Chapter Text
FRIDAY- 4:43 P.M.
Gently kicking the door of my single-bed apartment closed behind myself after a day of work at the cafe (and a longer-than-usual train ride home), a sigh of relief escapes my lips as I hang up my light jacket and arrange my shoes into their usual place. Heading into my bedroom to swap out my work clothes for my comfiest pair of loose-fitting pajama pants, I finally feel like I can relax. The next semester of university will be starting up soon- while I’m not entirely looking forward to the added stress of papers and exams, the schedule I made is pretty good and I’m excited for the classes I will be taking. For now though, it’s a Friday night, and I have no plans other than to enjoy my weekend alone. I let out a soft exhale, opening up my laptop to unwind and set up some TV show I can have running in the background while working on my hobbies. After a little while, I decide it’s time to start to cook some dinner.
“Maybe I’ll bake something tomorrow…” I murmur to myself.
A fresh loaf of banana bread or some cookies was always a good way to start the weekend. I double-check the cabinets and fridge- all the ingredients I would need are there. A small, content smile crosses my face. That’ll be a fun thing to do tomorrow. Sitting down at the window-nook table with my dinner, I gaze at the city skyline, just appreciating the quiet moment while I eat. Playing some music while I wash the dishes and put away the leftovers, a tired yawn escapes me, and I glance at the clock. It was later than I had realized. I finish up my chores and get ready for bed, washing off the makeup I had on and brushing my teeth. As I’m laying down in bed, I remember that my landlord had mentioned that someone would be moving next door to me this weekend… a guy around your age, he had said.
‘Well, that’s another good reason to bake something…’ I think to myself.
I shut my eyes and pull up my covers, yawning quietly as I finally fall asleep for the night.
SATURDAY
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes the next morning, I stretch before getting up and taking a shower, waking myself up fully. Wrapping myself with my towel afterwards, I browse my closet, trying to pick an outfit for the day. I decide that a comfy pair of jeans and an off-shoulder tee will get the job done. Stepping into the kitchen, I throw on an apron to protect my clothes and collect the necessary ingredients for some chocolate chip cookies. Half-heartedly singing along to the song radiating from my phone’s speaker, I finish mixing the dough and stick it in the fridge to chill for a few hours. Keeping the promise I had made to myself to go on a walk, I clip my hair up and put on my shoes. Double-checking that I had everything I needed to go out, I sling my bag across my chest and leave my apartment, locking up behind myself.
10:29 A.M.
Heading down the street to my favorite bookstore/cafe combo, I take in the sun and the fresh air, which was finally warming up after a pretty harsh winter. Arriving at the cafe, I sit down in my favorite window seat with a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin, pulling out the book I had been working through. I enjoy my time, sipping my drink and occasionally chatting with the owner, who was always so friendly with all his patrons. He kind of looks like a sort of raggedy terrier dog with his long beard, in the best way possible. After finishing a few chapters of the book, I figure it’s a good time to head back to my apartment and bake the cookies I had prepared earlier. I say bye to the shop owner and head back to my apartment complex, walking up the stairs. There’s a bit of noise coming from down the hallway, and I round the corner, curiosity piqued, to see a young man with dark, shoulder length hair, seemingly close in age to me, and a smaller boy, probably around five or six. The older one is bringing a small stack of boxes into the apartment next to mine. Must be the new tenant my landlord had mentioned. I walk to my door, observing him curiously. Once I’m closer, I greet him with a small smile and a soft ‘hello’.
He starts a bit, obviously not having seen me. “Oh- hello. Sorry, I didn’t even register that you were there.” He lets out a sheepish chuckle.
“Ha. No problem, it seems like you have a lot on your plate there. I’m guessing you’re my new neighbor?”
“Yeah, I guess I am… uh- I’m Choso. Choso Kamo. And this is my little brother Yuuji,” he says, reaching out his hand for a handshake. “Nice to meet you, um…”
I shake his hand. “Y/N. Nice to meet you too, Choso. If you need anything, just knock! I’m right here.” I grin slightly, unlocking my door. “I guess I'll be seeing you two around.”
He gives an awkward smile back. “Yeah, thanks… I’ll see you,” he says.
His little brother, Yuuji, chips in with a happy “Bye!!” and energetic waving.
“Bye, Yuuji!” I chuckle softly, stepping into my apartment and closing the door behind me. I set down my bag and take off my shoes, heading into the kitchen to preheat the oven for the cookies. I honestly can’t help but think that the guy moving in was kind of cute… I’ll have to remember to bring a batch of the cookies to my new neighbors.
With the first tray of cookies in the oven, I make myself a quick sandwich with some stuff that’s in my fridge and sit down to eat it, making a mental note that I’ll need to go to the grocery store soon. That can be tomorrow’s activity. To kill some time, I straighten up around the place, stopping every now and then to take the cookies out of the oven and toss another batch in. The whole apartment quickly takes on a delicious, vanilla-y scent. After they’ve all cooled for a while, I pack up a decent amount into a cute box and bring them next door. Hopefully they like chocolate chip…
5:32 P.M.
I knock on their door, cookie tin in hand, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. I could only hope my cheeks weren’t turning pink. The door opens, and Choso’s face appears in front of me.
A hint of surprise shows on his face as he speaks. “Oh! Hey, uh- Y/N, what’s up?” he asks.
I smile softly. “Hey! Not much, I just wanted to say welcome to the building and drop off some cookies I made for you guys. They’re chocolate chip, I hope that’s okay…” I say as I hand him the cookies.
“Wow, that’s so kind of you… Chocolate chip is great. I have half a mind to hide them from Yuuji and just keep them to myself,” he jokes. “ Thank you so much!” He grins, accepting the box with a small nod of gratitude.
“Of course! And seriously, if you ever need help with anything, just let me know. I’m always happy to help my neighbors.”
He smiles gratefully. “I’ll probably take you up on that sooner than later… Thanks again. Uh, I’d invite you in for some tea or something, but… pretty much everything is still packed up.”
I laugh. “Well, I guess we’ll have to do a rain check on that… It was the same for me when I first moved in. No pressure. I know how exhausting it is. Alright, well I’ll get out of your hair… Say hello to Yuuji for me.”
“I will…” Choso replies. “And I’ll definitely get back to you about the tea soon. Goodnight, Y/N.”
“Sounds perfect. Goodnight, Choso.”
We wave each other goodbye, both returning to our respective apartments. I scurry off to the closest mirror, worriedly checking to see if my cheeks had turned pink- which they seemingly had. I could only hope that it wasn’t super obvious… but now that I was thinking about it, his face had developed a twinge of color too…
‘...I’m overthinking things,’ I muse.
I decide to slip into my pajamas for the rest of the day. The only other thing I had to do was cook dinner- might as well be comfy while I’m doing that. Flopping down onto the couch, I can’t help but think that my new neighbor was really cute… there was something about his smile and his tired yet kind eyes that was so enchanting. He seemed a little nervous, but who wouldn’t be in his shoes? Moving into a new apartment with a younger brother to take care of- since it doesn’t seem like there’s any parents in the picture- must be a lot of stress and sleepless nights. But maybe I’ll learn more about him if we end up meeting for tea. I’ll just have to hope for now.