The Crack in the Side Wall

Chapter 10

A/N
If you get confused by this chapter, skip to the epilogue.
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14th June 2013,

"Will you be coming with us to the bar?" My friend Coe asked me.

"Nope man, can't make it. Have a lot of work dumped by the boss that I have to complete by Monday." I replied, giving a loud sigh to justify the statement.

"You can do it tomorrow or the day after! I mean, Monday won't come until two more nights. And who does so much work after he has just come from a month of business work abroad?" He insisted.

"Sorry Coe but I want to complete it by Saturday so that I can relax on Sunday", I said with an apologetic smile.

I could tell how dejected he was, but with a smile, he nodded and bade me goodbye.

Well, that's Coe for you, a man who always puts others first.

You must be wondering what funny name Coe is. Well, his full name is even funnier- Coe Corrander. Once, when I asked him of his name, he told me that Coe from Glencoe is a small village in Scotland and Corrander is from coriander ( the orphanage he spent his childhood in, kept the children's surname based on different herbs ).

1th June 2013,

It was 4 o'clock in the morning when I finally gave up and with my unfinished work on the laptop, headed to my apartment. As I climbed up the stairs to my flat on the fifth floor, I saw a silhouette standing in front of the door of the flat beside mine.

I felt weird as I realized that the flat has finally got an occupant after all the terrible stories surrounding the place, all dating back to five years ago.

A month away, and so many things change!

"Hi", I greeted my new neighbor.

The silhouette seemed startled at hearing my voice. Slowly, it turned towards me and gave me a once-over.

She then smiled at me, a corporate smile, revealing a small dimple near her cheek. It was quite dark so I could not see her eyes clearly, but I think they were light brown that beautifully contrasted with her white face.

"Hi, I am Ella", She extended her hand, "Your new neighbor."

I shook it gingerly, trying to be a good neighbor but not come out as creepy.

"So you will be living here?" I asked.

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?"

"Well, I never thought anybody would buy it, let alone live in it after all the tragedies that took place here."

"Tragedies?" she questioned, seemingly amused.

"Just stories that the old folks of the apartment chatter about." I said, "Something about two men and a woman being killed here, an occupant having had gone missing and even of a man who jumped down the window after stabbing himself and is now in a coma in some hospital."

"Pretty sure they are just stories," she laughed, a tense laugh, the one you do to hide your fear, "Anyways, goodnight."

"Goodnight," I replied as she closed the door.

After I quickly changed my clothes, I decided to do something I haven't done in almost a year- look through the crack in the side wall.

The crack had always been there, long before me. While buying the flat I hadn't noticed it and even upon its discovery wasn't concerned as nobody lived on the flat it opened to.

They say that five years ago, a man once created it to spy on the woman he secretly loved. One day he saw her kissing another man in her apartment. So heartbroken was he that he decided to end it all, and when the love of his life was not at home, he burst open her door and stabbing himself with her kitchen knife, jumped from her apartment window. Unfortunately for him, the fall wasn't fatal enough and he now lies in a coma in some hospital with the woman he loved, paying the hospital to keep him alive, hoping that someday he would wake up and she could apologize to him.

I looked through the crack and saw her putting her bag down. She then untied her hair and let her red locks fall down to her hip. Slowly, she opened her shirt and unclicked her bra. In the light, I could see it was a pink shirt with a laced white bra. I could now see her beautifully carved back. As she started opening her skirt, I quickly turned away for I had seen enough.

A smile played on my lips as I headed towards my bed. I now had a reason to look forward to coming home every day- A beautiful neighbor whom I could look at any time I want.

As the evening came, I finally e-mailed all my work to the boss and closed the laptop. I put down my spectacles and massaged my eyes. Just then, the phone beside me vibrated. A yawn escaped my throat as I answered it.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hi, Joe!"

It was Coe.

"Have you finished your work?" He asked.

"Your timing couldn't have been better! Emailed it only a minute ago."

"Then a drink at my house?"

Chilled beer after a whole day of labor didn't seem like a bad idea.

"Sure", I replied.

"Okay, see you at nine."

He hung up.

I looked at my watch and saw that I had forty-five minutes at hand.

"Time to freshen up", I said to myself.

As the simmering water touched my body and flowed down my pelvis, I felt all my exhaustion slowly melt away into an abyss. I closed my eyes and let the water do its magic.

Five minutes later, I turned off the shower while wiping my hair dry with a towel. As I crossed the mirror, I couldn't help but stop.

A smile appeared on my face as I looked at my toweled body. All those hours in the gym and all those strenuous workouts seemed to be paying off with a thin outline that seemed to be appearing in my abdominal region.

Quickly, I got dressed and headed out.

As I was locking the door, I could see my gorgeous neighbor coming back. She stopped as she saw me.

"Hello, neighbor." She said.

"I have a name, you know."

"Well I don't know it and you don't seem to want me to know it so I have to use the next best option to address you."

"Okay let me introduce myself", I said and then bent down like a gentleman introducing himself to a lady. " Good evening my lady! I am your friendly neighbor, Joseph Gray."

"Nice to meet you sir", she said playing along.

We laughed together and as the laughter died down, I said-" Our path seemed to cross very often, don't they?"

"What do you mean ?"

"I mean we have met a second time in just one day. That's one heck of a timing."

"So you have seen me twice already, huh?" She asked grimly, inching closer with each word. "So you now know my face, right?"

Suddenly, she grabbed my shoulders and stared at me with those piercing eyes, which I now realized I was wrong about. They were blue. Icy blue. As she breathed on me she seemed to mumble something," Do not forget this face. Do not forget my face. You understand?"

I nodded, slightly scared by the change in her behavior.
Then as quickly, she released me, and unlocking the door, went inside.

I gulped as I hurried down, trying not to think of what happened.