There’s a note on my door.
Note
A package of yours was delivered to my place.
Note
Stop by whenever you want to grab it.
Note
Felix, the new guy in 21B.
My pulse quickens as I go inside and text my roommate Susana.
Hazel
I know you’re working, but I had to tell you ASAP.
Hazel
I got a note from the new guy in 21B!
Susana
The mystery man who just moved in?
Hazel
A package of mine was delivered to his apartment.
Susana
OMG, everyone is dying to know about him!
Susana
This is very exciting Miss Hazel 😏
Susana
Maybe you can even write an article about meeting enigmatic men who live in the same building 🤩
I haven’t been able to come up with ANY ideas for the singleton lifestyles e-magazine I work for…
I was starting to think there’s nothing new to say about being a single girl in the city.
But maybe this is the idea I’ve been looking for!
Susana
You’d better report your findings.
Ever since the new guy moved in…
I’ve been imagining what he’s like.
All anyone really knows is that he seems to enjoy keeping to himself.
I grab my phone to text him, but stop short as I realize something.
It must be the books I ordered.
Books with titles like “Adventurous Sex” and “The Pleasure Map.”
What if the new guy accidentally opened it up?
What if he thinks I’m the building’s resident perv?
I consider the scenario for one more minute…
If he can’t get down with a writer in need of inspiration…
Hazel
Hi! This is Hazel from 21C.
Hazel
Thanks for keeping my package safe 😀
Felix
😁 I didn’t want to just dump it in front of your door.
Felix
But I have to apologize…
Felix
I should have looked at the name on the label before I opened the box.
Felix
I thought it was a delivery that I’VE been expecting.
Felix
But just so you know, I barely saw the book covers 🙈
A bit of embarrassment creeps into my cheeks.
Hazel
I write articles about the singles scene—
Hazel
And I was hoping those books would spark some ideas.
Hazel
I’m sure not getting any out in the real world!
That didn’t come out quite right.
Hazel
What I meant to say is that I’m not getting any IDEAS.
Although I haven’t been getting any sex for a while either.
I’ve been too busy writing about everyone ELSE’s love life.
Luckily Felix seems to be a gentleman.
Felix
So your articles are basically about being a single woman?
Hazel
Yup. And the writing comes much easier when I’m actually dating.
Wow. I’m really going full throttle on the truth bombs.
Hazel
I think I just told you that I haven’t been on a date in a while 😬
Felix
Well, you aren’t the only one 😀
That would be EXCELLENT for my article…
Felix
I wouldn’t necessarily say that.
Hazel
Then what keeps you so occupied that you never come out of your apartment?
Hazel
LOL, I hate to tell you, but…
Hazel
There’s a rumor going around the building that you’re some kind of nocturnal creature.
Felix
Oh yeah? People are talking?
Hazel
They even gather around the mailboxes to trade theories about you 🤔
Felix
Would you happen to be one of those people?
Newsflash — WE ARE FLIRTING!
I hope I’m not too out of practice to keep his interest.
This article could be killer.
Hazel
I never partake in the gossip…
Hazel
But my favorite new theory is that you’re a homebound senior citizen.
Hazel
Maybe if you told me your age I could correct their assumptions?
Felix
Okay. I’m older than a zygote and younger than the pyramids of Egypt.
Hazel
Haha. But that still puts you in the senior citizen zone.
Felix
Then how about this — I have a 1992 bottle of port that shares a birthday with me.
That would make him 26, a year older than me.
I’m liking the new guy more and more…
So much that I suddenly wish I weren’t just pursuing an article.
More and more I’ve come to realize that I want to be in the center of romance…
Not on the sidelines, writing about it.
I want something…this, maybe…to be real for once.
Hazel
Okay, we’ve established that you’re NOT a senior citizen.
Hazel
But there are even more sinister theories about you.
Hazel
A few of your neighbors think you might be hiding something…
Hazel
And that’s why you’re secretive.
Felix
Well, THAT theory really builds me up to be more exciting than I am 🧛♂️
Felix
Do you want to know the drab truth?
Felix
I merely work from home.
Felix
Between that and moving in, I haven’t had time to officially meet anyone.
Felix
But I HAVE seen a few neighbors around…
Hazel
I’m the girl who looks like Gigi Hadid.
Hazel
I’m the blonde with short hair who wears boho dresses.
Felix
You…wouldn’t happen to own a pair of fringe boots, would you?
Felix
My desk is by my window, and…
Felix
I saw you walking into the building yesterday.
Did he get totally turned off when he saw me yesterday?
I know I’m no Gigi Hadid…
But I’ve never actually scared a guy away before.
Then a new text comes in.
Felix
So, Hazel, I gotta say…
Felix
I’m pretty surprised you’re in a funk when it comes to dating…
Felix
How are guys not knocking down your Tinder door?
Is he saying he likes what he saw?
My veins thrum with heat.
Hazel
Haha, well to start, I’m not on Tinder.
Hazel
And maybe I haven’t been dating because…
Hazel
Every time I meet someone…
Hazel
I’m trying to get an article out of them.
Felix
Just like you’re doing with me?
Hazel
I WAS thinking of writing about 'How To Meet the New Guy in the Building.''
Felix
Let’s just say I’ve done my share of studying people too.
Felix
That sounded creepy…
Felix
I meant that I do a lot of research for my own job.
Felix
I think I’ve gotten into the habit of watching the dating scene from a distance.
Hazel
Felix, what exactly do you do for a living?
Felix
Get ready to be bored once again…
Felix
I’m a sociology research assistant at the university.
Felix
So I get how you may have gotten jaded after being a professional observer.
Felix
I’ve been watching how people relate to one another in social situations for so long…
Felix
Almost nothing feels genuine anymore.
Felix
You could even say that I’ve been looking for inspiration too.
There’s a knock at my door.
Adrenaline blasts through me.
I scurry to the door and smooth down my skirt.
When I open the door, the air catches in my lungs.
A gorgeous guy with olive skin, thick black hair, and dark eyes is standing there…
He has a box tucked under one arm.
He offers me an unsure grin…
And slides his phone into his jeans pocket.
Hazel
You’re the new guy?
Felix
And you’re the girl in the fringe boots.
He looks at me so intensely that a nervous knot forms in my stomach.
Felix
Listen, I just wanted to tell you this face-to-face…
Felix
When I saw you through the window, I realized—
Felix
I’ve been studying relationships for so long that I’ve stopped experiencing them.
Felix
And I want that again…
Felix
More than anything.
Felix
Then you texted me today, and…
Felix
For the first time in a while, I felt excited.
My pulse is racing even faster now.
Felix
The entire time we’ve been texting…
Felix
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to actually meet you.
My heart flutters madly at this turn of events.
I’ve met so many men at bars and hook-up scenes for the sake of research…
It’s as if I’m meeting this guy for real.
An odd shyness takes over me.
Hazel
So…if I wanted to do more research about how to meet the new guy in my building…
Hazel
You’d help me out with that?
As he offers the package to me, our fingers brush…
A burst of heat rocks me.
And from the way his gaze burns into mine…
I think I’m about to live my very own story—
And it feels like I’ve been waiting forever.
Hazel
Well, new guy, I’ve got a bottle of port in my cupboard.
He runs his thumb over mine.
Felix
Is that an invitation?
My skin is still vibrating as I finally take the package from him…
And step aside, silently inviting him in.
He slowly walks into my apartment.
As I close the door behind me, my gaze settles on his.
He sends me a slow, sly grin…
And it’s all the inspiration I could ever asked for.
