"Is there something wrong?" My neighbor asked, finally noticing my shocked expression.

What kind of question even was that?

He didn't seem to be bothered or even uncomfortable as I gawked at him with my mouth agape.

A silence passed and his face lit up almost as if he remembered something.

"I apologize, I forgot you still need to get dressed," Vincent said, finally realizing the problem, gesturing to the skimpy towel that I had tightly wrapped around me which was also the only thing that covered my exposed body.

I tried to close this front door again and this time he let me, saving me from any further embarrassment.

Running into my room, I frantically tried to find some clothes to put on. After putting on a pair of jeans and a black top, I began brushing out my wet hair.

A thought popped in my mind as I finally made myself presentable. What if I didn't let him in? What if I just left him outside until he got bored and left?

I smiled at the thought. The idea sounded too cruel even for me. Although it was a good idea and probably exactly what I would've done if I didn't know how pissed Erin would be. She had invited him over for dinner and it was rude to turn away a guest like that.

I walked back to the front door and I opened the door to see Vincent on the phone with someone. His back was turned away from me as he spoke into the phone. From his tone, he seemed frustrated.

"Not today." He said. His voice was low and almost inaudible. It was hard to make out what he was saying but I managed to make out the first couple of words.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ethan. We must be patient."

He glanced at me, acknowledging I was there before focusing his attention back on the person that was on the phone again.

From how focused and serious his expression seemed, it seemed to be an important phone call. His voice was low and quiet as if he didn't want anyone else to hear this phone call. He listened intently to whoever was on the other line before muttering a few words I couldn't overhear and hung up. He slid his phone back into his pocket before looking up at me again.

"Shall we eat dinner now?" He asked, his expression lightening. The concentrated look that was once on his face had now disappeared.

"Uh— yeah," I said, stepping out of the doorway, letting him in. He stepped inside our place, shortly glancing at everything.

I hadn't realized how tall he was. I wasn't necessarily considered short but he was still much taller than me. He could easily intimidate anyone he wanted.

Taking off his blazer, he carefully set it down on the table that was next to the door before loosening the tie around his neck. Regardless of his height and muscular build, every movement he made was smooth and graceful. I didn't notice how long I was staring at him until he looked at me again.

I quickly tore my gaze away from him and cleared my throat. I began to walk into the kitchen and I could hear him quietly following behind me.

Damn it, where was Erin? I knew there was no food in our fridge beside a few snacks. How were we even gonna eat dinner?

Walking over to the fridge, I decided to check it anyway. As expected, it was empty.

"We have no food," I announced, closing the fridge and turning around to see our neighbor trailing his fingers down the dining room table while walking up to me.

"So you invited me over for dinner with no food at all?" He said slowly.

"I didn't invite you," I said in defense.

"Your roommate Erin did but yet she is still nowhere to be found."

I heard a slight accent in his voice again. He hid it well under his perfect English but if you listened closely, you would be able to tell.

"Stop making it seem like I'm the one at fault." I snapped, a little bit too harshly. He didn't seem fazed by my hostile remark and instead, he raised an eyebrow, an almost dangerous look settling in his eyes.

For a split second, I regretted what I had said but I quickly shook the feeling off.

"You are one of a kind." He said, chuckling lowly.

"What?" I said, giving him a ridiculous look.

He didn't respond and I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

I looked back up to see he had been staring intently at my face as if he was studying me. He wasn't looking at my body or trying to sexualize me in any way but I felt so naked and so... vulnerable under his gaze.

Just one look from him was enough to make any women completely strip naked and beg him to fuck them.

I nervously glanced around, not able to meet his eyes. The tension between us was unnerving.

Why did he seem so familiar? My eyebrows formed a crease on my face as I watched him, deep in thought. I knew him. I just couldn't remember where.

Then it all became clear. It was like Déjà Vu had hit me in the face as everything clicked into place. I had been so drunk last night I had forgotten completely.

