Chapter 2 Weird Neighbor

DANIKA

How the hell is he? I frown staring out my window, as I watch him and the men with him, loading his stuff into his apartment. How come Harry never told me we would be getting a neighbor? And an annoying gruff one at that. I shift my eyes from the workers back to the man that almost had my day ruined. He is standing right in front of his apartment, arms crossed against his chest as he watches the men. He looks rugged and fierce in that black letter jacket he has on, and his steel-gray eyes have a beautiful glint to them. But who wears leather jackets in Summer? It's literally hot as hell right now. Tch. I should probably have apologized to him, right? I mean I did call him a thief. Whatever, I don't care. As long as he gets his military ass away from me, we will be fine. I grit my teeth as I will myself not to think about the stupid man I call Father, pulling out my phone, as I move the curtain back in place and walking to my kitchen counter. "Harry definitely has some explanations to do." I open the messaging app and quickly find his number before sending a message. Me: You had better have an explanation for why I just saw a very annoying man trying to hammer down the knob to my door. I add a very angry emoji and press. I scroll through my unanswered messages waiting patiently for a reply from Harry. I see a few messages from the girl's group chat and I can't help the mischievous smile that spreads in my face as I open up the chat. Shanice: You guys will not believe the new mini club that just opened downtown. Vera: I see "club", and I'm in. When are we going?!!! Rayna: Guys, Chillax. We literally went to an underground club about three days ago. Vera: What does that have to do with anything? I need a break from this job before I kill someone. Let's go clubbing Asap. It's been too long. Rayna: Three days is too long? Girl at this point, you are a club addict. Vera: You meant Enjoyment Addict. Shanice: That's right. My baby is a soft life baddie. Rayna: Don't encourage her, you should brat. Where the hell is Danika in all this? Who's going to support me? I bark out a laugh as Rayna's message comes in. I can't with these girls, they are just so chaotic and I absolutely love it. We have been together for almost four years now in San Juan and I can't emphasize how much they've gotten me through life here. I love them so much even though we literally acted like bitches toward each other before we became friends, we have been the best of friends ever since. Shanice and I met when her company came up with a proposal for our company, we clicked even though we had our differences then eventually went out for coffee one night, where we met Vera who works as a waitress in the cafe where we went too. We later found out she was a remote designer and just works at the cafe for fun. She had a fight with her mom the same day we went to get coffee and unfortunately for us, she wasn't in the mood for anything, but she was our attendant. We had a little disagreement about how she was acting towards us and Shanice got angry and wanted to leave as she was walking out, she bumped into Rayna who was tired from work and had just gotten her life-changing coffee at the counter. Of course, it spilled on her and she decided it was time to pour out all her frustrations on Shanice. She screamed at each other and Vera and I went to settle the fight which led to even more screaming. The manager of the Cafe finally came out and stopped the argument then apologized and proceeded to talk rudely to Vera. We all got angry and stood up for her and from that day onward. We all started meeting at the Cafe after work and we eventually became friends. "Shit." I blink, as the ping of another message snaps me out of my thoughts. Vera: She's probably at work, working her ass off. The poor girl. Shanice: LMFAOOO I shake my head rolling my eyes as I type. Me: Unfortunately for you, Miss Shan Ice, I purposely type out her name like that, she hates when we call her that but I just live teasing her about it. Me: I am at home, enjoying my fat ass. I add a cool emoji and press send before replying to Rayna. Me: @rayray Mama's here, Babygirl. Fear not. I'm about to drop my phone when I suddenly remember. Me: you guys would believe what just happened to me! Shanice: Spill!!! Or I'll beat your ass for calling me that shit of a nickname. Vera: Speak, my child. Rayna: You finally gave in to sleep with that hot project manager of yours? What the hell? I chuckle as I type back. Me: Hush, you man lover that's not it. I press send and at the same time, Shanice and Vera's messages come in. Vera: Get it, girl!! I knew you will finally see what we've all been showing you. Shanice: Omg!!! Is this call from celebration?! These crazy girls! Always trying to hook me up with Dante. It's not gonna happen!! I send an eye roll emoji and type back. Me: No, that's not it. It's about my new neighbor. He literally tried to break down my door thinking it was his and my God, is he rude? Yeah. I just can't stand him! I press send and tap my feet waiting patiently for their response. What the hell is taking them so long? A message enters but before I can see it, I get a call from Harry. "Oh my God, Danika!! Sweetie!" Harry's voice crackles through the phone, his voice pitch higher than normal. "Skip to the fucking point Harry. Why was a man, a military man, trying