped her fingers, her face lighting up with a mischievous grin.

"I’ve got it! Your bosses aren’t home this afternoon, right? You’re staying with the kid... So invite me over, and with some luck, I’ll run into him."

I opened my mouth to respond but hesitated.

"I don’t know, Mads," I murmured, pressing my lips together. "What if they find out? My mom will kill me if I get fired."

Maddie let out a groan and grabbed my jacket sleeve, shaking me.

"Please. I swear I’ll buy you all the comics you want. Even that special edition Batman one we saw the other day."

I looked at her, thinking. But who was I kidding? She already had me.

I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"One hour. You can stay for just one hour."

Maddie clapped, beaming.

"Deal!"

After the chat with Maddie, I went back to the apartment. It was almost time to start.

In the kitchen, a tall, brunette woman with flawless makeup flashed me a quick smile as she hurriedly put on her jacket.

"Hello, Sofía, right?"

"Yes, that’s me. Good morning, Mrs. Walker."

"I’ve already dropped Jackson off at school. You need to pick him up at five and help him with his homework." She pulled a note from her purse and placed it on the table. "The assignments are there. Sorry, but I’m running late right now, but if you need anything, just call me." She turned toward the door almost running, her hands full of paperwork, but before she left, she stopped and looked back at me.

"Oh, and please call me Agatha. No more Mrs. Walker. You’re making me feel too old."

Agatha couldn’t be much older than me. I was twenty, and she didn’t look more than twenty-five.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t imagine someone that young could already be married with a kid. I thought she’d be in her forties, like Mr. Walker.

I glanced at Agatha’s note. My morning was about to be a chaos of tasks before picking up the kid. I needed some music to make it less tedious, but when I searched for my earbuds in my bag, a silent groan escaped my lips. I hadn’t brought them. I sighed, with few options left, and turned on YouTube on the TV.

I’d been washing dishes for a while when the doorbell interrupted the silence. A delivery guy?

When I opened the door, I found Archie.

"Well, what an honor. Are you here to apologize?" I asked, crossing my arms.

He let out a dry laugh.

"Not exactly. I came to ask you to lower the volume."

"The volume?"

"Yeah, the music you have blasting through the whole apartment." He gestured impatiently. "You’ve been playing it at full blast for half an hour, and I want to take a nap."

"Oh... oops."

"Yeah, ‘oops.’ So, can you turn it down before I decide to rip out the speakers?"

"Alright, alright. No need to threaten me."

He rolled his eyes and turned, saying nothing else.

I closed the door but, before returning to the kitchen, I glanced at the TV. The music was still blaring. I grabbed the remote and turned it down a few notches.

I went back to the sink and continued washing dishes, though now with less enthusiasm. I hadn’t even been here for twenty-four hours, and I’d already had two run-ins with the neighbor.

When I finished, I tied on my apron and checked the list of tasks Agatha had left. Dusting, vacuuming, laundry... I wasn’t sure how I was going to get all that done in such a short time.

I started with the living room, moving some cushions to shake them out when the TV suddenly turned off.

I frowned.

I tried to turn it on again, but the screen stayed black. I tried the remote, then the TV buttons. Nothing.

I grabbed my phone to search what the heck was going on, but when I saw the signal bar, I realized everything.

No internet connection.

Was he messing with me?

I stepped out into the hallway with a firm stride and knocked on Archie’s door. He opened it with an impassive expression, like he was already expecting me.

"Did you disconnect my Wi-Fi?"

Archie tilted his head, pretending confusion.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"The TV just died suddenly. And right after you came to complain."

He shrugged.

"Maybe it’s the universe telling you to turn the volume down already."

"I can’t believe this."

"You made it inevitable," he said with a triumphant smile, and before I could respond, he slammed the door in my face.

I stood there blinking.

Alright, I officially had the most annoying neighbor on the planet.

But if he thought I was just going to stay quiet, he clearly didn’t know me.

I knocked again, then again, with persistence until the door opened once more. This time, Archie did it with exasperating slowness, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed and a look of annoyance.

"You’re so persistent," he said with an arched eyebrow. "Do you always make such a drama out of nothing?"

"It’s not nothing!" I snapped, pointing at him with an accusing finger. "You disconnected my Wi-Fi."

"Try turning the router off and on," he replied indifferently. "Maybe it’s a sign you should do something more productive than blasting my ears with that music."

"It wasn’t that loud!"

Archie let out a sarcastic laugh and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the screen a couple of times before turning it toward me.

"Incessant Music.mp4."

The video showed what looked like his living room, and in the background, my music blaring as if I were giving a concert in the middle of the apartment.

"Want me to post it on my stories? Bet my followers would love to meet my new problem neighbor."

I huffed, trying to keep my calm.

"Just reconnect it."

"No."

"Archie!"

We stared each other down for a few seconds before he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but with one condition."

"What?"

"Stop bothering me for today."

I looked at him distrustfully but crossed my arms and nodded.

"Fine."

Archie swiped his finger across his phone, and a second later, I saw the notification on mine: Wi-Fi

Reconnected.

"Done. Now, go bother someone else."

He slammed the door in my face for the second time in less than ten minutes.

When I finished the tasks, I stretched with satisfaction... until I looked at the clock.

Ten minutes to five.

My heart stopped for a second before it started racing like crazy. The kid!

I grabbed my bag and bolted out the door. I didn’t have a car, and the bus would take forever. Was I seriously going to be late on my first day?

The bus stop was right across, and I rushed across without looking properly. A deafening honk made me turn just in time to see a car speeding toward me. It slammed the brakes, skidding to the side to avoid hitting me.

My heart jumped into my throat, beating so hard it almost choked me.

"What are you doing, you lunatic? The light was red!"

I froze in the middle of the street, my pulse pounding in my ears. I turned to the car that had almost hit me and saw the driver roll down the window with a look of pure disbelief.

"What are you doing, you lunatic? The light was red!" he yelled, gesturing exaggeratedly.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed, still shaken. "I didn’t see it…"

"Then start looking!" he grumbled. "Or do you want me to run you over?"

"Wouldn’t be so bad, then I’d have an excuse to be late," I muttered more to myself than to him, but the jerk heard me.

His exasperated expression shifted into a slight hint of a smile.

"Late to where?"

"To pick up the kid I’m babysitting."

Archie, because of course it was him, looked at me with sarcasm.

"What an irresponsible babysitter."

"What an unbearable neighbor," I shot back, adjusting my bag nervously. "Can I leave now?"

"Get in."

"What?"

"I’ll drive you. If you try crossing another street like that, I’m sure another car won’t have my reflexes and will flatten you."

I looked at him doubtfully.

"Didn’t you say my existence bothered you?"

"It still does, but I’m also curious to see how much of a disaster you are."

I bit my lip, looking at the clock. I didn’t have time to argue.

"Don’t tell anyone," I said, before opening the door and getting in the passenger seat.

"Don’t worry, I wouldn’t admit I was nice to you in a million years."

"I just want you not to tell my bosses I almost showed up late."

"I don’t have time to go telling your misfortunes, don’t worry. Also, I don’t talk much to the Walkers, they don’t like me."

"And why’s that?" I said, teasingly, unable to stop myself.

Archie gave me a quick glance before letting out a chuckle.