The Complex

imber

The heavy, large clouds were racing towards the city, forcing the people to race inside for refuge from the dark sky and its incoming shower. Droplets of moisture started sprinkling from the sky slowly but eventually pouring down to the earth in buckets.

A rainstorm such as this one would have its people seeking shelter, not daring to leave their houses, yet Amelie Laquan was seemingly the only person who paid no mind to the heavy rain that was just outside her car window. After years of picking up too many shifts at The Checkered, a small antique shop located at the corner of 112 and 113 Bueller street, and saving up as much as she could, Amelie finally had enough money to move out of her one-room apartment and into somewhere bigger with more space for her and her thoughts.

Now, don't get her wrong, Amelie loved her small apartment - although she wasn't even there half the time - but the rattling train above her wasn't something she was going to be missing any time soon.

Any person such as you or myself wouldn't think about leaving the house during a heavy downfall of rain let alone move from house to house, but Amelie saw this as the perfect opportunity to relocate without having to converse or introduce herself to anyone new. Amelie knew she was bound to bump into one of her new neighbors soon but, she might as well put it off for as long as she can.

Struggling to fit both herself and her boxes under the umbrella in her hand, Amelie hurried as fast as she could into the lobby of the building. Having already received the key from the kind landlord lady, Mrs. Knight, the previous day Amelie quickly rushed into the first elevator she saw and made her way up to the 3rd floor.

As she exited the elevator and entered her into the apartment hallway, Amelie's mind was racing with the excitement of spending her first night in her new home, unfortunately, her excitement was too overbearing as she had immediately bumped into a tall stranger. Guess her plan didn't work after all.

"Oh crap I'm sorry, let me help you with that," the man offered, "I'm Omar by the way, are you new here?"

Feeling her body freezing up, Amelie quickly gathered herself together,

"It's fine, I got it," she hurried away without allowing him to continue any unwanted conversation.

"Well it was great meeting you!" her new acquaintance exclaimed behind her.

Amelie left without a glance behind her. Later that night, Amelie thought about her encounter with her possible, new neighbor. She didn't understand why she tensed up the way she did, the guy clearly had good intentions. She thought of his full beard and bald head, yet kind and young face that always seemed to offer more. She concluded that if she ever bumped into him again, she would try and have a real conversation with him, one without any involuntary tensing.