to break down my door in broad daylight." I cut him off, pressing the phone to my ears with one hand and the other on my hips. Harry takes a deep breath, "I'm so sorry, Dani. I should've told you earlier, but it was all so sudden. The higher-ups at the company decided to allocate that apartment next to yours to someone important. I didn't even have a chance to inspect it. They called me and instructed me to get it ready for the new tenant." I roll my eyes, "Great, so now I have a grumpy military neighbor who almost bashed my door in." Harry sighs, "I know it's inconvenient, but I promise you, this guy is a big deal. I had no choice in this, and I really didn't want to drop it on you without warning. Please try to manage with him." "Yeah, yeah," I mutter, "I'll manage. Doesn't mean I have to like him." Harry chuckles sarcastically, "Well, your charm and friendliness are going to win him over, I'm sure. Since you are ever so nice too." "Excuse you?" I rear back, as Harry laughs and changes the topic quickly, "Speaking of winning people over, how's everything with Rayna?" Nah-uh. I'm not talking Rayna with Hardy today. I've had it with his obsession with her. If he wants her then he should talk to her. "Oh, Rayna? Yeah, she's good. Really good. Anyway, things are fine on my end. Talk to you soon." I hang up before he can say anything, I know how long I was going to be on the call if I entertain Harry's interest in Rayna. I sigh, rolling my eyes before my legs take me back to the curtain again and before I know I'm peeping outside the window again. I glance out the window, only to see him disappearing into his apartment, probably done making a racket for now. With a sigh, I return to my phone and the ongoing group chat. There's a bunch of messages from them, talking about how I have a man as my neighbor, emphasizes on a man and they have already planned a visit to my house for a girl's night in a few days just to see this man that I was talking about because they can't accept my judgement about whether he is fine it not. The audacity of these women. I roll my eyes and send a reply. Me: Did you guys even read what I said? I literally ended my sentence with I just can't stand him. Where did that go? Rayna: Don't worry about it baby. A little enemies to lovers is not bad. Lol. Shanice: Well said, Ray baby. Me: he's a military man!! Vera: oh my god. Fun!!! This has even gotten better. I tsk at the messages, they know how much I hate military men but they always tried to convince me that not all of them are the same, that not all of them are kike my father. But its really hard to believe, it's hard to accept. Vera: Seriously, though, girl, give that military hunk a chance. Could be fun! Shanice: Yeah, maybe he's got a heart of gold underneath that rugged exterior. Me: Sure, I'll give Mr. Grumpy a chance. Vera: That's the spirit! Lol Me: That was sarcasm, Vera! Oh my God. Vera: oh?! Lmao Shanice: Leave my baby alone. You know she's dumb like that. Vera: Shanice!!! I chuckle, "Yeah, Shan Ice, I'll definitely keep that in mind." Rayna: You guys are nuts. I finally get off the phone and walk straight to my room, taking off my clothes and getting ready to slump into my side bed. I let out a sigh of relief as I flop onto my bed, hugging my pillow tightly. Finally, a moment to rest after this exhausting week of work. It's unbelievable that I'm still on my feet. With my eyes heavy, I begin to drift off into the comforting embrace of sleep. Just as I'm about to fall into dreamland, my phone starts ringing with an incoming call. I groan in frustration, wondering who could possibly be calling me now. I reluctantly grab my phone from the nightstand and see Tina's name flashing on the screen. Tina is my coworker at Wurthe Distribution. My assistant to be precise. I'm the branch manager for the company and we have never had the CEO visit once. With a tired voice, I answer, "Hey, Tina, what's up?" "Danika, you won't believe this," Tina's voice sounds urgent and tired at the same time, "We're needed back at work ASAP. The owner of the company is coming next week, and they want everything in perfect order. Since it's Friday and we don't work on weekends, they're calling everyone back for a meeting and to clear up their work." I sit up in bed, my fatigue instantly replaced by annoyance. "Are you serious, Tina? The owner's timing is impeccable, I'm so glad he's coming." I say as sarcastic as I can be, already thinking of all the work I need to clear up. Tina lets out a nervous chuckle, "Tell me about it. But you know how they are, everything has to be just right when they're around." I shake my head, frustration building up. "Yeah, I get it. I'll head back to work." "Sorry for ruining your plans, Danika," Tina says apologetically. "It's not your fault, Tina," I assure her, "Thanks for letting me know. I'll be there soon." I hang up the call and groan loudly, throwing my phone back on the nightstand. Of course, this would happen on the one day I finally have a chance to relax. With a defeated sigh, I drag myself out of bed and head to my closet to change into something presentable. After hastily dressing up, I make my way back to work, mentally cursing the owner for their impeccable timing. The thought of having to go through a meeting and then slogging through work to prepare for the CEO's visit isn't exactly how I planned to spend my evening.