Chapter 1: Upstairs, Downstairs
Aria Morgan always thought living alone upstairs had its perks. From her small balcony, she could watch the neighborhood bustle without ever really being part of it. People came and went, conversations floated through open windows, and for once, she felt like a spectator instead of a participant.
The Thompson apartment downstairs was just as quiet. Kade Thompson lived there alone, though the building made it easy to catch glimpses of him leaving for work, bringing groceries, or just standing by the doorway, lost in thought. He was tall, lean, with dark brown eyes that seemed to notice everything, even the smallest detail about her. There was something about his calm, athletic presence that made him impossible to ignore.
Their interactions had started small a nod in the hallway, passing a borrowed book, sharing a laugh over a minor inconvenience like a stuck door. Then, gradually, it became something more. Conversations that stretched into the late evening, moments shared over music played from slightly open windows, the kind of friendship that made silence feel comfortable rather than empty.
Aria liked him. Liked him more than she should have. Her green eyes would light up when he smiled, her long wavy hair brushing her shoulders as she moved. She told herself it didn't matter, that it was just a phase. But every time he caught her glancing at him, her chest fluttered in ways she couldn't control.
It happened slowly, naturally. She didn't notice the way her heart started waiting for him, the way small interactions became the highlight of her day. Until the day he leaned over just a little too close in the hallway, and the world seemed to tilt.
And then, as quickly as it had started, it ended. Kade disappeared. No warning. No explanation. Just… gone.
Aria spent the next few days floating through life, numb. Her apartment, once a place of quiet comfort, now felt too big, too empty. Her balcony, once a vantage point of calm observation, only reminded her of the quiet spaces Kade had left behind.
That was when Malik arrived.
Aria wasn't expecting him. Her door was slightly open, the faint light from the hallway spilling into the dim living room. At first, she thought it was just the wind. Then she saw him tall and broad-shouldered, with almond-shaped dark brown eyes that scanned the room coolly, curly hair catching the dim light. His presence was calm, nonchalant, yet it made her pulse quicken.
He looked at her as if she were an intruder in a place he could claim, but there was something else there too — curiosity, maybe, or a quiet acknowledgment of her presence. He moved to the padlock she had in hand and, with a single motion, clicked it back into place.
"Why are you home so late?" His voice was flat, almost bored, yet it carried a subtle edge that made her tense.
Aria hesitated. For a moment, she thought about spilling everything — the heartbreak, Kade, the nights she had spent staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of it all. Instead, she said the first thing that came to mind.
"The boy I loved… he left."
Malik raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, but didn't speak. She stepped closer, almost leaning in, but stopped herself. Not because of him, exactly, but because some part of her wasn't ready for anyone to touch what Kade had left behind.
"That's all," she said softly, and it was.