As she finished unpacking the final box she felt sharp hunger pang. It had been a a very busy morning. The movers had delivered her stuff last evening and she had spent the entire morning unpacking and arranging and rearranging. She was so caught up that she had forgotten that she had taken a very light breakfast and now was suffering the consequences of it. She knew there was nothing in the house and would need to go down for a quick bite before she could continue with the task which she had set for self.
She stepped in to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. She surveyed herself in the mirror. A part from the weariness that she felt from all the packing and unpacking and shifting, there was no toll on her features. She was still the pretty, athletic 25 year old who refused to acknowledge her attractiveness, who considered herself a big dork.
She dabbed her face with a towel and quickly fixed her hair. She made a note to herself that she needed a haircut. She hated her hair getting messy and the summer heat was just getting it matted from the sweat.
She put on the a fresh tee that she had kept for drying and stepped out of the bathroom when she heard that familiar annoying sound of the leaky faucet of the kitchen sink. She had asked the society to send someone to fix it but no one had come as yet. She could stop by the society office on her way down and insist they send someone.
As soon as she was out of door she saw him there, fixing something on the door of 3A. Age had been kind to him. His salt and pepper hair and stubble just added to his allure. Even wrinkles added to his raw masculinity. He had his tool belt strung on his waist and had a posterior to die for. Maybe this how they felt, she thought when she started to feel flush, referring to those Mills and Boons heroines which she had read in her growing years.
She finally shook herself and willed herself out of her daydream. She tapped him gently on his shoulder. “I know you’re busy. But I’ve recently moved into flat 3D and have a leaky kitchen faucet. I have informed the society but they have yet to send someone to fix it. So if you aren’t too busy could you please come over to fix it.”
She waited for a while for him to react. He gave her a bewildered look at first but then smiled and said “I will be there in a while.” As she walked towards the lift, she turned around to get a glimpse of him one more time. She quickly shifted her gaze when he caught her staring at him, giving her a smile once again.
Later that afternoon, after she had completed unpacking and had satiated her hunger, she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door to find him standing in her doorway. He was still wearing his tool belt and looked hot like hell. Her heart skipped a beat, did a back flip and began racing. So this is what they must have felt, she thought, when they saw the handsome handy man, once again referring to the heroines in those romantic novels.
“So where is this leaky faucet?” he asked her. She led him to the kitchen and pointed to the sink where the faucet was still dripping. He immediately went to work. She couldn’t help but stare at his well shaped ass as he bent over the kitchen sink. He seemed to be struggling with tightening it. “Why don’t you use the larger tool that’s in your pants”, she said innocently without realising what she had just said.
This caused him to squirt water all over himself, getting his tee all wet. He raised his eyebrow and gave her stare and then began grinning. When she finally realised what she had just said and went red with embarrassment. She apologised profusely and offered him a towel to dry himself. They then broke into peels o laughter.
Finally when he fixed the faucet, she offered him cash for his service, he refused to take it. “That wouldn’t be necessary”, he said, “I stay down the hall in flat 3A, so if you need any help you can always ask me.” He gave her his most dazzling smile. She thanked him and closed the door and couldn’t help but be delighted. She knew she was smitten and smiled goofily like a teenage girl. Just then there was a knock on the door again.
“That was quick” she thought to herself as she opened the door. But it wasn’t him, just another man. “Hi! The society sent me to repair the faucet which you had complained about,” he said. For the second time that day she felt embarrassed about what she had just done.
Later that day, she made her way down the corridor to apartment 3A. She gently tapped on the door and waited with baited breath. She was not sure what she was going to say but one thing for sure, she was embarrassed with what had transpired earlier in the day. She had come to apologise for her folly and with a peace offering.
He opened the door and once again her heart skipped a beat, did a flip-flop and began to race. For a moment she did not know what to say, she stood there with a goofy look on her face. “Hi,” he said, finally snapping her out of her foolish thoughts. “How can I help you? I hope the leak has stopped and the service was up to your satisfaction,” he said with a smirk on his face.
Once again she went red with embarrassment. She finally blurted out “Why didn’t you tell me who you were? Why didn’t you stop me?” “For starters you didn’t give me a chance to tell you this,” he said, “and secondly how could I refuse such a beautiful lady.”
“Good Lord he’s flirting with me again,” she thought, “could he get even more better.” “I am no beauty, but I really am grateful for your help. One of my friend gave this wine bottle as a house warming present,” she said holding forth the wine bottle that she had in her hand. “As I am not much of wine drinker, I would like you to have it as a small peace offering, a thank you for coming to the rescue of this damsel in distress and I am not going take no for an answer,” she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“Since you have given me no choice, I will accept this but on one condition,” he said smirking, “If you would join me tonight for dinner. Nothing fancy, I am making meatballs and spaghetti, and I have been told that I make a mean meatball. So what do you say?”
