Can You Feel It?

01.

"Hi. You must be my new neighbor." I extended my free hand. "I'm Kaya. I just moved in next door."

Natural. Approachable. Calm.

His eyes slowly travelled over my extended hand and flicked towards the cake box. "I see. Welcome to the neighborhood then."

I noted how his voice was deep. The kind of husky that women who could feel would love.

When his hand slid into mine, I beamed up at him, encouraging him to introduce himself.

This close, I could clearly see his blue eyes. Dark raven hair fell in a sharp swoop over his forehead. And the picture had really done his striking features no justice.

Calling his eyes a simple blue color felt....

It felt....

Yes, I think wrong. That unsettling feeling you get. I'd read about it. I'd felt it on a few occasions. I could recognize it. Yes.

However I didn't know what exact color they were and I decided I shouldn't bother to try and place them either.

"I'm Erex. I hope you have a good stay here." To the point, no smirking, no feeling me out, no actual welcoming gestures.

His eyes flitted to the wall behind me instead, as if avoiding my gaze and I rose my brow slightly.

"Well, actually...." I offered the cake box and continued undeterred, "I wanted to just let you know of my existence because we share a balcony. I didn't want you to be completely taken aback if you found an unknown woman suddenly sharing the space you considered yours."

He took the cake box slowly, nodding like he understood.

I smiled a little sheepishly.

He blinked at my face once and then glanced inside his apartment. "Right. That....Makes sense." He looked once more at me, eyes tracing my features. "Alright. Thanks."

"No pr—"

Bang!

This time, I was the one who blinked.

My smile was frozen on my face as I processed just what had happened.

I flattened my red sweater dress over my stomach and stood waiting for five long seconds.

But no.

Nothing happened.

Erex Di Castillo really had slammed the door in my face after a partial welcome and a tight smile.

The man was usually welcoming and even indulged strangers as per my reports and data on him but it seemed I'd just raised his hackles.

I exhaled, a confused furrow between my brows, before turning sharply on my heels and heading back to my apartment with a slight huff.

As soon as I closed the door to my own apartment, my expressions smoothed into nothing. Blank.

There were cameras all around the building and although it was second nature for me to feign emotions now, I still sought the empty feeling of nothingness.

Erex might keep tabs on me and watch the CCTV footages. Wouldn't put it past him. Especially since he's an Agent, he's bound to be somewhat suspicious of his new neighbor.

I slipped off my Jimmy Choos and then put on slippers before walking into the drawing room of my apartment.

I stared at the unopened boxes and then the plastic covered chairs, the TV, the microwave.

I welcomed the opportunity to ponder and devise my new course of action while setting the apartment up.

I'd never had my own space and even if it were for my deadliest mission yet, something inside me wanted to feel like a child that gets a Christmas gift for the first time at the opportunity of having a space to call my very own.