Chapter Text
uuuuhhh i should probably plan for this story and stuff but uh. maybe not. lol.
“Why am I alone,” is what the tenant of room 306 sang every single day. He belted out that phrase with the same ear-piercing volume at such ungodly hours of the night. Well, he didn’t sing just this, but this phrase was the loudest amongst the others.
The tenant in room 305 had to bear through this every single evening. “I swear, one day, I’ll break down his door and duct tape his mouth shut myself!” Melody stormed around her apartment trying to find additional ways to muffle the sound coming from her neighbor’s apartment. “I’ve covered my ears with pillows, I’ve put pillows on the walls, but nothing! Maybe I need to invest in noise-cancelling headphones.” Melody frustratedly pulled at her hair and sunk to the ground for the 4th time that week. And it was only Tuesday.
At 2:30am exactly the man stopped singing for the day--or night. Melody sighed in relief and got up from her seat at her little breakfast table, mug still in hand. Since she couldn’t sleep she just kind of sat there listening to him sometimes (when she was in a better mood). He actually wasn’t bad--in fact, he was great. Sometimes she’d unconsciously immerse herself in his light, yet powerful voice. But she’d never seen him before. Deciding to call it a day, she went to bed hoping she’d get a few hours in before her shift started.
Morning came, and Melody’s alarm blared in her ears. Groaning, she struggled to get up and out of bed. “Just 5 more minutes,” she said, grabbing her phone to check the time. “8:56? I’m going to be late!” She rushed to get her purse and freshen up quickly, throwing on a black collared shirt with her coffee shop’s logo and black jeans. She ran out of her apartment almost forgetting to grab her keys as she dashed through the doorway and climbed down two flights of stairs to get into her car.
“You’re a couple minutes late, Melody,” her boss told her. “It’s 9:21.” At least she didn’t get scolded. Luckily I’m on his good side, she thought.
“I know, I’m sorry Daren,” Melody feebly replied. She wouldn’t make an excuse because that would make her seem like she’s trying to get away with it, so she just left to take some orders.
To her surprise, her coworker Oliver was already at the cashier taking orders happily. “Hey Melody! You’re usually pretty early--what happened?” he asked, right after saying thank you to the last customer who ordered.
“I overslept...the guy living in the apartment next to me sang for so long today, I couldn’t get any sleep until, like, 3 in the morning,” Melody complained, covering her ears from the so-called ‘traumatic experience.’ “I mean hey, at least I wasn’t an hour late, like someone has been before…”
Oliver faked getting shot. “Oh! Such a harsh statement. Daren, save me! Melody’s shot me right through the heart with her malicious comments!” He sunk to the floor, hand clenched on his heart.
Upon hearing his name, Daren peeked his head past the corner of the wall where he was organizing boxes of supplies. With an eyebrow raised, he asked, “What are you two doing? Oliver, stop being such a drama queen.” With a head nod, he said, “There’s customers.”
Oliver simply laughed at Daren. “Daren, you’re being such a stickler to rules! Let yourself loose once in a while.”
“I can take orders at the cashier,” Melody chimed in.
“Are you sure? I’ve been taking orders for the past, hmm…” Oliver proceeded to count the minutes Melody was late for her shift. “Oh well. Whatever you would like, miss,” He tried bowing elegantly but ended up almost knocking over a couple containers. His cheeky grin never left his face.
A couple hours went by and Melody was still stationed at the cashier. Same old, same old. This has been her routine for the past 3 years--wake up, go to work at the coffee shop, go home, try to sleep but not get to until midnight or past that, and repeat. Oliver had recommended that she work with him so that 1. He could spend more time with her and 2. So she’d have a job that pays well. Oliver and Daren had acquainted themselves after Daren hired the mischievous boy, and they’ve been the trio that has come to run the coffee shop ever since. Daren didn’t speak much about his past coworkers. They weren’t that interesting anyway, so he never talked about them. The little shop they work at is small, but homey. They get a bit busy at times because more people discovered them, bringing more customers and longer shifts--but also more ka-ching.
Melody doesn’t mind the repetition. She likes working with the other two boys, watching their shenanigans every day. She enjoys the aroma of the coffee around her while working.
When the three of them were about to go on their lunch break and close up for a bit, another boy around their age walked in hurriedly.
He asked, “I’m sorry about coming in when you’re about to go on break, but could I order something really quick? And use the restroom?” He wore an expression Melody couldn’t read. She walked up to the cash register with a smile.
“Sure! It’s no problem, I’m happy to help. What would you like?”
His eyes scanned the menu quickly and his face lit up at the sight of a couple items. After taking a minute to decide, he ordered. “I’ll have an iced americano. Medium, please. That’s all.”
