Ethan tried to convince himself that what he had seen meant nothing. That it wasn’t his business. That Sienna was just another neighbor—nothing more, nothing less. But no matter how much he willed himself to forget, the images wouldn’t leave him.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her standing in the doorway, bathed in warm light, her robe slipping just enough to reveal the curve of her thigh. He heard the soft murmur of her voice, the teasing lilt of her laughter, the way she looked straight at his door, as if daring him to keep watching.And then the worst part—the men.Different men. Different nights.It became a cycle, an agonizing routine he couldn’t escape.At first, he told himself he wasn’t paying attention. That the sounds of footsteps outside his door were just part of the normal rhythm of apartment life. But soon, it became impossible to ignore. He started noticing the pattern—the way they came late at night, their shoes expensive, their presence confident. Some of them
Ethan stared at the ceiling, his body stiff as he lay on the mattress, the sheets tangled around his legs. The air in his apartment felt heavy, thick with an invisible weight that pressed against his chest. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the restless storm inside his head, but the moment he did, her face surfaced.Sienna.The way she had smirked at him just before shutting her door. The way her lips had formed that silent shhh, as if inviting him to keep watching. To keep obsessing.His eyes snapped open. The faint glow of the city seeped through his blinds, casting long shadows along the walls. He reached for his phone, checking the time. 3:42 AM. For the third night in a row, he hadn’t managed to get a single hour of proper sleep.He turned onto his side, willing his brain to shut down, but his ears remained hyper-focused, waiting for the inevitable.And then—A muffled voice.A soft giggle.The telltale creak of Sienna’s door opening and closing.Ethan’s pulse drummed in hi
Ethan barely had time to react before he heard the knock again—soft, teasing, deliberate. His heart lurched as he hesitated, staring at the door as if it had come alive.Then, her voice, smooth and sultry. “Ethan, you home?”He swallowed hard, his throat dry. He wasn’t expecting this—wasn’t ready for it. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to ignore her, to let her think he was asleep or busy. But before he could second-guess himself, his hand was already turning the knob.The door swung open, and there she was.Sienna leaned against the frame, her golden-brown hair tousled, cascading over her bare shoulders. She wore a silky black robe, loosely tied at her waist, revealing hints of bare skin beneath. The dim hallway lighting cast a soft glow on her smooth, flawless complexion. Her lips curled in that familiar, knowing smirk—the one that made his chest tighten.
Ethan sat on his bed, gripping the edge of the mattress as he stared at the wall. His mind was a mess, tangled with thoughts of Sienna. Their conversation over drinks had left him raw, confused, and completely under her spell. He had barely slept, replaying every moment—the way her fingers had brushed against his, the way she had looked at him with those teasing eyes that hinted at something just beyond his reach.He exhaled heavily and ran a hand through his already-disheveled hair. He needed to shake this off. It was just a drink. Just harmless flirting.Then why did it feel like something more?A sudden knock on his door made his heart lurch into his throat. He turned, staring at the door as if he had imagined the sound.Another knock. This time softer. More deliberate.Ethan swallowed hard before standing, his legs feeling weak as he made his way toward the do
Ethan’s breath hitched the moment Sienna slid closer to him on the couch. The dim lighting of her apartment cast warm shadows along the curves of her face, her lips curling into an amused smile as she tilted her head at him. The scent of her perfume, subtle yet intoxicating, wrapped around him like an invisible force, making it impossible to think straight.“So, tell me, Ethan,” she purred, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. “Do you always get this nervous around women, or is it just me?”He swallowed, gripping the glass in his hand tighter. The ice inside clinked softly as he forced himself to take a sip, hoping the alcohol would somehow calm his racing heart. It didn’t. If anything, it only heightened the tension, making him more aware of her body heat pressing against his side.“I—” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “I’m not nervous.”Sienna chuckled, the sound l
Ethan’s breath came shallow, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he stared into Sienna’s eyes. The space between them was so small now that he could see the delicate shimmer of her lip gloss, the way her lips curved into that ever-present smirk that both tempted and tortured him.She had been teasing him all night—every touch, every fleeting brush of her fingers against his skin had felt deliberate. The weight of it, the tension pressing against his lungs, was unbearable.He swallowed hard, his pulse hammering as his gaze dropped to her lips. Was she waiting for him to do it?Her body was angled toward him, her elbow propped on the couch as she rested her chin in her palm, watching him with that amused, almost lazy curiosity. The air between them had shifted, thickened into something heady, something electric.His hand twitched, his fingers barely brushing against her knee. A t
