Not long after, I started a new life.
I moved back to the small house where my mom and I once lived. It had been years since I last came here.
Being back made me feel at ease.
The house was old, and shortly after I moved in, the lights went out because of aging electrical circuits.
Late at night, I grabbed a flashlight and climbed onto a small stool to fix the fuse box.
“Let me help you.” A sudden voice broke the silence, startling me.
I almost fell off the stool, but a man’s hand caught me mid-air, holding me steady.
I recognized him—it was Jason.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I just moved back. I’m living in 405,” he replied.
It turned out he was living in the apartment across from mine.
I thought about how, despite the property management not cleaning the halls daily, the trash bags I left outside my door had mysteriously disappeared.
I had assumed some creepy person had been sneaking around and was planning to install surveillance cameras in the corridor.
“Oh my god! Don’t tell me you were the one taking out my trash?”
He explained that he just had a habit of doing things like that.
I mumbled quietly, “Guess I don’t need those cameras anymore.”
“What?” Jason leaned in, thinking I had something to tell him.
“Thank you. The lights should be working now,” I said, quickly retreating.
Jason stood there, wanting to say more but stopping himself.
“It’s probably a power outage for the whole building…” he muttered as I walked away.
Back home, I realized my face was burning.
But this was an old neighborhood. How could someone as wealthy as Jason choose to live here?
Before I could figure it out, I found myself in a good mood, knowing my relationship with him had progressed.
Then another incident happened.
I was in the middle of taking a shower when the water suddenly stopped. The first person I thought of was Jason.
“Mr. Lister, is your water out too? I was showering, and now I’m covered in soap with no water to rinse it off.”
His gentle voice came through the phone.
“Don’t worry. It’s probably a problem with your water valve. You can shower at my place for now.”
“That’s… not really appropriate. I—”
