Maybe

Chapter 55 Drives me insane

Ethan had been ignoring me for days, and it was starting to wear on my patience. The tension between us was thick, but his indifference made it seem like he couldn’t care less. But I'm not someone to give up too.

One morning, as I was heading out, I bumped into our neighbor, Ryan, for the third time that week. He was friendly, charming in his own way, and always eager for a chat. 

"Hey, fancy meeting you here again," Ryan said with a playful grin. 

I laughed lightly. "It's almost like fate wants us to be friends." 

We started talking, mostly about mundane things—weather, work, the odd quirks of our building—but I couldn’t help but notice Ethan out of the corner of my eye. He was standing a few feet away, locking his door. For someone who claimed to be ignoring me, he seemed awfully focused on our conversation. 

Ryan said something funny, and I laughed a little louder than necessary, playfully nudging his arm. I could feel Ethan’s gaze burning into us, but he didn’t say a word. He simply stood there for a moment, watching, before walking off without so much as a glance in my direction. 

"Was that your neighbor?" Ryan asked, noticing Ethan’s abrupt departure. 

"Yeah," I said casually. "He's... quiet." 

Ryan chuckled. "Well, if you ever get tired of the silent type, you know where to find me." 

I smiled but didn’t respond, my attention still half-focused on Ethan’s retreating figure. 

The next day, I made a point of chatting with Ryan again, this time in the lobby. Ethan walked in just as Ryan was telling me about a hiking trip he’d been on recently. 

"That sounds amazing," I said, leaning slightly closer to Ryan. "You'll have to tell me all about it sometime." 

Ethan didn’t stop or acknowledge us, but his jaw tightened as he walked past. I could feel the tension radiating from him even from a distance. 

It was petty, maybe even childish, but I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. If Ethan wanted to ignore me, then he could deal with the consequences. But as much as I tried to convince myself this was about making him jealous, deep down, I just wanted him to care enough to say something—anything.

The next time I bumped into Ryan, it was in the parking lot. He was adjusting his car mirror when he saw me approaching and smiled. 

“Hey, neighbor! Fancy running into you again.” 

“Looks like we’re synced up,” I said, laughing lightly. 

We started chatting, and I made sure to keep the conversation light and animated, even tossing in a few compliments. But as we talked, I noticed a familiar figure in the distance. Ethan was standing by his car, watching us. He wasn’t doing anything, just leaning against the hood with his arms crossed, but the intensity of his gaze made my pulse race. 

"Anyway," Ryan said, oblivious to the tension. "I was thinking of trying that new café down the street. Maybe you’d want to join me sometime?" 

I hesitated for a moment, glancing toward Ethan. His expression didn’t change, but there was something almost predatory about the way he was staring. 

“That sounds great,” I said, my voice a little louder than necessary. 

Ryan smiled. “Cool. Let me know when you’re free.” 

As Ryan walked away, I started heading toward the entrance, but I didn’t make it far before Ethan called out. 

“Making friends, I see.” His tone was cold, almost mocking.