APARTMENT 304

The first thing I learned about New York? Cheap apartments came with expensive problems. And mine lived directly across the hall. Apartment 304. I stared at the peeling paint inside the tiny elevator while dragging my suitcase behind me with one hand and balancing a cardboard box in the other. This was officially rock bottom. Twenty-two years old. Single. Broke. Homeless two days ago. And now moving into an apartment building that smelled like cigarettes and poor decisions. Amazing. “Come on…” I muttered while repeatedly pressing the elevator button. Nothing happened. Of course. The elevator was broken too. I sighed heavily before dragging my suitcase up four flights of stairs instead. By the time I reached the hallway, I was sweating, exhausted, and seconds away from crying. The hallway lights flickered weakly above me. Somewhere nearby, loud music blasted through the walls. Deep bass. Heavy drums. Definitely annoying. Apartment 304. I frowned instantly. Who played music this loud at midnight? I searched through my bag for my apartment key while the music continued shaking the hallway. Unbelievable. People actually lived like this? The moment I finally unlocked my apartment door, I nearly screamed in relief. Tiny kitchen. Tiny couch. Tiny bedroom. But at least it was mine. After catching my boyfriend cheating with my roommate three days ago, I honestly expected life to get worse. And somehow… it still did. I dropped onto the couch dramatically. “This is fine,” I whispered to myself. It was not fine. Then suddenly— Laughter echoed loudly through the hallway. Female laughter. Followed by a deep masculine voice. Apartment 304 again. I rolled my eyes immediately. Typical. Of course my neighbor was one of those men. The loud arrogant type women somehow loved despite obvious red flags. More laughter followed. Then the music somehow got louder. I buried my face into the couch cushion. “You have got to be kidding me.” Thirty minutes later… Still loud. One hour later… Even louder. I finally snapped. “That’s it.” I stormed toward my apartment door wearing oversized shorts, a hoodie, and pure anger. The hallway lights flickered again as I marched directly toward Apartment 304. The music vibrated through the walls now. Who even listened to music this late? I knocked hard. No response. I knocked again. Still nothing. My irritation grew instantly. Then without thinking— I pushed the door open. And immediately regretted it. The apartment was dark except for soft city lights glowing through massive windows. Rain tapped gently against the glass outside. And standing in the middle of the living room… shirtless… was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I froze completely. Oh. His dark hair looked slightly wet like he had just showered. Tattooed arms. Sharp jawline. Broad shoulders. And eyes so cold they instantly made my stomach tighten nervously. The music stopped suddenly. Silence filled the apartment. The stranger stared at me calmly while holding a glass in one hand. Neither of us spoke. Then slowly— One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Amused. “Well,” he said finally. His deep voice sent unexpected chills down my spine. “This is new.” My face burned instantly. “I—” Great. Amazing. Now I couldn’t speak. The man slowly walked closer. Not fast. Not threatening. But somehow every step made the room feel smaller. More dangerous. My heart began beating embarrassingly fast. He stopped directly in front of me. Too close. Definitely too close. His eyes moved slowly across my face. Studying me. Interested. “Wrong apartment?” he guessed calmly. I swallowed nervously. “Yes.” A lie. Obviously. His smirk deepened slightly. “You storm into strangers’ apartments often?” My embarrassment quickly turned back into annoyance. “Well maybe if your music wasn’t shaking the entire building, people wouldn’t need to.” Instead of getting angry… he laughed softly. And somehow that made him even hotter. Unfair. “Ah,” he murmured knowingly. “You’re the new neighbor.” I crossed my arms instantly. “And you’re obnoxious.” His dark eyes sparkled slightly with amusement. “Ethan.” “What?” “My name.” Right. Of course ridiculously attractive men had ridiculously attractive names. I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Ava.” “Ava,” he repeated slowly. The way he said my name should honestly be illegal. Then suddenly— Thunder crashed loudly outside. The apartment lights flickered once. Twice. And completely shut off. Darkness swallowed the room instantly. I gasped softly. “Seriously?” I muttered. New York officially hated me. A few seconds later, Ethan’s phone flashlight turned on. Soft light illuminated his face again. Unfortunately… he still looked unfairly attractive. “Looks like the storm killed the power,” he said calmly. I sighed tiredly. “Perfect.” Ethan stared at me for a moment before speaking again. “You scared of the dark, Ava?” “No.” Another lie. His lips twitched slightly like he knew. Then suddenly— Lightning flashed outside the windows brightly. And before I could stop myself… I flinched. Ethan noticed immediately. Of course he did. “That’s adorable,” he murmured. My eyes widened instantly. “I am not adorable.” “You kind of are.” I hated how calm he sounded. Like teasing me entertained him. Like he already enjoyed this. Dangerous. Very dangerous. I took a step backward toward the door quickly. “Well… thanks for turning the music off.” Ethan leaned casually against the kitchen counter. “You came all the way over here just for that?” “No.” His eyebrow lifted slightly. “You sure?” Heat rushed into my face again. I hated this conversation already. And somehow… I had a feeling he knew exactly what he was doing to me.