The first thing Samantha does every morning is scream into the pillow. Well, not every morning, but mondays are usually on the chopping block. However, the problem lay in the fact that it was not Monday, or a morning. Instead, it was five in the morning, and there was a loud noise . And not just any noise, it was a radio-static noise, as if someone was playing an unorthodox mix of television snow and buzzing of bees. 

Was it not enough that she had to work a long shift? And that her medication was not kicking in still, even if it has been three hours? The thoughts were growing rowdy and louder, and so was the buzzing. There is no way that she is the only one who hears it. Deciding to investigate, Samantha stormed out of the comfort of her bed, and approached the window. Much to her dismay, she didn’t see anyone, or anything — until two fancy vehicles caught her attention.

It was a good thing that she didn’t wear glasses, because they’d drop now. In the street where her apartment complex is, amongst the average cars, or below, would now be parked a racing car and a jeep. Latest models, with fresh paint and the most beautiful curves a vehicle could have. Samantha could feel the money from them — she wasn’t sure if her own executive officer could purchase one of those, and there are two, right in front of her complex.

In the area of medium income, far away from the rich block. And there was no more buzzing either. This isn’t a horror movie, she cannot make things up only for them to suddenly stop when she moves. But…who the fuck drives these? Here? As far as she knows, these cars will be in pieces within twenty-four hours, once the local group of troublesome youth shows up to snatch the car parts. 

“Holy crap, on crap.”

Such models can be seen only on the television. Samantha was annoyed because of the noise that woke her up, only for the noise to be gone as soon as she entered the train of thoughts about luxurious transport. She frowned, thinking of her car, that was over ten years old, but still kicking. Dragging her feet while walking, Samantha crawled back into her bed, with a heavy sigh to follow.

“I hope those cars drive on manuals…”

She jinxed the car, and sunk into slumber once more. She cannot even marry rich to drive a car like that, let alone work her way for that car. What kind of asshole pulls up into a basic corner and decides to flex their little… cart ? Yeah, that’s no better than a cart she can find in Target. 

The late morning came fast. If it wasn’t for the alarm clock, then it is for the cats who had decided to wrestle across the house, and the final fight was on her bed. It was also a sign for her to get up. At least she can enjoy the free friday — something she didn’t think she’d ever actually live to obtain. A Friday where she doesn’t need to go to work. 

Curious about the cars once more, Samantha walked up to the window, wondering if the cars were still there. Empty. Not paying much mind to it, Samantha would brush it off, and continue on with her day. Her precious children demanded attention and food. It had taken Samantha time to feed her cats, go through her own morning routine, and finally fetch a meal for herself.

‘ I should ring Kellie about the damn new season too..’, Samantha thought, her gaze looming over her television screen. It has so much dust on it…even though she had thoroughly cleaned her house just a couple of days ago. Dismissing that thought, Samantha continued on, giving into the usual habits; she was ready to sit on the couch with her mobile in her hands, but her cats had different plans.

That was until the voices filled the hallway. Considering that the apartment complex had three apartments per floor, and they were located on the third floor out of four, there weren’t a lot of people tunneling around. And she’d recognize her neighbors' voices, those who live opposite of her. The apartment next door has been empty for years now.

Opting to ignore that for now, Samantha devoted herself to her cats and her own business, but the next two hours were still filled with voices in the hallway. Did some random people decide to hang out in a hallway? It wouldn’t be new for these younger generations. Samantha went past her beloved pats, and unlocked her door, so she could open them wide and step out.

Much to her surprise, this time there were people present. And they were not a kind, older couple on the other side. What she was seeing was a man, standing next to the door with a list in his hand, seemingly in his thirties, dressed in a relatively formal manner — polo, pants, loafers. His hair was short, black, and neat, reminding her of a white-collar employee. 

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Hello?”

Samantha’s voice came off slightly raspier than she’d wanted, but she cannot say she was expecting this. The doors to the apartment were wide open, and she could see some of the furniture in front of the apartment too. Most of it looked new, even if it didn’t carry plastics or the like. Samantha could recognise the scent of something fresh with ease.

Her voice made the man turn almost right away. Bright blue eyes, fair skin, and a clipboard in his hand. He didn’t carry any awkwardness, but he didn’t respond right away. It had taken him a minute, which Samantha found weird on its own; the male would turn to face her completely, before offering a smile.

“Greetings! I hope we are not disturbing you.” 

His voice was carrying a mix of playfulness and apology, visibly wondering if the noise from handling furniture left and right was bothering the woman. Samantha shifted her weight from one leg to another, placing her hand on her left hip. She had never seen this man before, but he carries some confident aura with himself.

“No, not at all. I didn’t realize someone was moving in. My name is Samantha.”

