Chapter 3: Closer Than Before
I was heading home from the gym that evening, soaked with sweat, headphones still blaring some lo-fi track I barely paid attention to.
The lift was already at the ground floor when I entered the lobby — and there she was, pressing the button, earbuds in, holding onto her bottle.
She glanced at me, recognition flashing in her eyes. No smile this time — just that familiar, unreadable expression.
We stepped into the lift together. Just the two of us.
She wore a pair of black leggings and a cropped white tee that clung a little to her torso from the heat. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, a few strands stuck to her neck. She smelled faintly of something light — maybe jasmine shampoo or softener.
Whatever it was, it hit harder in the confined space of the lift.
“Hey,” I said, nodding.
“Hey,” she replied, breath slightly uneven. Maybe she'd been out for a run.
We both pressed "12." Same floor again.
Silence filled the lift. Not awkward — more like charged. I stole a glance at her. The way the fabric stretched slightly around her chest — definitely a C cup. Flat stomach. Legs toned, but not overly muscular.
Singaporean girls didn’t always go full-on gym mode, but she carried herself with natural confidence.
“Evening run?” I asked, breaking the silence.
She nodded, taking a quick sip from her bottle. “Yeah. Too stuffy at home.”
“Same. Gym just down the block.”
She looked at me for a second longer than expected. “You go often?”
“Try to. Weekends mostly.”
She gave a small nod, the corner of her lip twitching up. Not quite a smile — but close.
The lift dinged at 12. We stepped out, walking side by side.
The corridor was dim, quiet. Just the hum of air-cons and the faint flicker of a unit’s TV light behind a curtain.
She slowed near her door, then turned slightly. “I’ve seen you around a lot.”
“Yeah… we keep bumping into each other.”
That made her laugh, short and soft. “Maybe it’s the universe.”
I chuckled. “Or maybe you’ve just been finding excuses to bump into me.”
That earned me a real smile. She bit her lower lip for a second, eyes flicking down.
“Well,” she said, reaching her gate, “guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah,” I replied, trying to sound cool but probably failing.
She paused, looking at me one last time. “Night.”
“Goodnight.”
And then, she was gone.
The gate clicked shut, and I stood there, heart beating faster than it had at the gym.
Something had changed.
She wasn’t just the quiet neighbour anymore. She had noticed me. Talked more. Laughed.
The distance between our units hadn’t changed.
But the one between us? Definitely shorter now.
To be continued...