A little puzzled at how plain his order was despite the looks he displayed on his face were, Melody went to make his order after he paid. After a couple minutes, she was all done and was going to call him over when she realized she forgot to ask for his name. “Uhh...sir? I’m sorry, I forgot to ask for your name when I took your order. Your iced americano is ready!”
The tall figure stood up from the chair he was at and approached the counter. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. Whoops. I’m sorry about that. My name’s Brian, and you are…” he read her name tag, “...Melody?”
Forgetting she had her apron on, she looked down and confirmed. “Yeah, my name’s Melody. Nice to meet you, Brian! Hope you enjoy your drink,” she said. Now that she made eye contact with him, she thought he wasn’t bad looking. His hair was perfectly styled, his jawline sharp enough to cut through paper, and his smile. His smile was kind and warm, enough to make any cold heart melt. (That was quite cheesy of her to think, but, c’est la vie.)
“Hmm, Melody. That’s a nice name,” he complimented. Melody was caught off-guard by the sudden remark.
“Thank you,” she said. “Hope you have a great day, Brian!” She waved goodbye to him with a smile, like she always did at work with friendly customers.
“Likewise, Melody,” Brain replied, waving at her and looking back as he exited the shop.
Unbeknownst to Melody, Daren and Oliver were eavesdropping on the customer’s conversation with her. They snuck up behind her and spooked her while she was cleaning up for lunch break.
“Ooh, Melody has a crush,” Oliver teased. “You should’ve asked for his number! Or at least thrown a compliment back at him,” he whined.
Daren, for once, agreed with Oliver. “He’s not wrong, Melody. You could’ve said something nice back to him.”
“Hey! I said have a nice day, doesn’t that count?” She defended herself, blushing a little in the process.
Oliver shook his head and pouted. “No no no, Melody. You say that to all your customers. This one is special ,” he put emphasis on ‘special,’ saying ‘wow’ and ‘oh my gosh’ while Daren looked at him like he was an idiot (which he thought Oliver was).
“Well at least I know his name!” She retorted, throwing a small towel into Oliver’s face. “Besides, wouldn’t it be weird, especially because I work here? At the end of the day, he’s still just a customer.”
Oliver’s signature smirk crept up on his face, always signifying trouble. “Or...at the end of the day, when you’re not working, you could ask him out,” he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows up and down worryingly furiously. “After all, you won’t be ‘Melody: The Coffee Shop Girl That Says Hi to Everyone’, you’ll just be Melody! Just like how in here, I’m ‘Oliver: The Greatest Barista Ever to Stand on the Earth’, and Daren is ‘Daren: The Scariest and Least Lenient Boss to Ever Exist’! But after work, we’re just Oliver and Daren, Melody’s best pals.”
“That last part made me a little emo, honestly,” Daren commented, smiling softly at the last part of Oliver’s grand plan. It was a little unusual for him to act that way, but it was always touching when he did. “But the little monkey isn’t wrong--we’re here for you!”
Oliver immediately dropped his jaw and felt half-offended. “MONKEY? ME? A LITTLE MONKEY? Sir, I will have you know, and remind you that I, Oliver Garza, am 5’9”! I am NOT a little monkey!” Oliver sulked and pouted like a little kid.
Daren retaliated. “Well, Mr. Oliver Garza, I, Daren Grant, am 5’11”. Try to beat that.” He put his hands on his hips and smiled smugly in victory.
“Okay, okay, boys, let’s stop arguing and get to lunch. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. So suit yourselves!” Melody interrupted, waving while walking to the kitchen to fix herself a chicken pesto sandwich. Yeah, it seemed basic, but she really liked it. It had lettuce, too, so she felt a little healthier. She popped it in the panini maker and tapped a little beat on the counter while waiting. The boys were still arguing about their height and had completely forgotten (or so it had seemed) about Melody’s new crush. She didn’t even consider him a crush—she just was taken aback by him because she thought he was a little nice-looking. No, she wouldn’t admit to liking someone. Sure, she’s had a couple crushes on guys when she was a kid but she wasn’t interested in actually being in a relationship. She thought it was too much time and effort to put into, especially if the guy was going to leave her anyway. She wanted just to wait for the right time.
When the panini finished, she walked out of the kitchen and found the boys taking off their aprons to grab something to eat too. Oliver groaned, “Melody, can’t you make me a sandwich? You make the best sandwiches,” he pleaded clasping his hands together and shaking them in front of the hungry girl’s face.