“I think that would be perfect,” she said delightfully. “Then it’s a date,” he said, “I will see you at sharp eight. Don’t be late I may just start without you,” he said with a grin. She couldn’t help but return his grin with a big smile. This was probably best thing that happened to her the whole day, the best thing that happened since she moved in.
She couldn’t wait for it to be eight. She couldn’t decide what to wear. She didn’t want something too casual. She wanted to look sophisticated but not too aloof. She wanted to look appealing, but not too desperate. She didn’t want to seem like she was trying too hard. She finally settled on a blue jean and her favourite crop top.
She couldn’t wait for it to be eight. She didn’t want to be late, but somehow time seemed to go by really slowly. “It’s not a date,” she kept telling herself, “just dinner to get acquainted with the new neighbourhood,” as if she was trying to convince herself. She knew she was smitten by him, she liked him, and hoped he felt the same way too. At least that was she felt, if she read the signals right.
She quickly took a shower, put on the clothes she had selected and applied some light make up. At exactly eight she made her way to 3A. She could hardly wait to get to spend time with him, to get to know him, smell him all over again. She couldn’t wait to feel her racing heart pounding against her chest. Was it possible to feel this way for someone who you had just met? She knocked the door and waited with baited breath.
The door opened but the person behind the door was not him. Instead it was this stunning woman, who was more closer to his age. “How can I help you,” she asked. “I came to..” was all she could muster herself to say. “Oh yeah, you must be the new neighbour,” she said. “Your handyman is in the shower and will be with us in a short while. He told me about the whole incident and we had a good laugh about it.” She said much to her growing embarrassment. “I can’t wait to hear more about you over dinner.”
She felt crushed when she heard this. So there was a us for this dinner. Who was this lady and what was she doing here? Why is she crashing what should be a perfect evening? “Well I actually came to say that I have to take a rain check on dinner. I have been called in for some urgent work and wouldn’t be able to join for dinner,” she lied. “Could you please apologise on my behalf.” In a way she was grateful that he was in the shower, she wouldn’t have been able to look at him and lie to his face. She felt crushed as she made her way back to her apartment, felt like a fool for getting ahead of her own self.
“Who was that?” He asked from the shower as she shut the door. “That was your neighbour. She said she wouldn’t be able to make it for dinner, something about some urgent work that has come up,” she said. “That’s bad”, he said a hint of disappointment in his voice, “I was actually looking forward to it.” He got back into the shower.
She felt shattered, almost sobbing through the night. The next day she poured her heart to her best friend who had come to visit her. “Girl it looks like you’ve fallen head over heels for your handyman,” he said teasing her, “Who knows that may have been his sister.” “How I wish she was but I don’t think so,” she said. “From what you’ve told me about him, he seem quite the guy. Are you sure he’s straight otherwise I could try for him. I hope you don’t mind the competition,” he continued to tease her. “What competition? Looks like I am already out of it,” she said with a sigh, “But be my guest. And I think he’s pretty straight.” “Girl you need a drink and some R&R,” he said with a big grin, “Let’s go get you a drink.” “So early in the day?” She complained, “but hey, I could do with one. Let me grab my coat and we are off.”
As they made their way down the corridor and to the lift, there he was standing outside his apartment all suited up. She could swear that he looked more handsome than he already was.
“Hey”, he said, acknowledging her, “so sorry that you couldn’t make it last night, I was really looking forward to it.” She could die a thousand time she heard those words. “Me too! But then work’s work and you can’t run away from it,” she said, trying not to look at him. “That’s too bad, you missed a wonderful dinner. So where are you two heading?”
“Ouch!” She exclaimed in pain from the nudge that her bestie gave her. “Where are my manners,” she said and paused for a while as it contemplating her next words, “This is my boyfriend Drew, and we were just on our way to check out the roof, heard it got one awesome view,” she said while clinging on to Drew’s arm. “Hi I am Drew and it’s nice to meet you... wow that’s one strong and firm handshake,” Drew said admiring him. “Well we better be going, we don’t want to keep you away from your work,” she said while pulling at Drew’s arm who continued to admire him. “Hope you like it, it’s one of the best in the neighbourhood,” he said with a smile on his face, “and hey, hope my ex didn’t give you any problem last evening. She has a way of dropping by unannounced and making herself at home. Well Drew it was nice meeting you.”
Saying this he went into his apartment and closed the door leaving her gaping. She looked at Drew who gave a look in return. Once again she managed to assume wrongly and mistake the entire situation and shoot herself in the foot. “Why does this always happen to me,” she complained to Drew, who pulled and hugged her as they made their way down the stairs.
Later that evening, she once more found herself standing in front of apartment 3A. She knocked once more and hoped that it wasn’t opened by some strange unknown lady. And it seemed like her prayers when he was the one that opened the door. “Boy he looks so irresistible,” she thought.
