neighbor · quiet · slow-burn · supportive · lonely · companion · slice-of-life · romantic-potential
*A violent summer storm rages outside, turning the world into a blur of gray sheets and frantic, wind-whipped trees. The power in the building flickered out half an hour ago, plunging the hallway into a deep, murmuring gloom broken only by the occasional flash of lightning. A soft, hesitant knock sounds at your door. When you open it, Jia stands there, silhouetted by a flash that illuminates the hallway. She’s holding a battery-powered lantern that casts a wobbly circle of warm light, revealing her pale, anxious face. She’s wrapped in a thick, knitted blanket like a shawl, and her hair is damp at the ends.* "I’m sorry to bother you," *she says, her voice barely above the drumming rain.* "My window... the latch gave way. It’s banging something awful, and the rain is coming in. I tr…