The Room Next Door

Chapter-1

"And this is the room," the owner of the apartment said, smiling at Natasha, who looked puzzled. She stared at the owner with an incredulous expression that silently screamed, "You call this a room? It's the size of a bathroom!" But since she had been kicked out, had no place to stay, and was short on money, she accepted it.

"Thanks, I'll take it," Natasha said, stepping into the room. It was cramped, with just enough space for a small single bed, a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and a large table fixed to the wall with cabinets above it. A lone chair and a table fan on the floor completed the meager furnishings. "Cool, this is life now," Natasha thought sarcastically. After paying the rent, which seemed overpriced to her—she realized this was her first time living on her own.

Natasha, a 19-year-old college dropout, had felt that college wasn't for her. She had taken up a part-time job at a café that paid just enough to get by, though she always felt it was a bit less than enough. Six months ago, her drug addiction came to light, and her parents tried everything to help her, but to no avail. She stopped going to her job, spending all her money on drugs. Eventually, her parents, exhausted and stressed, kicked her out, declaring that she was no longer their responsibility. Harsh as it was, they were right.

The apartment had a common kitchen and bathroom. It was a two-story building: the ground floor housed all the tenants, while the first floor had a large communal kitchen and two separate bathrooms—one for men and one for women. The owners, a married couple, also lived on the first floor to ensure the women’s safety. The bathrooms were spacious, each with two toilet stalls, three shower stalls, two washbasins, and two washing machines. The kitchen had four stoves, two large cabinets where tenants could store their labeled items, two big fridges, and a table with four chairs in the center.

After unpacking, Natasha stuffed her belongings into the cabinet in her room. She changed the bed sheet and pillow cover, tossed her bag of clothes into a corner, turned on the table fan facing her, and locked the door. Lying down on the bed, she felt grateful to have a place to sleep. Within 20 minutes, she was fast asleep, unaware of the activities happening in the room next to hers.

( I know this is short but I felt like I should explain the map of this apartment as it might be important for some of you! Btw this is the first time I'm writing so yea! Hope y'all like it ♡ )