Chapter 1 - Spring Fervor

Two weeks had passed since Amanda had moved into the room across the hall. Nothing of note had really happened in that time, Ellie could count the amount of times they spoke more than a simple hello on one hand. They simply went about their daily lives as what they were; strangers who simply shared a common space. Almost like a dorm on a college campus or even a hotel. It didn't so much bother Ellie as it did kind of annoy her.

'It'd be nice if she at least tried to make conversation.' Ellie thought to herself as she folded her laundry. 'I mean I guess it makes sense, a small town girl moves to the big city. She's probably just nervous or something. I guess that's kind of cute.' She folded the last pair of jeans over a hanger and placed it on the rod.

Knock Knock Knock

The sudden sound made her jump slightly, she had gotten so used to living on her own that she sometimes forgot someone else was living with her now. She quickly tidied up the closet and placed the basket back in the corner before closing the door and cracking open the other.

Amanda stood a bit back away from the door in a simple tank top and shorts. Beside her was an old worn out cardboard box, the label and writing upon it illegible. "Did you need something?" Ellie asked, her head and shoulder being the only things peeking out from behind the door.

"Just had a question is all, I finally finished getting all my stuff setup but I have one thing I'm not sure where to put." Amanda responded.

"What is it?" Ellie questioned, the girl's belongings had been dropped off in the small loading bay garage out the back of the building but there she didn't think there was anything that was too big to fit in the other room. It was a room larger than hers by a fair amount. "I was sure everything you had would fit, we even measured to make sure."

"Ah, it's not that it won't fit, it's just. I don't think you'll want the noise up here is all." She replied scratching her head. "Is there a basement or something I can hang my punching bag in?"

'A punching bag?' Ellie's thought for a moment, she had forgotten that the girl in front of her was aspiring to become a professional boxer. At least that's what she says, truth be told Ellie didn't really know what the girl did in the hours she was out of the apartment. Even when she was here she was locked away in her room quiet as a mouse. 'Maybe this is my chance to get to know her a little better.' "Sure, go ahead and hang it in the garage, I don't mind if you move some stuff around, just leave space near the door for deliveries and it should be alright. Need any help?"

"Ah I don't really think so" Amanda replied, a quizzical look on her face. "Well actually if you don't mind helping me hold it up."

Ellie grinned as she closed the door. "Lemme get some clothes on and I'll be right out." She said excitedly from behind the door, all the walls and doors in the upstairs apartment were fairly thin. Unless someone was whispering or in a corner of the building even just normal talk could be heard from just about everywhere. "I'll meet you in the garage."

"Okay, see you in a minute." Amanda answered.

A short while later Ellie made her way down the stairs and entered the door opposite the store, it led into a mostly empty garage, or loading bay as her grandmother loved to call it. A single garage door large enough for a truck to fit through sat adjacent to the door from leading inside. Three sets of white fluorescent lights lit the room, old boxes containing old or worn out books were stacked in one corner and a pair of bicycles hung on the wall to the right. In the center Amanda could be seen unpacking an old cardboard box, from within she pulled out a worn brown leather punching bag. "It looks a little… deflated?" Ellie joked, wondering why it looked as such.

Amanda turned to face her and let out a few short laughs. "It's empty right now, I'll have to run and find a hardware store to get some sand or something to fill it up." She said as she lifted the leather bag towards the ceiling. Her height coupled with her long arms she could reach the beams that ran across the ceiling. "Could you come hold the bottom of this while I grab my drill."

Ellie nodded and stood beside the girl. She grabbed the bag from the bottom; it was softer than she was expecting, and heavier. "It's a lot heavier than I expected, It's impressive you can hold it like that over your head." Ellie commented looking up at the other girl.

The other girl laughed again and knelt down to grab the drill and the mounting hardware. "I had a good teacher, It'd make him sad if I couldn't at least do this." She replied with a soft smile. As she lifted the drill to the beam and began boring a hole for the mounting bolts, dust, likely decades in the making, began sprinkling down from the beams around the two.

Now that she was up close Ellie could really take in the girls' appearance for what it was. 'She's built like a lion.' She thought as her eyes fixated on the other's arms. It was hard to tell at a distance but the clear signs of hard work and dedication were unmistakable. Ellie found herself almost entranced by it, an unconventional beauty that seemingly crept its way into her mind. As they stood there, just the two of them alone, her mind started to wander even further, wondering why the girl aspired to be a boxer, why she had decided to move far from her home to live in the city. To be straight, Ellie couldn't seem to shake the girl from her mind lately. Ever since they had met a couple weeks ago she found herself more and more curious about her new roommate, to the point she found her eyes drawn to her in those passing moments. 'Aah, I really want to get to know her bett-'

Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The sound of the drill shocked her back to her senses, almost dropping the bag as she jolted. Shaking her head she took a short breath and regained a bit of her composure. "S-So what got you into boxing." Ellie asked, trying to make some sort of conversation. No response. 'Maybe the drill was a little too loud,’ she thought. She tried again, louder this time but still to no avail.

Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Chk- Chk- Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The overwhelming drone of the drill coupled with squeaking of bolts being spun into place seemed to drown out any attempt at talk. Ellie sighed, straightening her back and readjusting her grip on the bag. 'I guess I'll wait till we're done.'

A few minutes later the final bolt squeaked tightly into place. The tall girl took a step back and rocked the bag back and forth. "Alrighty that's not going anywhere, thanks for your help" She beamed, grinning down at Ellie.

Ellie took a step back and dusted herself off, both girls and the floor around them had been showered with a thick coating of dust that had shook loose from the beams above. "It was no problem, though there was a lot more dust than I would have hoped for" Ellie replied half jokingly. "If you don't mind me asking wha-

"My dad," The girl paused for a moment. "He was a pro boxer before he died," She said with a solemn smile.

A puzzled look painted itself across Ellie's face. "Didn't your dad drop you off? Unless you have two dads, which isn't an issue I was just curious…" She trailed off, she understood the loss of the loved one and realized how rude it would be to continue. "Sorry, I'm being rude."

"Nah it's alright, he's been gone for a while. Boxings just what I remember him by, I don't mean to be so depressing." Amanda smiled, a softer sweeter smile this time. "I'm gonna head out and try to pick up some sand, I'll talk to you later." The tall girl knelt down to place the drill and its attachments back into its bag and made her way out of the garage.

Ellie followed her out shortly after, making her way towards the bathroom to shower and get all the dust out her hair. As she stood in the shower letting the hot water run down her she sighed. 'What's wrong with me, that's the second time I've lost my composure around her. She probably thinks I'm some rude weirdo.' Ellie grumbled in head, wondering what it was that made her so… so nervous around Amanda. For a while wrestled with her own thoughts as she showered, debating back and forth what might be the cause of her sudden anxiety around her new roommate. 'I should call Andrea, she meets new people everyday, maybe she knows what's wrong.' With that in mind Ellie finished up and stepped out of the shower.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Cold air rushed into the steamy bathroom as Ellie opened the door sending a shiver up her spine. She headed to the kitchen to brew up a cup of her favorite tea; Lemon herbal tea. It was an acquired taste and as a child she hated it, her grandmother would have it brewing every hour of every day. A sweet and slightly sour aroma would waft around the apartment and drive her mad as a kid, though as she grew older she came to love it and now just like her grandmother she can't go a day without at least a cup. Maybe it was sentiment or maybe not but it always seemed to calm her down and relax her like nothing else.

With her cup of tea in hand and a bowl of crisps she sat at her desk and reached for her phone, tapping the quick dial icon. She hoped talking things out would help her understand this… unease? She wasn't sure what to call it to be honest.

Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring

"Yo Yo you've reached Andrea Carlson, I ain't available, you can leave a message but I won't check it." Click

Ellie looked down at her phone annoyed and pressed the icon again.

Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring . . . Ring

"Yo Yo you've reached Andrea Carlson, I ain't available, you can leave a message but I won't check it." Click

Again Ellie stared down at her phone with an even more annoyed look. "What could you possibly be doing at this time of day, I swear if she's asleep." She grumbled to herself, tapping the icon one final time.

Ring . . . Ri- Click

"I'M TRYNA SLEEP WOMAN WHAT DO YOU WANT." The voice exploded from the other end.

Ellie sighed, pinching at her brow. "How are you supposed to rush to my side if something happens when you sleep till three in the afternoon everyday."

"I'll sense it." She retorted bluntly.

"…right. Anyways." Ellie straightened up in her chair. "Had a question."

"Shoot. What's bothering you m'lady," her friend asked.

"It's about my new roommate," Ellie mumbled.

"Did she do something to you, are you hurt, I'll be right there!" Andrea said worriedly.

Ellie giggled, her friends' act first think later attitude was a big part of why liked her so much. "What happened to you'll sense it? I'm fine she hasn't done anything to me, heck we've barely spoken more than maybe a handful of times other than saying hello here and there." Ellie joked as she strode to her bed and fell back onto it. "It's just… I don't know, I feel like uneasy? Restless? Every time I try and start a conversation I get this weird anxiety about it and then I can't stop thinking about her afterwards. I want to get to know her a bit better but I'm afraid she's just gonna think I'm a weirdo if I keep flubbing my words every time we talk."

"…" Andrea stayed silent for a moment. "Anything else?"

Ellie stood up and began pacing around the room, even just talking about Amanda made restless. "I mean I guess that's it, maybe I'm just afraid of her? She is rather tall and it's sort of intimidating?" She replied with a sigh. "Am I just overthinking it?"

"…did you really wake me up out of my blissful slumber to tell me you have the hots for your new roommate." She said with a flat tone.

"Huh?" Ellie stopped dead in her tracks, a fast warmth filling her cheeks.

"Aaaah little El's finally got her first crush, talk about a late bloomer. I guess that answers my question of if she's hot or not" The girl on the other end laughed.

