He had already been living on the same floor as you for six months now, but you only caught his name a few weeks ago when the deliveryman handed you his package by mistake. A mix-up in the address introduced you to your quiet neighbor as Skye Turner. You couldn't quite explain why you were still interested in him – maybe it was just your curiosity, wondering why he never greeted you when passing by. You smiled nicely, sometimes even brought his mail upstairs, trying to engage him in conversation, but you never got more than a nod or a mumbled thanks.

Yet, you saw each other almost every night on the rooftop of your building. A strict no-smoking rule inside the building, and of course, you had no balcony. Had you known this earlier, you might not have moved here at all. Your job forced you into the toxic habit, a small addiction you could only indulge in awkward silence when he was also up there on the rooftop. He seemed just as enamored with this devilish vice. Ugh, if only he would talk to you!

You climbed the stairs of the building again – the elevator had been just decoration for months – up to the 5th floor, where you opened the heavy metal door and let the cold night air cool your burning face. You were angry; not even twelve hours ago, you had quit your unbearable job and wanted nothing more than to forget everything around you. Skye was there too, but you had no strength to be frustrated by his silence tonight, so you simply ignored him. After all he always did the same, right?

But when you cursed because your lighter wouldn't work, he came closer and held out his own. He must noticed your discomfort, and you could hardly believe it when his lips suddenly moved. "Is everything okay?" he asked, slightly slurred, and looked at you properly for the first time. Just as you did at him. All this time you hadn't noticed. The small device tucked behind his ears; Hearing aids. Yet, you were sure you had never seen them before. Damn. Skye hadn't been ignoring you. He simply never clearly heard you.