I CAN SEE YOU

eight

"Ellie, I swear to god if you keep running around this apartment and making so much noise you won't even make it to the Grand Prix next weekend because I'll have murdered you and fed your body to the fishes." I call out, briefly covering my face with the duvet before angrily throwing it off of me, using my feet to help push it further away, discarding it on to the floor. Turning to my left side and lifting up my phone, the lit up screen tells me that it's half two in the morning. 2:30 in the morning and it sounds like Ellie is parading a marching band through the freaking kitchen.

We've only just moved in to this apartment together as well, so not only am I pissed off but the neighbours probably are as well which isn't the greatest way to introduce ourselves.

Grudgingly getting out of bed I stumble to the kitchen, yanking the door open to find the open plan living space completely empty, with Ellie nowhere to be seen.

"What the fuck?" I whip my head around still confused - probably due to the tiredness. But with no noise and nobody there I begin to think that I've imagined the whole thing.

"Maddy can you please stop with all of the noise, I'm really tired from moving and I just want to sleep." I hear Ellie whine as she opens her room door with her duvet still wrapped around herself like a cacoon. Looking up like a zombie she gives me a pleasing look, and if it wasn't for how much I could relate to her in this moment, then I definitely would have laughed.

"It's not me Ellie, I thought it was you. But I just can't find out where it's coming from." And just on cue a loud crash comes from directly above us, followed by a couple of little thuds, scaring us enough that we jump a tiny bit. "Never mind I think I found the source."

Looking back to Ellie I can see that she's about to fall asleep standing, her eyes are beginning to droop more and more as her head rests against the door frame.

"Go back to bed, I'll sort it out." I shake my head, knowing that she's going to be of no use for my backup in her current state.

"If they start any nonsense you know what to do." Ellie sleepily mumbles as she makes her way back in to her room. "Use your right hand for an uppercut - it's your strongest." She closes the door behind her, leaving me alone to stand up to the noisy neighbour. Here I am on our second night about to have a go at the neighbour directly above us that could make our lives a living hell. It's not exactly how I'd like to spend my Thursday night.

I leave the apartment and walk up the stairs rather than using the elevator, hoping that it would wake me up and give me more time to think of how I can approach this, but one flight of stairs and a sleep deprived brain isn't a good combination and I'm in front of the door before I even know it.

I can still hear the ruckus inside from out in the hallway, so it makes me feel a little less guilty as I knock three times in a row. After knocking I just stand there patiently waiting for the door to open, but after a minute no one appears and the noise keeps being made, so I take my hand up and knock again. When no one arrives this time I'm getting even more pissed off if that's possible, so I decided to bang on the door continually until whoever is inside realises that loud noises can really be annoying.

"Alright, alright!" Whoever's inside complains, the voice sounding somewhat familiar but my brain doesn't process that in time for the door swinging open to reveal the one and only Daniel Ricciardo. At first he does a double take as if to check that it's really me, the annoyance on his face morphing to confusion then shock before settling on a classic Daniel dimpled smile as he looks me up and down. "You look cute."

It's only then that I realise I've ran up here wearing a long pink top covered in grey bunnies and a pair of grey shorts to go with it. But I'm not so shocked that I'm wearing this in front of him - I mean he's the ultimate hype man so he wouldn't make me feel insecure, I'm more shocked that he's my neighbour.