Sophia’s car made a turn and slowly disappeared into the night.
I grabbed my phone and typed her a text.
“Sophia, tonight you stole a piece of my soul again.
Guess I won’t be getting much sleep.”
Once she was gone, I headed home.
Her laughter and that faint scent she left behind still lingered in my mind.
I curled up on the couch, aimlessly flipping through channels, a little hollow inside like I was unconsciously waiting for something.
I checked my phone again—nothing from her.
That’s when I realized it was her reply I’d been hoping for, maybe even a call.
But the silence dragged on, and with each passing minute, that quiet night felt even colder.
The longer I waited, the more disappointed I became.
She never replied, not even when I was lying in bed, wide awake.
I thought about sending another message, just to tell her how much I missed her.
How much I wished I could hold her tight tonight, rest my head on her shoulder, breathe her in, and finally drift off in peace.
But after sitting with it for a while, I deleted what I’d typed and just turned off my phone.
If she didn’t want me reaching out, I shouldn’t disturb her world.
She probably didn’t want me pushing things emotionally anyway, and I couldn’t let my feelings ruin her life.
Still, it sucked.
Just when I thought I was over her, life threw us back into the same city, crossing paths again.
And just like that, every buried feeling came flooding back.
I got up, pulled out a fresh notebook, and started writing.
I wanted to record every little thing about us—no matter how small it might seem.
How I felt about her, what I remembered about her life.
This would be the first journal entry I wrote for Sophia.
When I finally closed the notebook, all I could think about was her—her soft curves, the way it felt when she held me, kissed me.
It took me half the night to finally fall asleep.
Next morning, my alarm went off like a drill sergeant.
It was my first day at Anyael Corporation, so I dragged myself out of bed and got ready quick but carefully.
As I was heading out, the elevator doors were closing when a girl’s voice called out, “Hold up, wait!”
In came a tall, pretty girl with flawless skin and a small suitcase rolling behind her.
“Thanks!” she smiled and gave a polite nod as she stepped in.
I didn’t know her name, but she’d just moved in next to me a couple days ago.
I’d seen her once when she was moving in, right as I was getting home.
“You live in 807?
I’m Andrew, 806.”
She beamed at me.
That effortless smile revealed twin dimples on her cheeks.
She had this mix of beauty and sweetness that made her instantly likable.
Even while she talked, she had this light, cheerful vibe that made the whole elevator ride feel a little brighter.”I remember now, we met when I first moved in.
I’m Bianca White, your new neighbor.”
“Nice to have a neighbor around, makes things feel less lonely.
You heading out on a trip?”
“Yeah, I spend half my time traveling for work.
Kind of used to it by now.”
“Sounds pretty tiring.”
When we got out of the elevator, Bianca flagged down a cab.
I helped load her suitcase into the trunk.
“This is my number.
Got it?
I’m Bianca,” she said while handing me a little note before hopping into the car.
I took the piece of paper with her number on it and gave her a wave.
“Safe travels.
I’m Andrew Anderson.
I’ll remember your name, Bianca.”
“See you around, neighbor.” Bianca gave this bright little smile as the taxi drove off slowly.
I saved her number in my phone and sent her a quick message.
“Have a safe trip, beautiful neighbor.
—Andrew.”
“Message received!
Thanks for the sweet send-off.” She’d tagged on a cheeky smiley at the end.
Couldn’t help but grin.
With a light step, I made my way to the office.
Just as I reached the general manager’s door, a young woman came out of the admin department and walked over.
“Hi, are you here to see Mr.
Smith?”
“No, I’m here for my first day.
Andrew, just got hired.”
She looked me over and asked cautiously, “You’re Andrew?
Our GM just called to say someone by that name was starting today.
So it’s you!”
I chuckled, “Yup, that’s me.”
She gave me a warm, friendly smile that instantly made me feel welcomed, like we’d worked together before or something.
She didn’t have that formal tone—more welcoming and real.
“Mr.
Anderson, Mr.
Smith is tied up this morning.
Want to wait in our department first?”
“What about Mr.
Adams?
Is he around?”
“Oh, you mean our admin manager, Henry Adams?
Yeah, he’s in.
I’ll walk you over.” The girl fell into step beside me.
“What did you do before this?”
“I was doing planning at Harper & Ross Corporation.”
“Clothing industry too, huh?
I’m Riley Green, but feel free to call me Riley.” Her energy was easygoing—like she wasn’t trying too hard or anything.
We chatted like we were already friends.
Though the way she kept calling me ‘Mr.
Anderson’ was throwing me off a bit.
“All right, Riley it is.”
She brought me to the admin manager’s office.
The door was slightly ajar.
Riley knocked a couple of times, then gently pushed it open.
Inside, Henry Adams was sitting in his swivel chair, typing away, totally focused.