"I met you yesterday night at the club!" I exclaimed in shock. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop myself or even had time to think.

It couldn't all just be a coincidence, could it? The man I met last night was now suddenly my neighbor?

Everything was falling in place and I was realizing how utterly stupid I had been. He had been teasing me all this time, waiting for when I was finally going to catch on.

"That took a long time for you to catch on." He said, almost as an insult. I frowned at him. Was he insulting me? "But you were blackout drunk so I don't blame you."

Last night he had told me he owned the nightclub we were at. So why would he move into our apartment complex when he could afford better living?

I recalled that he had even told me his name last night. Vince. And it had still taken me this long to figure it all out.

The man from last n– Vince stood there, waiting for me to react in some way. I stared at him for a whole ten seconds before gaining my composure.

Before I could ask him any questions, the front door opened and both of our attention turned towards the door.

"I'm home!" A female voice said, cutting me out of my thoughts. The front door unlocked and opened. A gorgeous dark-haired girl stepped inside and I quickly realized it was Erin.

She closed her door behind her and then turned around, finally noticing the unexpected guest in our home. A warm smile grew on her face.

"Hey, Vincent." She said, greeting him.

"Please. Just call me Vince." He said. Erin nodded.

"I thought you said you had plans for tonight and couldn't come," Erin said, setting down her stuff. She had a large pizza box in her hand which I assumed was going to be our dinner tonight.

Vince chucked. "My plans got canceled tonight so I thought I'd drop by."

He seemed to act differently with Erin here. He didn't mock or tease her as he did with me but instead, they had a perfectly normal and civilized conversation like regular people.

"If you told me beforehand I would've made something instead of just pizza." Erin joked and held back my snort.

I've eaten Erin's cooking before. She had made chocolate chip cookies and still managed to mess it up. She had even used the premade cookie dough that you bought from the store but she still ended up burning it.

"It doesn't matter." He said. He had a whole different attitude towards Erin.

He flashed her a smirk and I could see her practically melt into the ground. He was hot as shit and Erin thought so too.

"So have you and Darcy been getting along?" Erin asked, gaining back her self control.

"Darcy?" He asked.

My heart skipped a beat when he said my name. The way it rolled off his tongue was so perfect. It sounded so deep and so... sexual.

Erin walked into the kitchen to set down the pizza before nodding and gesturing to me. Our neighbor glanced over at me and gave me a look before focusing his attention back on Erin.

"Yeah, she's been... lovely."

"Lovely?" Erin asked, questioning the real meaning behind his words while she took out the plates and placed them next to the pizza.

"She's been quite entertaining." He admitted, sparing me another glance. I rolled my eyes but I was still grateful that he didn't mention that I had opened the door in only a towel.

Erin set down the pizza, plates, and a few napkins on the dining room table before clapping her hands together.

"Are you okay with having pizza or..." She asked Vince.

"I don't mind." He said as the both of us sat down at the table. I sat down first in my usual seat and Vince chose to sit next to me.

Erin opened the pizza box and I almost moaned at the wonderful smell. Inside was a perfectly made pizza that looked absolutely delicious.

Grabbing a piece, I brought it to my mouth, taking a large bite. I closed my eyes for a split second enjoying it. It tasted even better than it looked.

"This is amazing." I nearly moaned. I could feel both Erin's and Vince's eyes on me as I took another bite. I blushed before putting the pizza on my plate and grabbing a napkin to wipe my lips.

Erin laughed before she got up to get something from the kitchen.

"You have something on your lip." Vince had lowered his voice to a low sensual tone, surprising me. My eyes snapped up to meet him. His arm was already out and reaching towards my face.

I froze in shock, unable to do anything.

His eyes zoned in on my lips as he slowly wiped the corner of my lips. He stared into my eyes before withdrawing his hand that now had pizza sauce on it. My eyes followed his hand as he brought it to his lips and began sucking on it.

