Page 48 of In Plain Sight

He glanced around, his sharp eyes taking in the small space.

My apartment wasn’t much different from most around here. The front door opened into a small hallway with a closet next to the door. Directly to the left of the hallway was my living room, which was connected to the kitchen and a small dining area. My bedroom, the bathroom, and a small linen closet were to the right of the hallway.

“How long have you lived here?” Zander asked, toeing off his shoes.

I did the same. “Four years.”

“Do you like it?” His dark eyes met mine.

I shrugged and motioned for him to follow me into the living room. “It’s fine. My neighbors like to fight and have a thing for loud make-up sex, so it’s entertaining.”

He chuckled. “Which neighbors?”

“Those ones.” I pointed to the left. “The ones who live there,” I pointed to the right, “smoke a lot of weed and blast their music at all hours. Not as entertaining, but not the worst.”

“Is it at least good music?” he asked.

“Some of it. They’re a little chaotic when it comes to their tunes. One of them loves to blast sappy love ballads in themornings. That I’m not a fan of. Oh, here’s another small world thing. They love Vessel.”

“Vessel? Like Sebastian’s old band?” Zander asked, settling himself on one end of my couch.

Jesse’s boyfriend used to be the frontman of a metal band but had moved back home after the band broke up earlier this year. It was still surreal to think that Jesse was dating a celebrity, even if he was retired now, but Bas was a super nice guy and incredibly humble considering how successful he’d been.

“Yeah.” I sat down on the other side of the couch. “Crazy, huh?”

“Yeah. And here I thought living next to an accordion player was bad.”

“I’m sorry, an accordion player?” I asked.

He nodded. “It’s not so bad in the colder months because he keeps his windows closed, but the nighttime serenades all summer aren’t my cup of tea.”

“What about on your other side?”

“They’re fine. Could do without their dogs howling and barking all day and night, but dogs are a hell of a lot less annoying than hearing the same song on the accordion for an hour straight.”

“I’ll bet.” I leaned back against the couch, finally relaxing. “How long have you lived there?”

“Just over eight years.”

My brain sort of short-circuited.

The subdivision behind my building was full of townhouses and small, single-family homes on tiny lots. They weren’t insanely expensive, especially compared to a lot of the areas in the city, but they were still way out of reach for most people. Did he rent? He must. Even with what the prices were eight years ago, there was no way a twenty-one-year-old could afford to buy a house there, right?

“Wow,” I said quickly. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed my brain glitch. “Do you want anything from the kitchen?”

He crossed his ankles in front of him. “Are you getting anything?”

“I was thinking about grabbing a beer. But I’ve also got water, milk, and cranberry juice.”

He smiled shyly. “A beer would be great, thanks.”

I went to grab a couple of drinks, and when I came back, the unmistakable smell of weed lingered in the air.

“Your neighbors?” He took the bottle I handed him.

“Yup. Right on schedule too.” I sat back on the couch. “Do you partake in 420? I’m a fan myself, but I get that a lot of people aren’t.”

“I actually prefer it to drinking.” He studied the bottle.

---