— Wren —
I sighed heavily after I finished unpacking my last moving box. Moving into my first apartment in a whole new state was supposed to be exciting, but frankly it was late and I was tired. I dragged myself into the bathroom, the cold tiles sending a shiver through my bare feet. I started the shower, the water quickly warming up, and connected my iPhone to my bluetooth speaker. The familiar tune of a Blink-182 song filled the small space, but my mind was still going insane. All I could do was worry. About leaving home, about the spontaneous decision to move, about finding a fucking job in this unfamiliar place.
I took a deep, slightly shaky breath and closed my eyes, feeling the warm water run over my body, washing away some of my anxiety. Just as I started to relax a bit, softly singing along to Always, I heard pounding on the other side of my wall.
"Probably some old man trying to tell me my music is too loud," I muttered to myself.
I had half a mind to turn my music up louder or even knock back, but again, it's late and I'm exhausted. I threw my head back in defeat with a loud groan. After wrapping up in a towel, I stalked back to my bedroom and fell back onto the bed with a huff. After throwing a tiny tantrum over my crotchety neighbor ruining my shower, I put on an oversized gray hoodie and curled up in my blankets. I didn't dare play any music to upset my grumpy neighbor any further, which resulted in too many tosses and turns. I can't stand how uncomfortably quiet my apartment became at night. A quiet house isn't something I'm used to. I silently cursed myself for forgetting to pack my headphones. When Spencer finds them I know she'll just keep them, annoying little twerp.
As the night wore on, my restlessness only grew. The silence in my apartment felt oppressive, suffocating. I glanced at the time on my phone, its bright white digits proclaiming it was well past midnight. With a resigned sigh, I decided to give sleep another try, despite the nagging unease.
Just as I closed my eyes, I heard a faint, almost imperceptible sound— it sounded a bit like the banging I heard before, but this time it was softer, and more rhythmic. Curiosity piqued, I sat up in bed, straining to hear. Is my cranky neighbor now listening to his own music after complaining about mine? What the hell? Fortunately the unfamiliar beat helped cure my short-lived insomnia; I curled back into my mattress on the floor and closed my eyes once again.