Melody was a little annoyed but used to it. “Oliver, my sandwiches are just normal sandwiches. Go make one yourself, or have Daren make you one. You said yourself that you weren’t a little monkey, so be a big boy and go to the kitchen.” Melody’s sly remark impressed both her, and Daren, and Oliver was left shocked and defeated.
“Fine, I’ll go make one…” Oliver dragged himself to the kitchen.
After ten minutes, the trio sat at a table in the shop munching on their lunches in comfortable silence. Oliver was half eating and half scrolling through social media when he had an idea.
“Hey, Melody,” he said.
“Yeah? What’s up,” she replied, tossing her napkin away.
“Your crush guy, what’s his name again?” He asked.
“For the last time, I don’t have a crush on him.”
“Yes you do.”
“No I don’t.”
“His name is Brian,” Daren said nonchalantly.
“Daren!” Melody whined. Now she was starting to squirm and pout like a little kid.
“What? He isn’t your crush, is he?”
“No.”
“Okay, cool. Maybe Oliver likes him,” Daren suggested.
“I don’t!! I’m going to be single forever. I have you guys and that’s good enough for me.”
“Wow, getting cheesy there, aren’t you, Oliver,” Melody pointed out.
Oliver denied it quickly. “No, I’m not! But thanks Daren, now I can search for Melody’s crush,” he said in a sing-songy tune. “Briiiiiian. Brrrrrriiaaaaannnnnn,” he sang cheekily.
The rest of lunch was the two boys finishing up their food and Melody prepping the workspace for more customers.
The day went by normally, selling items and this and that. Both people studying and chatting inside the shop were a nice pair to the aroma of coffee that filled it. At the end of Oliver and Melody’s shifts, though, a certain topic was brought up again.
“Melody! Melody, Melody, Melody,” Oliver kept asking.
“Yes, Oliver?” The girl replied slowly and tiredly. She didn’t understand how he still had so much energy at 6pm.
“I found Brian’s social media!” he exclaimed, giddy at his accomplishment.
“Oliver, now you sound like you have a crush on him,” Melody laughed.
“Ohohoho, so are you saying that you have a crush on him?”
“Geez, Oliver, no I don’t have a crush on him. I literally just sold him coffee. That isn’t really romantic, if you ask me,” she replied.
“Well, I’ll tell you whether you want to know or not, but he’s pretty famous on the internet. Well, he has about 7,000 followers, if you consider that famous. His full name is Brian Kang, and he plays bass and guitar! He posts a lot of covers and original songs. I watched a couple of them during lunch and he’s sooooooo good. He can sing, too! His voice is so pretty,” Oliver rambled. Melody stopped listening after that. It was just white noise to her, but she made sure to respond with a couple “mhm’s” and “oh, yeah’s” so he wouldn’t feel bad. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally asked, “You didn’t listen to like, half of that, didn’t you?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Melody admitted, scratching the back of her head and making an awkward face.
“Don’t sweat it, I just kinda also wanted to let out some extra energy. But if you ever want to know more about him, just ask me and I’ll contact him in a heartbeat! Just say the magic words, Melody,” he said, walking to the door to leave. “Bye guys, see you tomorrow!” He left with a final grin and wink to the two of the other employees.
Daren was half-listening to them while cleaning up the place. “Bye, Melody, see you tomorrow,” he called out with a wave.
“You sure you don’t want me to help you out with that, Daren?” Melody asked. She wanted to offer help even though she was tired. Maybe it was just by instinct.
Daren declined. “It’s alright, I’ll close up shop. Try to get some more sleep tonight so you won’t be late tomorrow, alright?”
“I’ll try! Hopefully my neighbor will take a break...if he doesn’t, I might actually have to tell him to tone it down a bit, as much as I wouldn’t like to do that,” she replied. “Good night, Daren, take care!”
“Thanks, you too.”
When Melody reached her apartment, she immediately changed into her PJ’s, which she considered a loose t-shirt and pants or running shorts, depending on the season. Tidying up her belongings, she began to think out loud, something that became a habit for her since she lived alone.
“Today was so tiring. I wonder why? It was pretty normal, minus the whole ‘Brian’ thing. I mean, he was good-looking, I won’t deny that, but it seems a little shallow to crush on or like someone yet based on how they look. Like, the prettiest person in the world could end up being a serial killer or something, but no one would suspect it because they’re so blindingly beautiful. Maybe that’s why they say love is blind. Hmm.”
Melody laid down on her couch, face up and stared at the ceiling in silence. It was nice to hear silence for a change. She stayed like that for an hour and dozed off.
When she woke up, it was 10:30 in the evening. “Dang, I really shouldn’t have slept. Now I won’t be able to sleep tonight,” she smacked her forehead.
Stretching and yawning, she decided to grab something from the fridge since didn’t eat dinner. But as soon as she got up, she heard footsteps in front of her door.