Ellie was still processing what her friend had said. "I-I'm not in love with her, I barely even know her!" She stammered, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

"Love? Who said anything about love? Love at first sight is a myth, my sweet little princess." The girl joked, Ellie was sure she was prancing around the room delighted in her embarrassment. "What it really ought to be called is lust at first sight. You just think she's hot, it's really not that complicated."

"…" Ellie had no response, sure Amanda was conventionally attractive. There were plenty of people that Ellie could say that about, even her dork of a friend Andrea she'd call beautiful from time to time. Even so, never had anyone made her feel like this, feel so anxious just by being near them.

"Tell ya what, I'm gonna go back to sleep and you can day dream about your hottie roommate allllll day" She teased. "And jeez, I know you said she was off limits but this isn't what I thought you meant."

"T-THAT'S NOT WHAT I ME-" Click For a moment she stared dumbfounded at her phone as the dial tone droned. "DID SHE JUST HANG UP ON ME?!" Ellie yelled, quickly tapping the home button and pressing the call icon.

Click . . . "Yo Yo you've reached Andrea Car-" Click

Ellie huffed, tossing her phone onto the table next to her and laying back in her bed. 'I don't even know why I asked that womanizer in the first place, of course she's gonna have an answer like that. Hot, I don't find her hot, sure she's attractive but if that was the criteria it wouldn't just be her.' She wrestled with her thoughts for a while before taking a deep breath and sprawling out on the bed. For a moment her mind was blank, just white space as she stared at the ceiling, until thoughts of Amanda started to creep in. As soon as they did she jolted up and sat at her desk. 'I just need something else to focus on, if I keep laying around thinking about it it's only gonna get worse.' With a few clicks she opened up a new project she had been assigned and began furiously typing away.

By the time the thoughts and worries over Amanda had finally left her mind Ellie found herself staring out her windows to streets below. The street lights had just hummed to life and the noise of the city was starting to die down as people made their ways home. Her apartment was in a lucky spot on the west side of town situated across from an open park. As such every night Ellie was greeted with a warm spectacle as the sunset passed the horizon down across the road. Tonight it was a pale purple sunset with a blend of oranges and reds that stretched up and away seemingly forever. Ellie let out a soft sigh and laid her head down on her desk. Closing her eyes she thought about her grandmother, they used to sit and watch the sunset together whenever they had the chance.

Pa-Ding

Ellie opened her eyes and turned around, the sound she had heard was a reminder notification. Standing up she walked to the bed and grabbed her phone, pressing her thumb against the screen and swiping down the top bar.

RemindMe: Hang sign for April sale

She had almost forgotten, thankfully she had remembered to send the reminder. Tomorrow was the start of a tradition her grandmother had started. A sort of week-long celebration for her grandmother's birthday they would offer a discount on her favorite books from the year before. Ellie stretched her arms over her head and leaned to one side then placed her phone in her pocket. After stretching she made her way to the stairs and towards the door to the shop.

Thud Thud

Ellie stopped as she reached for the door handle. In her attempt to bury herself in work and forget about her morning struggles she had almost entirely forgotten what they were doing in the first place earlier that day. She listened for a short time, the distinct sounds of impacts on the worn leather bag and the rattle of the chain that it hung upon became clearer the longer she focused on it. The more she focused on the sounds emanating from the door behind her the more her curiosity grew. Just a look wouldn't hurt is what she told herself. Slowly she turned and placed her hand on the door to the garage. Ever so gently she twisted the handle, hoping not to make a sound. She didn't understand why she felt the need to act so sneakily but nevertheless she continued. A second or two later the latch clicked and she pulled the door open just barely enough for her to peek inside. Focused so hard on trying to open the door without making sound she Ellie had yet to notice the sounds she was so fixated on earlier had ceased.

Time seemed to almost freeze for Ellie as her gaze fixated on the figure stood before her. That same warmth that had bothered her mere hours ago crept its way back into her cheeks. Amanda stood in the center of the room wiping her face with a towel that hung around the back of her neck. Ellie had certainly been struck by the girl's figure before but this was something entirely different. The way her clothes seemed to hug against her skin giving way to a clearer look at how fit the girl really was. The way the beads of sweat that ran down her body seemed to almost sparkle against the light. The way she looked as if ready to burst with strength and fervor. All of it, searing itself permanently into Ellie's memory, the image of this beautiful woman before her. The warmth she felt in her face began to spread to every part of her, as if her whole body was being lit ablaze. She watched as the girl before her breathed deep and turned to face the bag, bringing her hands up to her face and widening her stance. Almost faster than she could see Amanda's fist jolted forward into the bag with a loud thud.

Like thunder the sound shook Ellie back to her senses, for a few moments she continued to watch Amanda's bout. Fast jabs and powerful hooks, Ellie had never seen a fight nor had she ever really watched any sport. However, even to someone who'd couldn't even be described as an amateur, she knew. Amanda was good. Really good. Slowly she closed the door to maintain the stealth she had achieved before and took a step back from the door. Many thoughts crossed her mind the seconds she stood there but one thing was clear to her now. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her phone and opened the texts between her and Andrea. With a few swift taps she sent a message that started it all.

4:51 PM - El: Oh god you were right