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You fidgeted with your keys, purposefully taking your time in finding the one that would unlock your apartment in the hopes of hearing the building’s heavy doors slam shut and sure footsteps coming up behind you.
Ever since you moved to Sydney for your new job, the best part of your day was coming back home. Not because of your cat that was always waiting by the door for you, screaming for you to feed it, but because you usually made it home at the same time as your neighbour.
Once again, she did not disappoint. Just as you were about to give up and unlock your own door, the door to the building opened and clicked shut.
“Nice to see you again, neighbour,” you started up the conversation. Miranda looked beautiful as ever, if a little tired.
“Do you work with children as well? Lord knows they really know all the ways to tire you out.”
It did register as somewhat weird that you’d been meeting like this almost every day, and yet you didn’t know anything about her work. Then again, there were a lot of things you didn’t but wanted to know about her.
The tall woman dragged herself past her own door and instead leaned against the wall next to yours. For a moment, you let yourself get lost in her sapphire eyes. Miranda didn’t wear make-up, but she was still the most attractive woman you had met in your twenty odd years on this planet. There was just something entirely ethereal about her. She was like a goofy, clumsy angel sent straight from heaven to make this hell of a realm slightly more bearable to live in.
“Oh, well actually, I’m a police officer.”
Your breath hitched. The way she said it so casually, so innocently with an almost giddy expression, should have prevented your thoughts from running into suggestive territory, but it didn’t.
You pursed your lips and grinned at her.
“I wouldn’t mind if you arrested me some time, officer.”
You hadn’t quite dared flirting that openly with your neighbour before. After all, you had just moved in a month ago and no one wanted a creepy neighbour who just started flirting with every (incredibly) beautiful woman they came across. But perhaps it was time to change that. Miranda had been very open and friendly with you from the get go and that had to be a good sign, right?
Miranda’s face went through a whole range of different emotions, it almost made you dizzy watching her. Confusion was the most prominent of all before it settled on mild panic.
“What? Why? What have you done? Oh, God, please don’t tell me you’re a part of the mafia.”
You looked at her with a bewildered expression. This woman was so incredibly adorable, and also completely crazy. Something fluttered in your chest, and you only realised that you had been staring at her without saying a word when she suddenly grabbed your arms and shook you.
“Well, what is it?,” she almost screamed.
You heard your keys clank against the floor as you dropped them to take a hold of Miranda’s much taller frame before she accidentally toppled you both over.
“Whatever it is, we can just say they made you do it and I can negotiate immunity for you and I could be your appointed bodyguard. You just need to tell me.”
It was impossible to even get a word in with Miranda in this frenzied state. But her apparent worry over you made you smile, and at the sight of that, Miranda dropped her hands. She stepped back, inching further away from you as if your skin had burned her.
“You’re smiling. Why are you smiling? You just told me I need to arrest you and you’re smiling?”
The look of terror on her face was what finally broke you out of your trance. You held your hands up in what you hoped was a placating way and stepped slowly forward, already missing her touch.
“Miranda, calm down.”
“I am calm.”
You raised your eyebrow at her, and she let her eyes drift away for a second, taking the time to take a deep breath. The light at the end of the hallway flickered. You had both been trying to get the landlord to fix it for weeks.
“I didn’t mean that there is any actual legal reason for you to arrest me.”
Miranda cocked her head, her blue eyes returning to your face. You stared at her scrunched up nose for a few seconds before continuing.
“Well, I guess those would be illegal reasons, anyway, but…,” you shake your head to clear your thoughts. “I promise there are no reasons at all to actually arrest me.”
Miranda’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but you didn’t notice. Your eyes were firmly fixed on the blinking lights behind her.
“I was just – I, well, it doesn’t really matter. It was stupid of me anyway. I’m really sorry to have upset you. But I promise I’m a good girl,” you inwardly cringed as soon as the words left your mouth, feeling your cheeks heat up in embarrassment. I’m a good girl? Really? “So, you’re safe, and I’m safe and I should probably shut up now.”
You nodded, still not looking at Miranda’s face. Instead your gaze snapped to the floor and you bent down to pick up your discarded keys. You should really get inside. To feed the cat, of course, not to flee this situation until you had recovered enough to eventually step in Miranda’s sight again.
A pale hand shot out and grabbed your wrist before you could turn around, however.
“Wait,” Miranda said, voice as soft as her hair always looked, “What were you trying to do?”
You drew in a shaky breath, squeezing your eyes shut tight, before looking back up at her. When you saw the way she was looking at you, a little distant still but with a flicker of hope in her ocean eyes, you almost dropped your keys again.
You swallowed and glanced away again.
“I – Um, I was kinda trying to flirt with you?”
You winced at your lack of eloquence. You’d thought Miranda was kinda awkward, in an endearing way but still; now, you were starting to think that maybe you had been the awkward one all along.
A sure finger lifted your chin, forcing you to meet her gaze again. You could tell she was searching your face for something, for what exactly you didn’t know, but you watched as she seemed to find it. When you saw her eyes widen and pupils dilate, your tongue automatically darted out to wet your lips. The action didn’t go unnoticed by Miranda.
“May I?”
You weren’t exactly sure what Miranda was asking permission for, but at this point you were happy for her to do anything she wanted. So you just nodded dumbly.
She was on you in a matter of seconds, the impact of her body knocking you against the wall. Her lips were chapped, but they knew just the right pressure to apply. You groaned when your back hit the wall and Miranda took the opportunity to slip her tongue past your lips. You moaned as you tasted her – a sweet mixture of tea and what you assumed her own taste to be.
“I take that as confirmation of your interest?” you panted against her when after some time she released your lips to draw in some much needed oxygen.
Her joyful giggle was probably your favourite sound in the entire world.