Ethan sat rigid on Sienna’s couch, his fingers gripping the empty glass in his lap as he tried to steady his breath. The sting of her teasing still clung to him, burning beneath his skin.She stretched out beside him, draping herself lazily over the cushions, one leg crossing over the other. The hem of her dress rode up slightly, revealing more of her smooth thigh. It was deliberate—everything about her was deliberate.He should have seen it coming.Sienna let out a small sigh, her fingers tracing absentminded patterns on the fabric of the couch. “You’re sweet, Ethan,” she murmured, almost as if she were talking to herself. Then, her gaze slid to him, sharp and assessing. “Too sweet.”He forced himself to look at her, his jaw clenched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”She smirked, amused by his sudden defensiveness. “It means you don’t belong here,” she said simply
Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers tangled in his hair. His mind was a battlefield, a raging war between desire and self-doubt. No matter how much he told himself to stay away, to not get pulled deeper into Sienna’s orbit, he couldn’t fight it.She was everywhere.Every thought. Every breath. Every dream.Her words echoed in his head—"You’re too innocent for my world." He gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. What did she mean by that? Was she mocking him? Protecting him? Or was it just another way to keep him at a distance while she entertained other men?A sharp pang of jealousy shot through his chest. He hated that feeling. He had no right to it, yet it consumed him, growing like a wildfire every time he heard the faint creak of her door or the muffled voices that followed.He stood abruptly, pacing his small apa
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
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 had spent the entire day trying to convince himself that he shouldn’t say anything. That it was better to keep his feelings locked away where they couldn’t be exposed and torn apart. But his resolve shattered the moment he saw her again.Sienna was outside her apartment, leaning against the railing of the hallway balcony, smoking a cigarette. The soft glow of the city lights reflected off her skin, making her look almost ethereal. He didn’t know if it was the way she exhaled the smoke so slowly, or the way the night breeze toyed with the loose strands of her hair, but she looked untouchable. Untouchable, yet standing right there.He didn’t think—he just walked up to her.She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, an amused smirk playing at her lips. “So, you’re back to speaking to me now?”Ethan swallowed, his hands clenched at his sides. “I need to tell you something.”
Ethan barely had time to process the way Sienna had looked at him before she shut the door in his face. He told himself to let it go. To walk away and forget the way her skin had felt beneath his fingers.But forgetting wasn’t an option.The next morning, he left his apartment earlier than usual, hoping to avoid her again. But luck wasn’t on his side. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, she was already there—leaning against her doorframe, arms crossed, eyes sharp and unreadable.“So, we’re doing this now?” she asked, tilting her head. “Silent treatment? Avoidance? Like I’m some kind of disease?”Ethan stopped mid-step, his pulse quickening. He hadn’t expected her to be so direct. “That’s not what I’m doing.”Sienna scoffed. “Oh really? Because you’ve been acting like I don’t exist. And newsflash, nerd—I do.”He clenched his jaw. “I’ve just b
Ethan tried to stay away.For three days, he avoided the hallway, changed his schedule to leave his apartment when he knew she wouldn’t be around, and kept his eyes glued to his laptop screen even when his thoughts drifted elsewhere. It was the only way to get some control back—some sense of normalcy after what had happened between them.But it wasn’t working.The more he ignored her, the more she occupied his mind. Every shadow moving past his door made his pulse spike. Every time he heard laughter from her apartment, something inside him twisted. He told himself it was for the best, that he had to put some distance between them.But distance was a lie. Because even if he wasn’t near her, she was inside him, running through his veins like an addiction he couldn’t shake.On the fourth day, Ethan returned from work later than usual, exhausted but res
Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers tangled in his hair. His mind was a battlefield, a raging war between desire and self-doubt. No matter how much he told himself to stay away, to not get pulled deeper into Sienna’s orbit, he couldn’t fight it.She was everywhere.Every thought. Every breath. Every dream.Her words echoed in his head—"You’re too innocent for my world." He gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. What did she mean by that? Was she mocking him? Protecting him? Or was it just another way to keep him at a distance while she entertained other men?A sharp pang of jealousy shot through his chest. He hated that feeling. He had no right to it, yet it consumed him, growing like a wildfire every time he heard the faint creak of her door or the muffled voices that followed.He stood abruptly, pacing his small apa
Ethan sat rigid on Sienna’s couch, his fingers gripping the empty glass in his lap as he tried to steady his breath. The sting of her teasing still clung to him, burning beneath his skin.She stretched out beside him, draping herself lazily over the cushions, one leg crossing over the other. The hem of her dress rode up slightly, revealing more of her smooth thigh. It was deliberate—everything about her was deliberate.He should have seen it coming.Sienna let out a small sigh, her fingers tracing absentminded patterns on the fabric of the couch. “You’re sweet, Ethan,” she murmured, almost as if she were talking to herself. Then, her gaze slid to him, sharp and assessing. “Too sweet.”He forced himself to look at her, his jaw clenched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”She smirked, amused by his sudden defensiveness. “It means you don’t belong here,” she said simply