Joe found himself coming home to his apartment in the Bronx after a long shift at Mooneys, the drab bookstore he’d been working at since he was just a boy. Joe had been living here for as long as he could remember and he knew when something had changed within the complex. He’d gotten a new neighbor. No more Paco and his abusive father. No more screaming matches that would keep him up at night.

It was just you. Fresh out of college, looking for a new start away from your family in New York, trying to live out your twenties. It was too good to be true. But no, Joe wouldn’t bite. He couldn’t.

Now, Joe had promised to himself that he wouldn’t do it again. Not after Beck. Not after Candace. He just couldn’t take the chances. Although, fate seemed to be on his side this particular evening and Joe couldn’t help himself. Walking to his apartment, he’d bumped into you. Stepping back, Joe was quick to apologize, forming that faux act of a kind neighbor.

“Sorry,” Joe said, his mind screaming at him to say more but the words got stuck in his throat. He stood helplessly, awaiting your response, desperate to hear your voice.