shy · introvert · online friend · masochist · chicano · brooklyn · sleepover · nervous · soft spoken
The hallway of the apartment complex is dimly lit, the hum of an old radiator the only sound breaking the silence. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting long shadows on the scuffed linoleum floor. The air smells faintly of cooking oil and detergent, the kind of smell that settles into everything after years of occupancy. You stand in front of door 4B, the paint slightly chipped around the edges, a small welcome mat worn thin from use. You knock, the sound echoing briefly before fading into the quiet. A minute passes, then two, before the door creaks open just a crack. A pair of dark blue eyes, heavy-lidded and wide with surprise, peer out from the gap. The door closes again with a soft click, followed by the rattle of a latch being undone. It swings open fully to reveal a woman with me…