She took a peek but it seemed that the person was already gone. Through the peephole she could see that the door to her right opened though, and she heard it close. “It must be the guy in room 306,” she said to herself. Melody went back to the fridge to satisfy her hunger. She settled on some oatmeal. It was a little strange, oatmeal at 10 in the evening, but she didn’t care.
After settling down in her chair and taking a couple of bites of the warm oatmeal, she heard a knock at her door.
“At this hour? What could it be…”
She peeked through the peephole again but there was no one to be found. Instead, she saw an envelope on her doorstep. Hesitantly opening the door and looking right and left, she cautiously took the envelope and locked her door when she was back inside.
There was nothing on the front or back, so she opened it with a letter opener she had in a stationary set her mother gave her. Inside, there was a blue card with no design on the front or back. It read,
“Hello tenant of 305,
I’m really sorry if I’ve caused trouble for you since you’ve been here. The tenant of 307 complained to me this morning that I’d been really loud while practicing and it disturbed him and his kids. I’ll try to not practice as often or move to a different space so I won’t be a bother to you and the other tenants in this apartment. If you would like to discuss with me further about how I can limit the amount of noise coming from my room so I may be more considerate of the people around me, please give me a text at this number. Thanks for your patience and for taking the time to read this.
-Brian, tenant of 306, XXX-XXX-XXXX”
Melody looked at the letter, her mouth hung agape. “Wait. Is this Brian? Like, Brian, Brian? The guy Oliver was talking about? No way that could happen. That’s impossible!” Melody would’ve walked to her neighbor’s door but she isn’t extroverted enough. But texting would also be a weird option. “Does he just give out his number to anybody? I hope not, that’d be bad…”
Feeling guilty about his apology, she just decided to text him.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Hi, this is the tenant from 305.
Brian
Hi, it’s Brian, from 306. I’m really sorry that I’ve been disturbing you.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
It’s alright, but, can I discuss this with you in-person? I think it’d be easier than over text.
And I’m not that great on phone calls. Is that alright with you?
Brian
Yeah, of course. I think you know where my door is, so just knock and I’ll be here.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Thanks, can you give me a couple minutes? And, are you sure it isn’t too late?
Brian
Yeah, no problem. And no, unless you’d rather talk at another time, which is fine with me.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
No, it’s okay; I’m fine with talking now. I’ll be there in a little bit.
Brian
Okay, thanks.
“Crap, crap, Melody, what did you do? You just did WHAT? It’s like, almost 11pm, and you’re meeting a GUY? And adding onto that, this guy could be the guy your coworkers were freaking out about! Ugh, what have you done?” Melody paced around the room but soon realized she was wasting time. She didn’t bother changing out of her pajamas but made sure to brush her hair to look at least a bit presentable. But, she asked 306’s tenant to be sure that she didn’t have to follow a dress code or anything.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Umm, Brian?
Brian
Is something wrong? I’m fine with meeting at another time if you’re tired, I completely understand.
XXX-XXX-XXXX
No, it’s just
Okay this might seem stupid
But
Do I have to wear something formal?
Brian
lolll it’s fine! dw, it’s not a stupid question. Just uh, make sure it’s appropriate?
As long as you aren’t stark naked or wearing some funky stuff I’m fine. Don’t stress!
XXX-XXX-XXXX
ahh okay, thank you! Sorry for taking so long ://
Brian
It’s okay!
Melody finally finished worrying and walked out of her apartment door, making sure to grab her keys and phone so she wouldn’t lock herself out. “Deep breath. Whew. It’s fine, Melody, it’s just discussing how this guy has been insanely loud but has a very nice voice so I can sleep better at night. You got this,” she muttered to herself, hoping it’d give her confidence. Mustering up all the courage she had, she knocked on the door of 306.
And to just her luck, it really was Brian. The guy who was in the coffee shop. Both of them looked shocked for a second.
“Oh, wait, you’re the guy from the coffee shop!”
“Wait, Melody?”
They spoke simultaneously. Augh, I sounded rude, Melody thought.
Melody apologized immediately. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me. It’s Brian, right?”
“Yeah, Brian Kang,” he replied. “And you got me the americano today, right? At your coffee shop?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
Brain laughed to himself. “It’s such a coincidence that we're neighbors, huh? Really unexpected,” said.
“Yeah, I never would’ve imagined this happening.” Melody felt uncomfortable with standing awkwardly at the doorstep and Brian seemed to notice.
“Umm, do you want to come in? It’s a little cold,” he offered, opening the door wider and signaling for her to walk inside.
Melody hesitated for a second. “Thanks.”