A new neighbor

It’s a knock at the door at nine that takes me by surprise. I look to Emma, who’s currently sitting on the couch and watching television. She’s dressed in some really short shorts with a loose fitting shirt that exposed one shoulder. Both of our works haven’t started yet, so it’s been a chill morning. We’re lucky to have later jobs.

“Were you expecting anyone?” I ask.

“No.” She shakes her head.

I stand up, approaching the front door. Peeking through the eye hole, I see Asher of all people standing there.

What’s he doing here?

“Emma, it’s Asher!” I call out to her.

“Asher?!” She exclaims from the other room. Seems like she’s just as surprised as I am.

I hear her clamber to her feet before rushing next to me. I open the door, greeting Asher with a smile.

“Hey Asher.” I say. “What’re you doing here?”

“It’s nice to see you again John.” He smiles. “I actually just moved in three doors down. Emma recommend this apartment when I told her I was looking for a new place.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Emma nervously replies, looking away from Asher. Yep, she’s definitely still nervous around new people.

“I thought I’d greet you two since we’re now neighbors.” Asher stated. “Though I gotta go, I need to unpack as much as I can before my bartending shift.”

“Do you need help?” Emma meekly asks.

That’s my girlfriend, so kind and helpful to strangers even when shy around them!

“I would love help if you wouldn’t mind.” Asher gently smiles.

“I’ll help too.” I grin.

We leave our apartment, following Asher into his. It looks pretty similar to our own, other than the fact that there’s a ton of boxes everywhere.

“I’m going to start with my bedroom.” Asher states. “Could you help me, Emma?”

“Oh, of course.” Emma meekly replies.

You’re so kind, Emma! Asher must need help since his bedroom probably has the most boxes.

“And could you unpack the boxes in the living room?” He then asks me.

I look over to the two boxes sitting in the living room.

“I gotcha man.” I nod.

“Thanks.” He smiles, walking through the hallway and then turning right into a room. Emma follows him into his bedroom, leaving me in the living room.

I start unpacking the boxes, humming to myself as I pull the different items out. It doesn’t take too long, but only because one of the boxes is a disassembled table. The instructions are here too. Maybe I should check with Asher if he’d like me to start building it.