Chapter 3 Danika!

RHYS

"How did moving into your dear town go?" Daniel, my best friend for years, asks and I scoff. "It would have been perfect if not for one very disturbing moment." I answer him and take a sip from my cup. He leans forward in his seat, eyes twinkling with excitement. "What disturbing moment?" I shake my head and shrug, drinking more of my tea. "I don't want to talk about it." I mutter and he sighs, crashing back into his seat with a disappointed look. "You're such a kill sport." He says and I scoff at the laptop open on my table. "And you are such a gossip lover for a man who heads the headquarters branch of Wurthe distributions, did you not know? You're supposed to be as calm and gentle as flowing waters." I tease and he laughs. "That is what people say about you my man, not me, plus if you knew I was such a gossip lover, why did you name me the acting head of your company after running away to a small island?" "I needed to give you something to do." I chuckled and he shook his head playfully. I don't tell him that he is the only person I can trust, with my company and my secrets. He knows. And that's why we have been friends for such a long time. "When will you visit the branch of the company on the island? Or are you really planning to retire?" I sigh. "I really was planning to retire but after spending a whole day in the house without doing anything today, I don't think I can... I'll visit after I settle here." "Good, cos I already informed them of your arrival ." He smirks and I gape at him. "You are a terrible person." I narrow my eyes at him and he laughs, about to say something else when my phone starts to ring. I look down at the name and it's my daughter, I smile up at my friend. "Well, the queen calls, gotta go." "Talk later." He smiles and we end the video call. I stand from my chair to rinse my cup of tea because I'm a perfectionist like that as I answer the call. "Daddy! You won't believe what happened in school today!" Is the first thing she says as I answer and I chuckle. "Yeah? Hit me, what happened?" I ask, walking back to the still very rowdy living room and crashing on a sofa. "My friend said mermaids are real! Can you believe it?" She asks, awe in her voice and just because I know how much she loved her Barbie movies, I smile. "Well, according to some scientists, they are." "Whoa, and she said they are most likely found on islands..." My grin grows, I know where she is going with this. "Yup." "You're on an island, aren't you, dad?" "Yup." I answer again, fueling her curiosity. "Dad... do you think there could be..." "I've heard of it, but since you don't want to come visit me, I don't see any reason t-" "Of course I want to visit you dad! Immediately after my exams, I'll be there!" She says excitedly and I laugh. We talk more for a while before her aunt calls her up to eat and we have to end the call with her promising me to visit during summer. Just so she can carry out her esteemed research on mermaids, now I have to start thinking of tricks to keep my daughter away from the water once she gets here. After hanging up, once again, I realize just how quiet and peaceful this place is, compared to the hustle bustle of New York. Birds chirp in the distance and the trees sing a happy song in the breeze. It has been just a day since I moved in here and my mind and head feels so silent and peaceful already. Exactly what I needed. I look around my messy apartment again and think of all I'd done today. I woke up this morning and decided that my unopened boxes won't arrange themselves, nor do I have home staff here to help me do the work. And so I started to arrange my things. If only I knew opening the boxes and getting stuff out would create an even bigger mess than before, I would have been content with my best boxes lying around. Because now I'm not done arranging my home and it looks a mess. And then after I got tired, I remember going out to the beach nearby and just walking aimlessly around for hours, something I don't think I've ever done in my life. I was always a serious school boy, soldier and then CEO. Walking aimlessly had never been on my to-do list. And it was on that walk I got a call from my agent, Harry, discussing the misfortunes of the day before. It was definitely a misfortune. Having to meet such a neighbor. "You told me the people are nice and accommodating." I said in an accusing voice and Harry had answered in a shocked voice. "Of course they are. All of them are nice people I promise." "Including my neighbor?" My proud, arrogant and sassy neighbor? "Who, Danika?" Danika... her name is Danika. I say the name over and over in my head for a while before I accept that the name fits her. Fierce and arrogant. Beautiful too. "Her name is Danika?" "Yes, she is one of the best people you will ever meet I promise." He says and I scoff. Uh-huh. Real estate agents lie a lot just to sell or seal a deal. That's what everyone told me. I just don't know why I believed him, I was going to get the apartment anyways, nice neighbor or no. And then thinking of neighbors, I remember seeing her scurry into her car this morning and drive off to work given her attire. And even though I think she is the most sassy and annoying woman on earth, I can't deny the fact that she looks so good it's almost easy to forget the wicked tongue she has on her. She is a beautiful woman and anyone with eyes can see it. I also remember when in the afternoon, after getting tired of walking