[English Version]Two unusual Manhattan's partners in crime

Preface

The best way to spend a Sunday Morning? Painting the wall of my doorway,having postponed that operation for weeks.
It wasn't thatessential, clearly, but with the new theft-proof door due to my housemate's fear after the two months earlier' theft, there was a"horrible disagreement between old and new", according toher.
-Bloody hell!- I cursed, when the brush stroke came outcrooked again: I really wanted to kill Ruby. Yeah, working in a barshe often had to wake up at 6 am, but the door changing and thepainting were her idea. But as always, I ended up doing the dirtywork.
I sighted and dipped the brush into the send-coloredmixture, but a tremor due to my irritability made it slip away frommy fingers and I could do nothing to stop it.
-Ouch!
-Oh mygod, I'm sorry!- I cried out and turned away to see who the unluckyone was: if it was the old man that lived upstairs I would've been introuble, he was the grumpiest person I'd ever met. He had alreadygiven me a good telling off just because I had slammed the door tooloudly.
I got really surprised when I found out in front of me –or better, under me – a young man I'd never seen before. He wastall and black haired, and even if he was half beige for my fault, Icould notice he was really attractive.
He had a couple ofheavy-looking suitcases around him, and he was staring at me with apretty confused smirk.
-Relax, it's OK...- he smirked again,picking up the brush ended on the floor next to him.
-Usually I'mnot that clumsy, I'm so sorry...- I repeated mortified, but Icouldn't help but staring at his eyes: big and blue, like theclearest sea I had ever seen.
-No problem, I should take a showeranyway... by the way, nice to meet you! I'm Killian Jones- he saidwith a smile, and I grabbed the hand he offered me.
-Emma Swan,nice to meet you too. But... sorry, I've never seen you here... whoare you?
-I presume I'm your new neighbor if you live here.
-Oh,good.- I smiled too -Yeah, I live here! I swear I won't bother youevery Sunday morning, I just had to do this stuff...
-Don't worry,love. You know, this little accident was really worthy... the view ispretty good- he kept smiling, naughty, hinting at my backside.
Mycheeks went on fire, and I had the uncontrollable impulse to pour onhim all the remaining content of the bucket. How could he take theliberty of doing a statement like that so light-heartedly?! He hadjust met me!
-You're a pervert! I retreat the apologies, the brushstroke was not enough!
-Sorry love, I didn't relize you were a shyperson...- he said leaning against his door, and crossing his armslooking at me annoyingly.
-I am not shy! But you area pervert! You just arrived and you act like a jerk already!Congrats, you set a record!
However, the more I looked furious,the more he seemed amused: I forgot he was extremely good looking,'cause he was so annoying that his look moved to the background.
-CanI ask you why are you standing in the middle of the landing withshorts and a top? I know it's July, but there's a storm and it'spretty cold outside.
-Because- I began, pointing my index fingerat him -You could have noticed, that the radiators are turned on andit's terribly hot! I really don't wanna work all sweaty, it's alreadybothering that I have to paint this stupid wall. Now could you getout of my way, please? I want to finish this crap and take ashower.
-Yeah, me too... you know, someone dirtied me. Bye Emma,see ya'!- he cried out still amused, and he turned the key into thekeyhole, kicking the suitcases inside and finally closed the doorbehind him.
I snorted irritated, wondering why with all the peoplethat could be my neighbors, I had to end up with the most unpleasant,insolent and pervert. Maybe Ruby would have liked him, usually menwith those features made her lose her mind: which was why I never lether take men at home. When she really wanted to she texted me and Iwent to sleep at Mary Margaret's, who lived at few blocks fromus.
Well, now if she decided to flirt with him too, they could usehis apartment without bothering me.
I tried to calm down and I gotback the brush to finish the work, thanks god it was nearly done: Icouldn't wait to take a fresh shower and order some pancakes to eatthem in front of my TV with a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon.Nothing would've been better in a cold day of July.
I had woken upexpecting a bright sun, instead, when I opened the window a freezingwind had almost hit me. Maybe it was better, at least I didn't regretfor refusing Mary Margaret's offer to go to the beach with her andBelle – clearly they should have changed their plans.
-'mornin'Emma!- shouted out merrily the brunette, scaring me to death when Icame out from the bathroom: she was still in her pajamas, ofcourse.
-'Morning Ruby. Have you slept well?- I asked ironicallyraising my eyebrow, and waiting her to finish yawning.
-Yeah... Ilove getting up at 11!
-Don't have to tell me... oh wait. I wokeup at 8, to paint a damn wall.
-Sorry... I promise I'll makeamends for that. I'll tell you what: sushi and chinese for lunch,I'll offer.- she offered, knowing food was my weakness.
