Through the Floorboards

2

"So how was work? Anymore weird daydreams or naps that involved some physical activity?" My housemate asked as we were sitting facing each other at the dining room table. I sarcastically smiled at her and shoved a fork full of pasta in my mouth, earning a roll of the eyes from her.

"You have to admit, it wasn't the best way to start a Monday morning, especially after babysitting duties on Saturday," she added as I nodded and finished what I had in my mouth.

She wasn't wrong; obviously, babysitting Felix and Maia for Mrs. Evans across the hall for a couple of hours so she could have a date night with her husband number 4 was the least I could do. I didn't offer to get paid, and well, it was across the hall, so they could just walk to me and chill with us for a bit until their mom came to pick them up.

At the same time, Mrs. Evans was acting like she was any better. I mean, a woman has let her children meet more bad excuses for men than I have eaten hot dinners. Like, come on, woman, your children shouldn't see you doing hokey pokey with every man on this block, let alone having to be introduced to them every 10 business days.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I can't remember the dream or the person I was exchanging body fluid with," I said as she chewed on her pasta with squinted eyes as to suggest I was lying. "I swear, you're my best friend; I would tell you if it was anyone," I said as she nodded, and we continued eating our food in silence.

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After dinner, we decided to watch a movie and browse our phones; it was what we got up to most days when there was no party going on or my housemate was hanging from the night before.

"Did you hear about the new neighbour moving in upstairs?" she asked as I looked up from my phone at her with a confused look and shook my head. Why anyone would move to this area, let alone this apartment, blows my mind, but then again, we do live here.

"Of course I didn't. Any details? Man, female? Old young? Anything?" I asked as she shook her head, returning back to her phone. I rolled my eyes. "What is the point of working from home if you can't find out simple information and gossip? This whole floor is gossip central. I mean, look at this morning. I came home to condoms on the doorstep and a noise complaint letter." I said as she let out a chuckle, and I followed with a sarcastic one.

"I thought they were funny; it shows people are looking out for you," she added as I looked back down at my phone, scrolling lifelessly.

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Before heading off to bed, I decided to do some more research on the case that I had sat in later that day and just seen what more I could dig up. Some other news articles had come out about the sentencing, but I wasn't the type to write up and present straight away. This story needs the beginning, middle, and end in one article, and it was going to be on the on the front page. Sure, there were other reports in the company that were doing the small bits, but I was doing the main clean-up of it all, seeing everything play out for the finale article. I think Jane was writing our version of events from today's sentencing, as she was the other reporter there, and I was interested in seeing her perspective.

Danielle Geraldina...

I hit enter, and an array of search results came flooding down, all with her name or people with her name attached to them. I was able to find her Facebook, her Twitter, and even a page that was linked to her Facebook that was an old boyband fan page. I won't judge; we all had a crush one time, and we all had different ways of showing it.

I couldn't find anything interesting, but she had your usual family life: 3 siblings, 2 sisters younger than her, and a younger brother who had left the family home, was living on his own, and was a lawyer himself. She's the oldest child and lived with her two parents, who looked to be heavily in love with each other. She went to school and graduated a few years later with a BA in mental health and sociology. Other than that, there was nothing not covered that I didn't already know.

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Chiselled to the gods towering over my body while his piercing blue eyes stared into my soul, making my naked body suddenly feel not as confident as it was a few minutes before, one of his hands slowly reached for my throat, giving it a little squeeze as he pulled me closer, meshing our tongues together as another hand reaches down.

My mind exploded as his hands delved into my core, sending me to a place I had never travelled to. My mind fuzzed, and my words vanished from my throat. I could smell his strong cologne against his skin, and I could feel his sculpted shoulders as I held onto them, making sure that his whole body weight wasn't against me but enough that he could work his fingers and kiss me at the same time.

Loud moans and shrieks started surrounding me, clogging up the atmosphere and desire I was feeling in that moment. I frowned my eyebrows, and slowly the very attractive and sexually pleasurable man disappeared from my body, and I opened my eyes to a very dark room.

I hated people ruining my me time, my sleep time that was so precious to me. I held my breath a little and waited to see if it was me that was shrieking and moaning. There then followed what I could only hope was someone getting murdered through the floorboards.

I stormed out of bed, wrapping my Spider-Man dressing gown around me and slipping on my unicorn slippers, making my way towards my front door. I made sure to keep it a little quieter so that my housemate stayed asleep. When she hasn't had enough sleep, she can be a real pain in the arse.

I made my way down the stairs and across to what I knew was the place directing beneath me, number 102. It used to be owned by a little old lady that the neighbourhood children called the white witch of the south block; she was the nicest lady you had ever met, but sadly, she passed on, and the flat was then rented out to someone new; it was only recently that they had moved in.

As I approached the door, I took a deep breath and then proceeded to put all my strength into the door, making sure the residents knew that I meant business and wasn't simply popping over for milk.

The door flung open, and I was met by a guy pulling over a top. He finished pulling his top over and greeted me with a frown.

"Do you mind blowing down my door? You'll knock it off its hinges," he said as I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "I don't know if you know this, but a lot of people on this block have children who go to school and are up at 6 a.m. to get ready for it, and the racked coming from your door is disturbing everyone in this flat complex, so disrespectfully shut the fuck up and let us sleep." I was fuming by the end of my sentence. I didn't even know why I was that angry, but I was fuming, and do you know what made it worse, what tipped me over the edge? He had the caucasity, the nerve to reply.

"We were just having some fun, judging by your get-up. doubt that you get much," he said as I looked down at my attire and gasped, clutching at my dressing gown.

"Well, at least I don't sound like I am fucking murdering someone; it's supposed to be an intimate exchange and enjoyable; you sound like you're sacrificing the poor girl." I bit back as I chuckled, and he shrugged, crossing his arms in enjoyment. How someone could get off at this type of conversation grinded my gears.

"Some of us like it rough, sweetheart. I give them what they ask for; hearing the word on the block, it wouldn't be your thing," he whispered and gave me a flirty wink, and I felt even more violated. What I did in my free time was none of the neighbourhood's business, and I didn't need it spread like the Sunday paper across the halls.

"All I am asking is for you to pack it in and call it a night. Okay, nothing more, nothing else. I would like to go to work tomorrow with a good night's sleep," I said as he nodded and pushed himself off of the door frame that he had been leaning on. "I will do just for you, sweetheart," he said as I cringed. "Stop calling me that." I turned on my heels and walked off. Men. "See you later, darling," he called out as I paused for a second, contained myself, and then continued walking away. As I said, men.