Neighbour

2.

It was getting dark out, and Eddy was still searching his shelf containing all kinds of books of scales, exercises and repertoire. This one student of his was having a problem he knew he used to have ages ago, and Eddy wanted her to try the same exercises that had loosened things up for him years ago. It was all about getting the explanation of it right, but he needed the book to remember it properly. 

Eddy ended up practically emptying his shelf over the course of an hour, making stacks of books and sheet music all over his living room before finding what he was looking for. He put it aside and went to grab himself a sip of water for a small break just as he heard the faint ding of the elevator through the wall, indicating that someone had gotten to their floor. Sometimes he wondered if these apartments were sound proofed at all, but then he remembered he never heard anything from the people living above him or below him. Only from the hallway and the only other apartment on this floor. At least he didn't have the constant sound of someone walking right above him.

The fact that he could only really hear the sounds from the other apartment on his own floor meant he knew who must have caused the ding. This was further confirmed when the sound of the neighbour's apartment door shutting was soft and gentle, like he didn't want to disturb. It was of course the small violinist, and not the big man he had figured was his boyfriend. The big man always slammed the door when he came, always existed so loudly 

He also existed loudly when the pair was intimate. Eddy really disliked hearing it, not because he cared that his neighbours were having sex, but rather that he never really heard anything from the smaller man to accompany the faint thumps, the bed creaks and the groans from the big man. But it wasn't really any of his business, anyway. Maybe the smaller guy just was quiet in bed? Maybe he was aware of the thin wall between their apartments and wanted to avoid disturbing him? 

Eddy shook his head to clear his thoughts and brought his glass of cold water back into the living room. Of course his neighbour wouldn't care if he heard them. If that was the case, he'd ask his boyfriend to be quieter too. He was probably just a more shy and quiet guy in the first place. It wasn't like he heard him talk much in general. 

The water felt good, and was needed after the workout it had been to empty his shelf of the many music books and music scores he had accumulated over many years. Maybe he would make a new system before putting it all back? It would be nice to not have to search for what he needed for his teaching like this, wouldn't it? It had taken up his whole evening, after all. A full evening he could have used to practice for the orchestra audition he was playing for in a few days instead. 

"Might as well, right?" he muttered to himself before emptying the glass and getting to his feet. Time to put everything back on the shelf, in a sensible order this time.