-Soundsgood- I agreed, cursing my own gluttony; I just couldn't resist, Iwas already imagining the smell of chicken curry invading the diningroom.
I let her go to the bathroom and got back to my room to dryoff and get changed: I wore a pair of joggers and a Starbucks top. Ihad a plenty of them, 'cause when Ruby worked there she stocked up ontops, t-shirts and sweatshirts, and we had split them.
I combed myhair and decided to let it dry alone, so I joined her in the kitchenand I sat on the couch for a break before ordering mypancakes.
-Emma, I'm making coffee, do you want some?
-Nothanks, cocoa for me.
-Fine. Oh and I just called Henry, he'lldeliver some pancakes!
-Great!I love you!- I shouted out happy, I could finally enjoy some relaxwithout getting up for an hour at least. Now I could say I waspleased, and I would have probably given a generous tip to Henry: hewas a 14-years-old boy who worked at the bar downstairs to get someextra money, and he was really nice. When he had double turns wealways invited him for lunch, so that he didn't have to go home orspend the just earned money.
I turned on the TV to distract myselffor a while, and when the bell rang I threw my wallet to Rubysuggesting her to give the boy 10 dollars: he deserved them, he wentto school every day and in the week-ends, instead of sleeping andhaving fun like all of his friends he stepped up in the best waypossible.
Probably he was more hard-working than me, because evenif my job was pretty serious I didn't have regular schedules; I hadbeen a private investigator for more than 4 years, and during thelast two I had frequently worked together with the New YorkP.D.
Growing up inan orphanage I was always wondering who my parents were and whythey'd abandoned me, and that pushed me to start that career: Iwasn't able to find them in the end and I had abandoned researches along ago, but in compensation I had helped lots of people to gettogether. Plus, being a thrill lover, when the police offered me apartnership I couldn't help but accepting; I had often found myselfin dangerous and critical circumstances, but I was never scared... Iloved that. The thrill of risk had always been one of my favoritefeelings, but unfortunately with the beginning of the summer itseemed that criminals were gone on vacation too, and lately my taskswere pretty boring: I had to follow some guys to tell their jealousgirlfriend if they were cheating on them.
On Monday I had twoappointments for new tasks, but I had already lost the hope theycould bring me some excitement; anyway being pretty renowned, theseworks allowed me to pay my bills and get some extra money for me, soI didn't complain. In fact, I had booked a holiday in Rio with Ruby,Mary Margaret, Belle and Elsa for two weeks in August, I couldn'twait! My boyfriend, Walsh, wasn't really happy about that, becauseI'd excluded him, but I didn't really care: we wanted a time off onlyfor women, and I had no intention to carry him! In addition ourrelationship was a little more than just sex by now: that is sex, acouple of nights out which ended with sex... I would have probablyleft him soon, he didn't even satisfied me in bed.
-Emma, hey?-said Ruby, waving a hand in front of my face.
-Yeah, sorry, I wasjust thinking... no big deal by the way. Breakfast's ready?
-Youcan bet! Henry brought some pancakes fresh from the oven, and Iprepared a delicious cocoa!
-Thanks!
-Don't mention it! I hadto make it up to you! Oh, inter alia, I heard some strange noisesfrom the apartment in front of ours...
-Oh, yeah, sorry, I wantedto tell you. The new neighbor arrived this morning.- I explained andfrowned, recalling that two bit gasbag.
-Have you met him? How ishe?
-Well, I hit him with the brush...
-What?! Emma! You'realways the same!
-It was an accident!- I replied, with my mouthfull of pancake -But I went back on the apologies, he's a jerk and apervert. He made indecent appreciations about my bottom, gigglinglike a... like a jerk! He must be used to have girls falling forhim...
-So he's a good-looking guy.
-Mh, enough. But who cares,are you even listening to me?! He's a perverted jerk!
-Oh c'mon,you're overreacting... an appreciation is not that bad. Especiallyfrom a nice guy...- she smiled raising her eyebrows, and I rolled myeyes: she would have never changed.
So I decided to ignore her andgot back to my breakfast and to the episode of "The Big BangTheory", one of my favorite sitcoms ever.
To the devil KillianJones and everything else, I wouldn't allow anyone to ruin my Sundayof laziness.
But to think of it, I thought I had saw himsomewhere, and maybe heard of him too – but I tried to drive awaythat useless thought: probably he was a bloody model and I had seenhim on a cover magazine or something.
Yeah, it was really betterto come back to The Big Bang Theory, were men weren't thatattractive, but more pleasant and fascinating for sure. I regretted Ihad never dated a nerd, it probably could have been an interestingexperience.