My Rockstar Neighbor

Chapter 1

WARNING
The contents of this book
may be disturbing to some readers. Contains explicit language, alcohol consumption, mild drug usage, mentions of nudity, and self harm. If you or a loved one are suffering from a metal illness there are people and programs set up to help you.
Keep this in mind as you go.
Reader discretion advised.

Elizabeth
Sunday March 31, 2024 :: 4:35 pm

        When I moved to New York City I was determined to reinvent myself. The shy little black haired girl from a small town in Iowa was now a confident, young woman. Sort of... I've been trying to be more confident at least. I sighed dramatically as I finished braiding my hair and tied it back. I have been told, however, that my almond shaped, gray eyes could burn bridges and pierce hearts. I've at least got that going for me.
        Moving to New York to make a name for myself as an artist was the only thing that made sense to me. Art, the thing I love the most about art is how inclusive it is. How diverse art truly spans. It's music, it's painting, it's sculpting. To me art was and still is second nature and no longer qualified as a hobby. It became an obsession as I wanted to be recognized among the most famous artists in the world. My passion for art was developed at a young age as my parents themselves are rather eccentric as well. My family home had a few less recognized art piece copies framed on the walls. A few of my favorites being The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault, or Young Martyr by Paul Delaroche and in my own opinion the best painting in our house is Starry Night Over the Rhône by Van Gogh. That one used to surprise a lot of guests coming over as most people don't realize that Van Gogh had a few paintings that resembles the more famous Starry Night. Speaking of starry nights the place I rent has one of the most beautiful views of New York.
        The apartment complex that I could afford with my current retail job was modest to say the least. In all honesty, I never imagined living in a studio apartment before. I imagined that most of the studios looked the same around here. I took a good look around the room from the entrance.
The front door to the apartment opened up into a small kitchen space. The wall to the right of the door had the brown faux marble countertops and stainless steel silver stove nearly as clean as a mirror. The only hanging cabinets were on this wall above the stove, the wood matching the lower cabinets. The smallest cabinet up top housed the stove's hood and vent. The countertop bent along the corner of the room and continued down the far right wall until it stopped right at the steel refrigerator.
Beyond that the open space left little room to decorate. I managed to get a queen sized bed against the far wall with a small loveseat at the foot of the bed. My twenty four inch tv mounted to the wall opposite. The wall parallel to the front door had tall floor to ceiling windows with long blackout curtains fastened to a railing system, a long chain being the only thing to slide them open and close. Currently the sun was shining brightly on the buildings outside as my curtains were open wide. The door to the bathroom was to the left of the entrance.
The bathroom was probably the real reason I renewed my lease this year. It had a large stand up shower, a jacuzzi bathtub, and a separate room for the toilet.
        There was only one other apartment on this floor of the building and it had been empty for a long time. I had almost wondered if it had been empty for a reason or if maybe someone was just on vacation maybe? I never minded the questions and turned to face my front door.
Taking a second to look in the six foot tall standing mirror next to my narrow wooden entry table against the wall next to the door I checked my outfit one last time. My black leather riding suit was zipped up, my backpack secure, my helmet under my left arm and keys in my right hand. My hair in two long dutch braids so I could easily tuck them into my hood. I was ready to go.
        As I made my way down to the lobby I stopped to check my mail. As I paused and unlocked the corresponding box with my key I couldn't help but notice the racket my landlord was making as he was shuffling about in a supply closet. To the left of me the stumbling old man came out of the open door. He had some random cleaning supplies and boxes in his arms when he noticed me as well. He began making an effort to rush over to my side. He turned to a small table next to the row of mailboxes and dropped his cleaning bottles onto it along with the rest of the supplies he had grabbed from the closet. He shuffled his way a few steps closer before he greeted me.
        "Ms. Andreas! I'm glad I caught you!" The short, stocky man smiled brightly at me, his gray mustache curling with the expression. He had on a brown cardigan over a white T-shirt and black slacks. Tucked under his arm was a small package. I grabbed my letters from my mailbox before closing it shut again.
        "What do you need, Mr. Jones?" I asked. I shoved the bills into my backpack, pulling it back over my shoulders, before I fully turned to face him. He looked a little awkward now as his smile turned into a hard thin line. He cracked his knuckles quietly as he waited for the right words to come to him.
        "You have a new neighbor on the fifth floor with you now." He paused as he seemed to wait for my reaction. I just let him continue before I bother to ask any questions.
        "Well, I have this package for them and their mail key but the elevator is out of order for the moment and I can't climb up five flights of stairs with my bad back." He practically pleaded with his eyes as he held out the package to me. I rolled my eyes at him but gave him a gentle smile.
        "Of course. I'll take it up to them." I grabbed the package and the key from his hands and he looked relieved as he thanked me. I nodded my head and began heading up the stairs. I suppose my ride can wait a moment.
        Mr. Jones is probably the nicest landlord I have ever had the pleasure of working with and that is certainly saying something. Most of the other places I lived at I had roommates and if your landlord hates your roommate then he automatically hates all of you. People are so unfair like that sometimes. But I met Mr. Jones when I was hired to paint a mural for a local children's hospital. He loved that mural so much that he wanted nothing more than to pay for me to paint one on his apartment complexes but unfortunately he didn't have the money to pay for a commission of that size. I made a deal with him. Having been fed up with another one of my roommates, I asked if one of his cheaper buildings had an apartment I would be more than interested in renting and I would consider that more than enough to pay for his murals. He was more than happy to give me three months off my rent as well after the murals were up to his satisfaction.