Samantha offered her hand out to the man, who would return the favor, and shake her hand. His grip was firm, but far from boneshattering. It carried a strange feeling as well; as if it was soft, but also small, when it really wasn’t. As if she was squeezing a child’s hand, but that was not the case. She couldn’t put a finger on it.

“Ah, yeah. We will be living here for a while. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Samantha. My name is Stephen.”

Once again, the same buzzing sound from the very early morning could be heard. Samantha was caught by surprise, and looked around — she is hearing it again? Quickly turning to Stephen, she could tell that he heard it too, but he was looking inside the apartment, beckoning with his hand to something. The buzzing was heard only for a brief second.

“Stride, who are you tal— fuck .”

From the apartment emerged a woman, who had single handedly and without any struggle took Samantha’s breath away. While Stephen stood about shorter than the average man, this lady was much taller, easily having over head and half than him. And in the eyes of both men and women alike, she was absolutely stunning. 

Her hair was short, gray, with a purple stripe on the side. Her figure was muscular, well-defined, and her face carried the smug grin that could easily sweep anyone off their feet. Her eyes were bright green. A black top, shorts, and heeled boots were all she wore, along with wristbands and necklaces. 

“I’m sorry, I got caught up in work, I didn’t see we had a company. Stephen , who is our lady friend here? You’re so adorable with those glasses.” 

The woman grinned wide, and offered her hand to Samantha, who felt like she was about to faint. This woman had already made her knees tremble. The man was decent, she’d give him that. But…her eyes cannot tear away from the newcomer. Samantha would reach out her hand, placing it in hers and giving a light handshake.

“This is our neighbor, Samantha.” Stephen introduced the two, but easily fell out of the picture for the neighbor. He’d answer the call he received, and step aside, allowing the two to converse. This goliath of a woman was certainly taller than Samantha as well, but there was something in her that made her alluring as she is.

“It’s great to meet you… and thank you.” Samantha stuttered, flustered and shaky. She tried to regain her composure, which she had succeeded for the most part. Out of habit, she adjusted her glasses. Her grip was just as firm as Stephen’s, but her hands felt much more calloused as well.

“My name’s Bellona, but you can just call me Bello.” She said, her accent reminding Samantha of the Scottish series she had watched on streaming services. The accent was matching. A British woman like this… oh the woes of free friday, she had been blessed. Samantha cleared her throat and leaned against the wall, looking back at the man, who was making his return.

Bello made her feel shy and she kicked her feet, she cannot be doing this right now. 

“So, uhh, do you guys want to come over for dinner? You know, welcoming dinner…” Samantha slurred the last words, mentally grimacing at the sound of her offer. She should have said a welcoming cup of coffee or tea, not this. Besides, they are moving in together, and they do not look like siblings, so they are likely involved. 

Such a wonderful lady would not be wandering on her own.

The idea had certainly left some impression on the two, because Bello was looking at Stephen almost expectantly, while he was uncertain. Was her offer that straightforward? Samantha would wave her hand at them, wanting to take their attention for a moment.

“You don’t need to — you can come for a coffee or for the cats! Yeah, welcome…” For someone who had plenty of experiences in her life, Samantha felt like she was a dumb teenager all over again. Is this the inferno one faces after being on her own for so long? Stephen had given a nod in approval, to which Bello smiled.

“Yeah, we can. Once we are done moving things… we should be able to do it tonight, right?” Bello asked one more time for confirmation, to which Stephen agreed. Samantha smiled in return, and the pressure had forced her to go back into her apartment, after looking rather silly in front of the pair. 

“I will be inside… just, knock or something, I’ll be around. See ya.” Samantha slipped back in and closed the door, before leaning against them. That was a close call. They both looked damn good in her opinion, but Bellona was jaw-dropping for certain. She reminded her of a certain Australian professional wrestler. 

Pushing away from the door, Samantha slithered to the couch, and yanked her laptop, bringing it over to her lap. She needed to find them on social media apps. They certainly had those — everyone had those. Thinking of it now, I didn’t hear their surnames , Samantha thought, as she tried to dig through the first, most popular app.

She couldn’t find anything on either of them. Remembering the cars, Samantha placed her laptop on the side and scurried over to the window, checking on the parking lot again. And there were the cars. The realization of them being owners of the cars had hit her hard like a brick wall. They own those? They would have to be multimillionaires for that!

In this age and time, multimillionaires cannot be hidden from media and publicity. Whether a socialite or not, and especially if they are residing in America now. They didn’t comment on the strange noise either. But she could swear that Stephen had heard it. Maybe not, but she doesn’t wanna write it off as a stretch or something she had only imagined. 

One thing was for certain, she cannot wait to have them come over.