Side By Side

Daniel drove Leo to his new place, an apartment complex nearby the school. Despite its proximity, not many students lived there as they would prefer to commute with their chauffeurs to and from their more luxurious homes.

The apartment had a modern look, with amenities such as a gym, communal space and a small library. Most of the units were either single or double bedrooms as the initial concept for the apartment was designed to cater students but the plan fell through. The apartments are now occupied by young adults and bachelors looking for their first homes.

Daniel and Leo took the elevator, each of them holding two large cardboard boxes. The generic elevator bossa nova played in the background.

"Do you think Arthur is acting strangely before he left? He's hiding something from me, maybe something I should not know but still.." Leo broke the calm atmosphere.

Daniel looked at him and paused for a while. "I'm not sure, you should ask him yourself when he gets back." Leo could tell he knew something but before he could ask further, the elevator arrived at its destination.

"You have arrived at the 8th floor."

"Hmm unit number 5… unit number 5… Ah there it is the corner unit," Daniel walked and scanned the unit numbers, ignoring Leo's curiosity. He placed the cardboard boxes by the entrance and unlocked the door. The apartment is the single bedroom unit. He could see the wide window providing a picturesque view down to the townscape.

"The place is already renovated and fully furnished, if you need anything just give me a call." He conspicuously faked a phone call and answered it, talking for a while, nodding a few times in between. "Alright, I got to go now. Have fun at your new place!" He passed a set of keys to Leo before disappearing.

"Sigh, I guess I should at least visit the neighbours first." Leo packed a few apples as a gift and went to knock on unit 4.

The door clicked open.

"Hello, I'm your new neighbour. My name is…"

A girl's head popped out. "Hello… Eh? Leo?! Come in, I guess?"

Leo was shocked, why is Luna living here too? She's my neighbour?

As he was about to enter, the door slammed shut at his face. He fell on his back and he held his nose.

"Ouch!"

It began bleeding. He could hear muffled arguments behind the closed door.

"Do not open the door to strangers! They could be villains, kidnappers!"

"But I know him. He's my classmate."

"That's even more suspicious! Did you give him your address? No? How does he find out where you live? He must have some vile intention coming here."

"Well, I think we should at least hear his explanation."

The door clicked open again and Luna came out. She was wearing a casual t-shirt and shorts.

"Are you okay? You're having a nosebleed!" she exclaimed when she saw his face. "Quick, come in and take a seat," she helped Leo up to a yellow fabric couch.

Her apartment is slightly larger, being the two-bedroom unit. What caught his attention was the display of random peculiar objects everywhere. He could not stop looking at the vintage aircraft propeller hung above the television.

"Here are some tissues and ice," Luna handed over ice cubes wrapped with a piece of cloth. "I'm sorry, she is Sylvia. I'm not sure if you have seen her but she's from class 1-2. We're really close friends and she's just overprotective."

"I'm Leo, Luna's classmate. I moved here this morning and I really did not know that she lives here. A coincidence really, cross my heart!"

Sylvia did not look convinced but she let it slide anyways. "Whatever, I have more stuff to do but I'll still be watching you."

Leo pinched his nose with the tissues and relaxed after Sylvia walked away. While resting, he took a look around the room.

This time five masks arranged in a row from different cultures; polynesian, chinese opera, ancient greek theatrical, aztec and african tribal. The variety of shapes, material and colours fascinated him.

'What could the history behind them be?'

It took a few minutes for the nosebleed to subside. By then he had a whiff of food cooking and his stomach gave an approving growl.

Luna heard it and laughed. "You should join us. Lunch is almost done and Sylvia always cooks more than both of us could finish."

Leo heard Sylvia's name mentioned and was about to decline but somehow ended on the dining table. Sylvia was glaring at him.

'Sigh, why am I still here.'

"Thanks for the meal!" Luna started eating first. She ate elegantly with excellent posture and table manners. It made Leo a little self-conscious but at least Sylvia ate normally which made him feel a little better.

He took the first bite. "Wow, this is really good!" He ate a few more spoonfuls in quick succession. The meat was cooked perfectly, tender but not too dry. The slightly sweet sauce complimented it well.

"Flattery on me does not get you anywhere," Sylvia was still hostile to him.

None of them spoke anything after that during the meal. Leo offered to wash the dishes after the meal but Sylvia flatly rejected him.

"I don't want to get poisoned by some random stranger with some hidden motives."

He went home shortly after that, he needed to unpack his belongings.

"Come again when you're available!" Luna waved at him.

"Don't come back again!" Sylvia opposed the idea.

When he got back to his apartment, he felt a little lonely again after all the boisterous noise from Sylvia gone. However, he could not stop thinking about Luna as he unpacked.

'This might be problematic.'

Suddenly his phone rang, it was Daniel.

"Do you like your new place? Have you met your new neighbours? Haha fun bunch. It will be so entertaining to see what happens. I can't wait for it..."

Leo ended the call abruptly.

"I swear this guy and his tricks… Why did Dad even assign this to him? I could have just done it myself."