        I finally made it up to the fifth floor and thanked my lucky stars that I had been working out lately. The stairmaster at the gym made this seem like child's play. Back on my floor of the complex I sighed almost somberly as I imagined another person walking down this hallway. I had been the only one on this floor for a long time and now I finally have a new neighbor. I just hoped they weren't noisy party animals. Did I jinx myself? Let's hope the walls are thicker then.
        At the end of the hall was the other apartment on the right hand side. I shifted the package in my arms before I let out a small breath I didn't know I was holding. I made my way to the door and stood up to it. Looming in front of me ominously I gulped down the lump in my throat. Carefully I lifted my hand and knocked on the door gently at first.
I leaned a little closer to the door, daring myself to listen beyond it. I could feel the vibrations in the floor as a stereo played inside the apartment. They were playing music, maybe celebrating their move? Already being a great neighbor I see. I couldn't help the anger I felt. If he was gonna keep me up partying he had another thing coming.
I gathered all of my courage and knocked on the door harder this time. The sound reverberated in the hallway and I had to shake out the small pain I felt in my hand. I listened quietly again and heard the music stop. I quickly straightened my back and fixed my helmet under my arm before the door swung open. The glare on my face faded instantly as I took in the view of the God that just opened the door.
        I had never known that someone could look so gorgeous. The man that had opened the door was over a foot taller than me and that was saying something as I'm five foot five. He was only wearing a pair of dark gray sweatpants dangerously low on the waistline of his tan toned muscled abs. He seemed to be trying to catch his breath as sweat beaded down his forehead and soaked his torso. I bite my bottom lip as I try to switch my attention to something else instead. My face was red hot in embarrassment as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.
        My eyes landed on his face as I watched an amused smile taking over his lips. His emerald green eyes stabbed through me as I realized he was noticing my appearance as well. His dark black hair had bright red highlights throughout its tousled mess and I wished it didn't make me imagine running my hands through it. Finally he greeted me with a low husky voice.
        "Good evening. Is that for me?" He held out his hand toward the package I had almost forgotten about and I quickly nodded my head, handing it over to him. I bit my lip again trying to think of what to say as he reached to take the package from my hand. Our eyes trained on one another I couldn't help but feel this wave of familiarity as our hands made contact. Did I know anyone who looked like this stud? I highly doubt it.
He acquired his package and his key, then took a step back into his apartment. He looked around for a moment as if looking for something before he turns and places the objects down on the brown countertop next to the door. I couldn't help but notice the random blank boxes still tightly sealed compared to the flattened empty ones with black marker that read 'Music' on it. Did he really only label one box? Is music really that important to have four boxes dedicated to the label? He seriously needed to get into those ones first too?
        "Yes. Hi. I'm your neighbor. Elizabeth. Mr. Jones asked me to bring these to you." I felt like a robot as I tried to force out a greeting and an explanation in one sentence. It felt strange to finally speak, as if my voice was betraying me. The man's bright green eyes shimmered as he smiled brightly at me, he didn't seem to notice my apprehension.
        "It's nice to meet you, Elizabeth. I'm Spencer. I'm sorry about my outfit choice here. I was working out when you knocked, I'll try to keep it down though don't worry." He winked at me and my heart flipped over with a thud. I tried my best to smile back but it came out more forced than intended.
        "It was nice to meet you too. Sorry to interrupt your workout. I'm going to... go now." I gestured back down the hallway with my helmet and Spencer just nodded his head letting me walk away.
        I turned on my heel and quickly sped down the hall, I heard his apartment door shut behind me as I pushed my way into the stairwell. I relaxed a little bit as I descended to the garage. I almost regret stopping to check my mail now. That was definitely not how I imagined meeting a new neighbor. Especially one so hot.
        I made it down to the parking garage and to my private parking space. I had the urge to look around the corner to see the sharing floor's space as well. In Spencer's designated parking was a glossy black almost brand new 2023 mustang. When I say black I meant black as in the trim and everything was blacked out. It was the only car he had on his side and it confirmed that he had no roommates, though having roommates with a studio apartment very much hinders privacy. I shrugged it off and turned back to my space. My white and gold 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 650 was a beautifully designed machine that I made specifically to my liking. It was hiding sideways expertly in front of my main boring black 2015 sedan. With my two vehicles I still parked for the price of one as it's expensive for two and insurance is already expensive enough as it is.
        After I pulled my helmet on over my head, I mounted the beastly machine and turned the key in the ignition. The bike roared to life as I slowly pulled it away from my car before revving the engine up and making my way for the uphill ramp exit. As I was leaving I could have sworn I saw a flash of something red but I shook it off and focused on the drive. Driving would take my mind off of things for now. I needed time to figure out what I was gonna do for my next commissions. I really hope it works out for me.