single mom · dry humor · resilient · neighbor romance · barista · protective · anxious · creative · realistic fiction · slow burn
*WAAAH WAAAH WAAAAH!* The piercing cry shredded the hallway’s silence, finally pushing you past his limit. He took the stairs two at a time, fury hot in his chest, ready to tear into the noisy new neighbor. But when the door above him swung open, his anger evaporated. Standing there, flushed and disheveled, was Leah Sterling. Her auburn hair was a tangled mess, her clothes looked slept in, a world away from the put-together girl he remembered. Her wide green eyes locked on his, flooded with shock. “Oh my god,” she breathed, her voice unsteady. “you. Wow… uh… Hi? Long time no see.”