I sat there stunned and in shock at what he had just done. He proceeded to finish licking his thumb before grabbing a napkin to wipe his finger. He didn't even bother to look at me again and completely dismissed the situation as if nothing had happened.

"Darcy, are you okay?" Erin asked, noticing my expression. She walked back to the table from the kitchen with three cans of coke. I snapped out of it before shaking my head. Had she seen what had just happened?

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied to her before wiping the corner of my lip where Vince had touched. If Erin had seen what he had just done, she didn't show it.

She handed us each a soda and we both thanked her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Vince grab a slice of pizza.

It couldn't have just been a coincidence that I had met Vince last night at the club and now he's suddenly my new neighbor. He had said that he was the owner of the club last night so shouldn't he be living in an expensive penthouse instead of here?

They were both now busy eating the pizza that Erin had bought. I slowly took another bite of my piece of the pizza, still stunned as I tried to comprehend what just happened. It was silent for a moment before I spoke.

"Where's Blake?" I asked Erin. She took a second to finally swallow her food before finally responding.

"He's on a date with some girl."

I nodded, knowing what she meant. Whenever Blake went on "dates", it usually meant he was gonna sleep with the girl after. Especially if it was a late-night dinner date. Luckily, he didn't usually bring the girl back to our place, and instead he would get a hotel room.

I saw Vince check his watch before he abruptly stood up, picked up his plate, and walked to the kitchen to place the finished plate in the sink. Was he only gonna eat one slice of pizza? I had expected him to eat at least four of five since that would probably be the normal amount due to his size.

He excused himself and apologized for leaving so early before he grabbed her blazer and left. He was rushing for something. What was he in such a hurry for?

"I told you he was hot," Erin said, a pleased smirk on her face. I rolled my eyes playfully before agreeing with her. There was no doubt that he was attractive.

After Vince had left, we finished our dinner and decided to watch a movie. We knew Blake wasn't gonna be home until tomorrow morning so we didn't bother waiting for him.

We both went our separate ways into our rooms to go to bed. Changing into pajamas, I closed the nights and went to bed.

Sleep never came. I laid in bed, staring into the darkness, unable to sleep. I tried to relax and even tried counting sheep but neither of those techniques worked.

Maybe it was because of the nap I took earlier that was keeping me awake. I groaned aloud, irritated. I never usually had problems sleeping but for some reason today was different.

There was so much going through my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about my dad and what he was going to do. I had finally answered his calls today and the conversation didn't go so well. What if he made his men bring me back to his house?

I also couldn't stop thinking about Vince. I had almost completely forgotten about meeting him yesterday but now he's suddenly my upstairs neighbor? It almost seemed too surreal to be just a coincidence.

Forcing him out of my thoughts, I got out of bed to go to the bathroom. Making my way out of my bedroom and into the bathroom, I turned on the faucet.

Holding my hand underneath the water, I waited for the warm water to come before splashing my face with the water. Usually, warm water helped ease my nerves.

Looking over past the sink I noticed that the toilet paper was almost gone. Wiping my wet hands on a wet towel, I opened the bathroom cabinet, hoping to find some extra toilet paper rolls but they were nowhere to be found.

Walking out of the bathroom I looked in the closet off to the side of the hallway for toilet paper but it was gone too.

When did we use all the toilet paper?

I knew I couldn't not use toilet paper and going out to buy toilet paper wasn't an option either since most places were closed at night.

I could practically feel the color drain out of my face as I realized my only option. I was going to have to ask Vince for toilet paper.

Well, I could ask our neighbor downstairs but our neighbor downstairs was a cranky old lady who never even answered her door. Maybe it was because she was old and it took her a bit to make her way to the door but I doubted she would give me a roll of toilet paper even if I did manage to ask. She hated everyone besides her cats.

The only way I could get toilet paper would be to ask Vince. Putting on my big girl pants, I walked out the front door and made my way into the elevator.

