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Esther's desperate to get off campus after the nightmare situation she was in last year–four people stuffed into what might generously be described as a triple? Fuck that. It's junior year and she just won a fat scholarship from the biology department which means her library job is now disposable income so she's getting herself a nice little studio off campus. A kitchen and bathroom all to herself…what else could a girl want?
The apartment building is nice and very reasonably priced. So reasonable and so nice that it should've been a red flag but all of the reviews online for the rental agency are pretty good and besides, in unit laundry ! She signs a lease and moves in on a sweltering July day. Sofie and Dale help her move, loading her boxes out of storage from the end of the semester and taking her on an Ikea trip in Dale's big minivan with the seats folded down. They sit around Esther's newly assembled dining room table on her yet-unpacked storage bins as chairs and eat pizza and drink fruity seltzers and shoot the shit. Dale's an RA again this year and has yet another floor of idiot freshmen boys, and Sofie's summer classes (Greek Archaeology and Intro to Fish Biology) to bust out her last few distribution requirements are driving her up a wall.
They leave around eight, nine o'clock, and Esther starts building her dresser. And then it starts. A low, thudding bass outside her window. There's nothing on the street when she looks outside, so she goes back to her assembly, pops some earbuds in to ignore it.
An hour later she knows why this place was so well priced for the neighborhood. Nu Psi Kappa is right next door and there's a steady stream of people in and out all night, with the dull thudding of pop music beating against her head. She shoves a pillow over her head and only manages to fall asleep around two in the morning when the noise finally starts to die down.
Esther: neighbors. is a frat.
Esther: like. is it friday? yes. sure. whatever.
Esther: why are they SO LOUD i hate this i hate all of them every single one
Sofie: have u considered homicide
The next morning is a Saturday, so at least she gets to sleep in. She eats cereal straight from the box at eleven because she can't find her bowls, and takes an icy cold shower because it's hot and humid and disgusting. Her place doesn't have AC, so she packs a tote and sets out to find a cafe or something similar that's indoors and cool.
She runs into a guy when she opens the door to take the stairs down. Like, literally runs into him.
"Ow," she says, and then she shuts up and tries not to let her eyes bug out because whoa . Hot guy!! Hot neighbor, maybe? She can put up with the frat next door if she also gets to see this guy in the hallways a couple times a week. He's only a little taller than her and built like a greek statue. His muscles have muscles, and he's got those arm veins that she never really got the appeal of until right the fuck now because they're flexed out as he balances a big gift basket under one arm.
"Easy there," he says, steadying her arm. Her bare arm, because it's hot out and she's wearing a tank top and oh-my-god-she-needs-to-text-Sofie. His hand is huge and soft. "Do you know which way 504 is?"
Esther's whole brain freezes. She points up the hall towards her apartment. "Uh. I live in 504."
"Oh, awesome!" The guy says. He holds out the gift basket, which is stocked up with chocolates, a bottle of wine, a candle, fancy bath products, and nestled in the center, a six pack of ear plugs. "I'm Ricky, from Nu Psi. Welcome to the neighborhood, sorry about our noise!"
The part of her brain that was starting to come back online shorts out again. She has a moral obligation to hate this loud frat boy and not thirst over him. What the fuck . “Oh!” she says, and takes the basket on autopilot. It’s hefty and she tries not to grunt under the weight. Can’t make unsexy back straining noises in front of the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. How was he carrying this with one arm ? “Thank you?”
“You’re also invited, of course, if you ever want to come party with us,” Ricky continues blithely. “Just tell whoever’s on the door you live here. Or that you know me! I’m Ricky, again, nice to meet you!” He waves and opens the door to jog down the stairs. She watches his incredible butt bounce as he goes, still reeling in shock.
Sofie picks up when she calls and then puts her on speaker so both she and Dale can laugh at Esther together as she tries to explain. They’re horrible friends and she hates them.
Dale finds Ricky’s instagram in under two minutes, though, and nobody’s laughing then.
“This isn’t physically possible,” Dale says, strained.
“I want to lick him,” Sofie says seriously, and Dale squawks. “But more importantly, I want Esther to lick him.”