The Stranger at My Door
673 Words
Isabella stared at him.
No.
She had to be imagining this.
Alexander De Luca…
The boy she’d secretly admired from across the balcony for three years…
Was standing outside her apartment.
Her fingers tightened around the doorknob.
Neither of them spoke.
For a few seconds, all she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat.
Alexander broke the silence first.
“I think…” He glanced down at the router visible through the open doorway before looking back at her. “…you changed my Wi-Fi password.”
His voice was calm.
Deep.
Almost amused.
Isabella blinked.
“I… what?”
“The password.”
“I know what a password is.”
“Then we’re making progress.”
She frowned.
“You’re using my Wi-Fi?”
He shrugged as though it were the most normal thing in the world.
“It reached my room.”
“And that gave you permission to connect?”
“It didn’t have a password.”
“It absolutely had a password!”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“It was ‘Bella123.’”
Isabella’s eyes widened.
“You… guessed it?”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
Her face burned with embarrassment.
“That’s creepy.”
“So is naming your Wi-Fi ‘Balcony View.’”
She froze.
“…You know my Wi-Fi name?”
“I’ve known it for months.”
Months?
He’d been using her internet for months?
“You’ve been stealing my Wi-Fi!”
“I prefer borrowing.”
“You didn’t ask!”
“You never complained.”
“I didn’t know!”
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
It was the first time she’d ever seen him smile.
It changed everything about his face.
For a dangerous second…
She forgot she was supposed to be angry.
“I’ll pay for it,” he said.
“I don’t want your money.”
“Then what do you want?”
The question caught her off guard.
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
What did she want?
Certainly not money.
Certainly not an argument.
She wanted…
To know him.
But she couldn’t possibly say that.
“I want you to stop stealing my Wi-Fi.”
“Fair enough.”
Alexander reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
“So…”
“What’s the new password?”
She laughed despite herself.
“You seriously think I’m giving it to you?”
“Worth asking.”
She crossed her arms.
“No.”
He nodded once.
“I expected that.”
For a moment, neither of them moved.
The hallway fell silent.
It was strange.
She had imagined meeting Alexander De Luca hundreds of times.
In every version, she’d said something clever.
Confident.
Memorable.
Instead…
She’d accused him of internet theft.
Great.
Just great.
Alexander slipped his phone back into his pocket.
“I should go.”
A strange disappointment settled in her chest.
“Oh.”
He took a step away.
Then stopped.
He turned back.
“By the way…”
She looked up.
“I wasn’t the only one watching from a balcony.”
Her heart skipped.
“What?”
“I’ve seen you too.”
The words stole the air from her lungs.
“You…”
“I noticed you a long time ago, Isabella.”
He knew her name.
Before she could ask how…
A woman’s voice echoed from the stairwell.
“Alexander!”
Both of them turned.
A stunning blonde woman hurried toward them in high heels, dressed in an elegant white outfit.
Without hesitation…
She wrapped her arms around Alexander.
“I’ve been calling you for an hour!”
She kissed him on the cheek.
Then she finally noticed Isabella standing in the doorway.
Her smile faded.
She looked Isabella up and down before turning back to Alexander.
“Who is she?”
Alexander didn’t answer.
Instead…
He looked directly at Isabella.
And before anyone said another word…
He smiled.
A real smile.
Then he said,
“She’s the reason I came here tonight.”
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