around and deciding to go back home, I saw her getting down from her car. I also remember thinking of how angelic she looked as the afternoon sun shone on her face. And then she had seen me and the small smile on her lip vanished, eyes became cold and annoyed. I scoffed and glared right back at her, wondering how such a petit woman can manage to look down her nose at me even though I'm more than a head taller than her. The tension between us had been palpable, heated and simmering with a sort of feeling that even I can't place. We stared -glared- at each other for a while and then she huffed, waking in, I also rolled my eyes and walked into my house, slamming the door behind me as well. I have to avoid a spitfire woman like her at all costs. Anger and frustration ate at me till My friend called and we talked and now I sit here wondering what next to do with my life. I wonder what else a man is to do in a place like this and then get up to cook myself lunch, grateful for the pack of beer I bought on the way here. Not cold but beer anyways so I'll make do with it. I settle with my food when night finally covers the sky and start to eat, a book on how to overcome trauma and how to be the best version of yourself in my lap as I eat and take a swig of my beer. And then everything is fine, everything is quiet and peaceful and beautiful till it happens. I frown. Did I just hear someone shriek? I slowly walk to my so die just in case something crazy is happening and I have to jump out to fight and protect someone. That's not the case though, there's no right, no struggle. The exact opposite if you ask me. There are two ladies rushing to the front door of my neighbor and pulling her into hugs. They were the one shrieking from the car that zooms off probably to park a few feet away. For a few seconds, I watch, shocked as the girls talk animatedly and loud, without a care in the world. Like... like fucking barbarians! Do things like these still happen in this century? Loud, uncaring neighbors?! Their noises are starting to go fine and I sigh. In relief, at least they won't be at it all fucking night. That's what I think when I suddenly hear a very loud scream. "LET'S PARTY BITCHES!!" "YESS!!!!!" Comes their Ander the and even kouder shriek. With a snarl, I pull away from the window, frustrated and angry. I immediately pull out my phone and dial the agent's number. I'm going to fucking kill this man, first he gave me a house with the worst neighbor when I specifically asked for kind people and now he didn't even tell me that my neighbor would be the worst kind, loud and unbearable?! Do I have to suffer this?! He picks up the call on the first ring, his voice exasperated. "Mr Hemswurthe." "Mr Davis." I grit my teeth when I hear their voices again. "How can I help you sir." "Well I am here to complain about my neighbor." "Danika?" "Yes, the kind one? One of the best people I'll ever meet? Well right now she is being a nightmare, she has invited people, equally loud, uncaring and.... Very loud women into her home and they are disturbing the peace of the environment! Does this make sense? This is supposed to be a peaceful island!" I vent and annoyance surges through my veins with every word. Harry starts to talk and their voices dies down a little, just a little. "Oh shit, today is Friday?" "What does that have to do with anything?" I demand and he sighs. "Fuck, I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you, every weekend, just like this, Danika has a sort of in house, four girls only party, where they have fun because you know... the week has been hard on them and -- "Why does it sound like you are trying to defend them, Mr Davis?" I narrow my eyes at my phone and he clears his throat "O-of course not sir. I'm trying to say I'm sorry for not informing you of this earlier." I sigh. "Just this weekend?" I hear his wince even from the phone. "Every... weekend." "What?! What do you mean every weekend?! You're telling me I have to suffer this every fucking weekend?!" "Of course not, the girls pick random houses every weekend so it can't always be Danika's house every weekend." He explains and I scoff. The girls ... the fucking girls. Danika is going to be the end of me. Rude. Arrogant, sassy and a party girl?! Just great. "I don't hear their voices anymore." Harry notes and I stop to listen. True, their voices have gone down and the area is quiet again. I sigh. "Yes, I think they already stopped their madness, if this happened again I won't tolerate- As if on cue, a very loud, blaring, ear blasting music plays out and the girls voices -is that even possible?- screams louder, over the very loud music playing as they sing along to the lyrics. Pure, undiluted waves of anger washes through me. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hear Harry call out my name in a bid to pacify me but I already ended the call. Growling, I stalk out t of my house and directly towards hers where I bang hard on the door. No reaponse. Just loud, loud music and even louder women screaming and singing. Fucking hell. I bang over and over against the door, angry and frustrated but no one opens the door. Am I going to have to call the fucking cops here?! I raise my hand, ready to break down the fucking door if I have to when it suddenly opens and she pokes her head out, so suddenly and inches away from my face. I freeze, my breath halting painfully in my chest. I think she freezes too. Shit why does she have to look so good?