I was just going to ask him for toilet paper as any normal person would. I clicked a few buttons and the elevator doors slid close, taking me to the floor above us. As the doors slid open, I began to grow more nervous.

It was past midnight. Would he even be awake?

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I walked down the hallway to his door before stopping myself.

Why was I so hesitant about this? I just needed toilet paper. No big deal.

After finally building up my confidence once again, I knocked on his door twice before waiting. After a few moments, there was no answer. Just as I had thought. He was probably sound asleep, not wanting to be bothered.

I should've left like a reasonable person but instead, I did the opposite. I knocked again. I waited for a while and there was still no answer. I sighed, exhausted, and slightly annoyed.

Just as I was about to leave, the door handle turned and the door opened. I froze in my spot, shocked that he had even heard my knocks. To my surprise, it wasn't Vince at the door. Instead, it was a girl that seemed a bit older than me.

Did I go on the wrong floor?

The girl was blonde, her hair falling to a length right above her waist. Her curled hair was almost a golden color, and even though it wasn't naturally curled, I could tell it was her natural color. She was gorgeous, her skin tanned to a warm ivory color.

Blondie glanced at me up and down before meeting my eyes.

"Do you need anything?" She asked. To my amazement, she seemed nice.

"Does Vince live here?" I asked, slowly, still not sure if I had even knocked on the right door.

"Yeah, he does." She confirmed. "I'll go get him for you.

I had noticed that Blondie was only wearing a thin silk robe that didn't leave much to the imagination. Maybe she slept naked and I had woken her up. Her hair also seemed a little messy. Not like bed hair. Like sex hair.

My eyes widened as a thought hit me. Was this the girl that Vince was sleeping with? Was that why he had been in such a hurry to leave? Or better yet, was she his girlfriend?

I shouldn't have been so disappointed and surprised at the thought as I was now. A man like Vince and a girl like Blondie belonged together. The two were both gorgeous and they would fit perfectly together as a couple.

After a couple of moments, I saw Blondie walk back to the door with Vince behind her. I had half expected him to be half-naked like Blondie was but instead he was fully dressed, still in the suit from before. But now his hair seemed more tousled and ruffled.

"Darcy." He said my name as he made his way to the door. My name rolled off his tongue so perfectly it sounded like music to my ears. The girl moved off to the side, letting us talk. "Do you need anything?"

For a second my mind went blank as if I was suddenly struck by amnesia. How could I just forget what I had come for? I slowly blinked as I finally remembered why I had come up here.

"I need toilet paper," I admitted. The corner of Vince's lips twitched in amusement.

"You need toilet paper?" He slowly said, running a hand through his hair.

"Yes."

"You could've just asked Sarena for it," Vince said, pointing over to Blondie off to the side. So her name was Sarena. I scratched the back of my neck, embarrassed.

"Can I have a roll of toilet paper then?" I asked again. He nodded before walking off to get the toilet paper.

I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards Sarena. I wanted to ask who Sarena was to him but I held myself back.

Why did I care so much? I had only met Vince last night and I couldn't help but feel attracted to him. It was his personal life and it would be inappropriate of me to pry.

Sarena smiled at me off to the side and I smiled back. She seemed nice and if the two of them were together, there was nothing I could've done about it.

My mind wandered back to what had happened during dinner. All of the stuff he had said and done... Was that just harmless flirting or was he just teasing me to get a reaction out of me?

I shook my head slightly, shaking the thoughts out of my head. That was nothing, I was just overthinking it.

Vince walked back to the door with a pack of toilet paper containing eight rolls before handing the whole pack of toilet paper to me.

"Keep the whole thing." He told me before I could say anything.

"Thanks," I muttered before giving him a small smile. Vince nodded before starting to close the door.

"Have a good night, Darcy."

...

Off-topic but I really want a cat. Preferably a black one.