One-Night Stand with My Hot Neighbor

Sophia The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, revealing the hallway of the fifteenth floor. I stepped out, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor as I clutched the keys to 15B, my new apartment, my fresh start, my reward for three years of seventy-hour work weeks and living in a shoebox in Brooklyn. "Girl, this is insane," Mia breathed beside me, wheeling two oversized suitcases. "I mean, I knew you said the place was nice, but this hallway alone is nicer than my entire apartment." I laughed, feeling a flutter of pride mixed with disbelief, I didn't expect it to be this nice as well. "The signing bonus from Laurent & Co. was... generous. And the housing agent was good" "Generous? Sophia, you're twenty-five and about to start living like you won a lift changing lotto. Girl, you have made it." She bumped my shoulder affectionately. "I'm so proud of you I could cry." She added dramatically. "Please don't cry. We have approximately seventeen more trips to make from the car, and I need you functional."I joked back. We reached 15B, and I slid the key into the lock. The door swung open to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. "Woo, a great view to wake up to The apartment was everything the listing promised: gleaming hardwood floors, a chef's kitchen with marble countertops, a living room that could actually fit a proper sofa and still have room to breathe. "Okay, now I might cry," Mia said, dropping the suitcases and rushing to the windows. "You can see Central Park from here! Sophia!" I set down my bag and joined her at the window, allowing myself a moment to simply stand there. Six months ago, I'd been sketching designs at my cramped kitchen table, eating ramen, wondering if I'd ever break through. Then Laurent & Co., one of the most prestigious fashion houses in New York had seen my portfolio at a showcase. Three interviews later, they'd offered me a position as junior designer with a salary that made me dizzy. "Earth to Sophia," Mia waved a hand in front of my face. "You're doing that thing where you get all contemplative and serious. Stop it. This is a celebration." "You're right." I grinned. "Let's get the rest of my stuff before parking enforcement tickets my car into oblivion." We fell into a rhythm over the next two hours—Mia hauling boxes while I directed traffic, deciding what went where. The movers had delivered the furniture yesterday, so my cream-colored sofa and sleek dining table were already in place, still wrapped in protective plastic. "Where do you want these fabric samples?" Mia called from the hallway, struggling with a box that was nearly as tall as she was. "Guest room! I'm going to set up a work corner in there." "A work corner in your guest room. Listen to yourself." She disappeared into the room, and I heard the satisfying thump of cardboard hitting floor. When she emerged, she was fanning herself dramatically. "I'm getting us iced coffee. I saw a place downstairs. You want your usual?" "You're an angel. Yes, please." "I know." She grabbed her purse. "Be back in ten. Don't do any heavy lifting without me, your noodle arms can't handle it." "My arms are perfectly adequate!" "Uh-huh, sure, fashion girl." Alone, I unwrapped the sofa and ran my hand over the fabric—a buttery soft velvet I'd agonized over for weeks. I'd promised myself that when I made it, really made it, I would stop buying cheap furniture that was about to fall apart. Every piece in this apartment was intentional, beautiful, mine. I was hanging up clothes in my bedroom closet which was an actual walk-in close when I heard Mia return, the door slamming louder than necessary. "Sophia!" Her voice had a particular quality to it, the one she got when she'd seen an attractive man. "Sophia, get out here!" "What's wrong?" I emerged, alarmed. She was pressed against the window like a kid at an aquarium, craning her neck to see the street below. "Nothing's wrong. Everything is very, very right. Your neighbor is gorgeous." She had dropped our coffee on the coffee table. "What are you talking about?" I took my iced latte and took a sip. "I was coming back with the coffees, right? And I'm in the lobby, and this guy gets in the elevator with me. Tall, like six-two or so. Dark hair, perfectly messy. Wearing a suit but like, he'd just loosened the tie, you know? That whole 'long day at the office' thing. And he smelled incredible, Soph. Like cedar and something expensive." Mia yapped on excitedly. I walked to the window, amused. "And?" "And he got off on this floor! Went into 15D, I think. That is next to yours!" She spun around, eyes gleaming. "I tried to make conversation in the elevator, but he was on his phone. Very serious business call. But he smiled at me when he got off. Dimples, Sophia. Dimples." "You got all that from an elevator ride?" "I'm observant! Anyway, I came up here, put the coffees down, and then I saw him leaving. Look, that's him!" I peered down at the street. A figure in a charcoal suit was walking toward a sleek black car—an Audi, maybe? From fifteen floors up, I couldn't make out features, just the confident stride of someone who knew exactly where he was going. "That's him," Mia confirmed as we watched him slide into the driver's seat. "Your hot neighbor." "You're ridiculous." I didn't get to see him before he slipped into his car. "I'm right. Mark my words, Sophia Martinez, that man is going to be trouble for you." "I'm not looking for trouble. I'm looking for my career." "You can have both." She picked up her iced coffee. "Come on, let's finish unpacking. I want to hear all about your first day at Laurent tomorrow. Are you nervous?" We settled onto the sofa, and I felt my stomach flutter with anticipation. "Terrified. Excited. Both." "You're going to be amazing," she said firmly. "They chose you for a reason." Through the window, the city sprawled before us, full of possibility. And tomorrow, I would walk into Laurent & Co. as their newest designer. Everything was beginning.