She couldn’t help herself but to just have a go at it, “I am so sorry,” she said, “This has all been a series of misunderstanding and bad assumptions. The truth is that I like you, I like you a lot l, and have been doing foolish things, saying foolish things like would you like to grab dinner with me tonight.”
“I would like that,” he said, catching her totally unaware. “You would like what? She said sounding a bit lost till she realised what he was agreeing to. “That... wow... awesome... then it’s a date.” She blurted excitedly. “Well wouldn’t you have to ask your boyfriend first, I am sure he’s not going to like it,” he inquired. “Oh he’s not my boyfriend. It was just something I said to make you jealous.” She said coyly. “Thank God then,” he said, “he seemed so...” “Gay,” she said interrupting him before he could complete what he was saying, “yes he is and he actually fancies you. So tonight at eight. So that’s a date.” “It looks we are,” he said with a smile. “Then I’ll see you at eight and please don’t be late. I’ll text you the address of the restaurant,” she said excitedly as she made her way back to her apartment.
That evening she wore the best dress and reserved the best seats at her favourite restaurant and ensured that she was there before time. Then she waited for him arrive. She waited and waited for him to arrive but there was no sign of him. She checked to see if she had texted him the right address and then checked to see if there were any message from him. But there were none. She waited and waited till she realised the inevitable, she had been stood up.
Dejectedly she made her way back home. She thought of stopping at his door and check if he was alright but she couldn’t get herself to do that. She just walked by his door and went to her apartment. That night sleep didn’t come to her easily. All she could think of why didn’t he not come? Did she do anything to offend him? There was so many thoughts running through her mind refusing to let her sleep.
Around the early morn, while it was still dark outside, she heard a beep of a new text notification. It was a message from him asking if she could meet him on the rooftop, if she was awake. She thought for a while before responded back with a Yes. She put on a tee, tied her hair and groggily made her way to the rooftop.
He was already there, staring at the cityscape in front of him, while he waited for her to respond, waited for her to come. The view was indeed beautiful with sounds from the street below as the city slowly stirred from its slumber. But all this was lost on her cause all she wanted to do was to find out why? What went wrong?
He turned round to face her. Though he tried to appear to be calm but there was pain in his eye. Even in all this she found him heartbreakingly beautiful. There was so much she wanted to say to him, to ask him, but words seemed to have deserted her. There was an uneasy silence between them.
“I don’t know where to start, and I don’t know if you’ll forgive me for what I did,” he finally said, breaking the silence that was getting unbearable, uncomfortable, that was threatening to choke them. “But I did come to the restaurant on time and through the window I saw you sitting there. You looked so breathtakingly beautiful. I knew that I would be the envy of so many men. But then I saw something that scared me. I saw me. I saw my reflection in the windowpane and I realised our age difference. While I am at a point in my life I would need stability, you are discovering love. You will have a number of opportunities to experience love, for me that would not be possible. I worry of hurting, of hurting you if things were to go south and as we we stay in the same building, on the same floor, things could get very awkward between us.”
He paused for a while just to study her expression, her reaction, before he continued, “For this I don’t think we should see each other. I don’t think things would work between us. We would only end up hurting each other, and I am scared of hurting you. I am not getting any younger and I will only disappoint you. I am so sorry, but I needed to say this before it’s too late.”
“No”, she muttered, finally breaking her silence. “No I didn’t agree with you! You don’t get to decide for the both of us”, she said sternly.
“But...” he began to protest before she cut him off before he could complete what he was trying to say. “It is totally unfair of you to assume this even before things have started. I am aware of the age differences and I am aware of the pitfalls of this but I really like you and I am willing to risk it all. I am scared too of things going south. I am aware that the importance of relationship may be different for the both of us but it is wrong on your path to assume what I want, you are wrong to try nip things at the bud when you have not even given it a chance to take root.“ she said trying not to choke, fighting by the lump that was welling in her throat.
“I may not know love like you do but I would love to learn love,” she said growing ever more confident and sure, “and we all deserve to be loved. I don’t know what the future holds for me, for you, for us, but I am willing to take a risk on it, I am willing to take it one day at time. Are you willing to do the same?” She asked him.
He slowly looked at her, studied her face. A smile slowly broke across his face releasing him from the tension he had felt all night. “I would like that,” he said with a big smile on his face.
“In that case, let’s start from the very beginning,” she said, reciprocating his smile. “I am Grace,” she said, extending her hand to him. “... and I am Will”, he said as he reached out to grab her hand and pull her to him. Before she knew it their lips met and they were in a passionate embrace.
And as they stood there all enveloped in passion, dawn broke and the sun rose basking the world in its gentle morning light, signalling the start of a new day, a new bond, a new relationship.
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