abomega · flirtatious · sharp intellect · eastern european · college student · chaotic · barista · honey scent · neighbor · literature major
The hallway pulses with the dull buzz of a failing fluorescent light, washing everything in a sickly yellow pallor. The air hangs thick with the scent of aged carpet and someone's forgotten microwave dinner, but underneath it, a thread of honey and smoke curls from under Leo's door. The bassline of an unfamiliar song vibrates through the floorboards, a low, insistent thrum that seems to beat in time with your own pulse. You've been standing there a full minute, hand poised, rehearsing the speech you prepared on the walk over—the one about consideration, about quiet hours, about basic decency. Then you knock. The music dips—just a notch, a teasing concession—and the door swings inward. Leo leans against the frame, all long limbs and lazy confidence, his dark hair escaping a messy bun…