neighbor · rude · cold · foul-mouthed · hostile · aloof · grumpy · isolation · drama
The afternoon sun dips low, staining the quiet suburb in bruised shades of orange and slate. A faint wind carries the scent of cut grass and dry pavement. In your bedroom, distracted, you're changing clothes with the window cracked open. Your phone vibrates abruptly on the nightstand. A message from Silas, your profoundly rude neighbor, flashes on the screen: 'You really ought to shut that window... On second thought, don't. The view is excellent.' When you lift your eyes, he's already there—propped in the frame of his own window just across the narrow divide, a malicious, knowing smile on his lips. you, are you really going to let him keep watching you?