I'm writing I'm writing holy shit I'm writing again guys GUYS I'M WRITING i don't even care how it turns out I'M WRITING

Small Talk

It had been a year since he moved into the new apartment at South Ashfield Heights, and so far nothing incredibly notable had happened in Henry's life other than the shifting of faces he was used to seeing frequently. Faces were really all they were to him; he could name a few of them or even recount a few short conversations composed entirely of small talk, but that was the extent of his knowledge of his fellow tenants. He was content with it being that way. No extra drama slipped into his quiet life and at the same time he avoided having to deal with potentially unpleasant people. Not all the residents in South Ashfield Heights seemed to give any consideration about their neighbors, and from some gossip he overheard at the mailboxes Henry had decided he was glad he lived at the end of the hall on the third floor.

Everything seemed well with his apartment, room 302. No one was occupying 301 on the ultimate end of the hall, and the girl living alone in 303 was often happy and considerate which meant that Henry would be having no troubles with his neighbors like he did in his last apartment. On top of that, though the place seemed dirty and old there was no sign of decay or breakdown. Everything worked relatively smoothly, there were no traces of mold or pests, and though sometimes the air seemed stuffy and there was an odd smell on warm days it was a decent room for a low price.

It just seemed weird to him that he was getting sick, and it seemed to only happen when he was in or near his apartment.

The cold was mild but had been getting progressively worse over the past 4 days. First it was a cough, then a stuffy nose followed by blocked ears and a sore throat. As soon as he would step outside to go to work it would almost vanish, leaving nothing but a dull fading ache in his sinuses that he soon brushed off as he went through his day. It didn't really bother him much, sure it was annoying but he was confident he would eventually get over it (though he had set aside some money for the moment just in case he really needed to go to the doctor).

Today was different. He had woken up refreshed, relative to the previous few days, and as the day went on his head seemed to clear completely. Hell, he would even say he felt chipper as he got back to South Ashfield Heights.

That is, until he turned down the hallway to his room.

He couldn't even say it started with a small ache or even something that gradually grew in his temples. The pain hit him as though he had stepped in front of a train and he was instantly blinded from the force. Red shades of color flashed across what little he could see and he dropped to his knees, holding his head in agony. Panic raced through whatever part of him remained coherent through the pain. Was he having a stroke? Did someone attack him from behind? Or did something fall from the ceiling?

Crumpled against the wall, Henry's breath came in pained spurts, his fingers digging deeper and deeper into his scalp. He tried to focus, bring one thing back at a time—his vision, he needed his vision. Carefully he tried to open his eyes, seeing blurred dizzying shapes in front of him. Though he knew the hallway was gray and dull it seemed as though every color he could see was intensified. Whimpering he prayed that the massive headache would wane soon, at least enough so he could crawl to his bed and lay there pathetically until release found him.

"Hey! Hey, oh my god are you okay?"

Henry coughed as a hand touched his shoulder and a person appeared in his blurred vision. He groaned pitifully as a response; it was his next-door neighbor, the girl from 303. Far off in the depths of his brain he quietly cursed that he had not taken the time to remember her name as her other hand reached his other shoulder.

"Can you hear me? Blink."

Henry did, and he heard her breathe a minor sigh of relief, "Okay. That's good. Do you know what happened?"

"My head hurts," Henry managed to push out of his throat, although in actuality he could barely understand what he had said. Fortunately she seemed to get by on whatever he did actually utter as she rubbed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Out of nowhere, huh? Can you stand?" Her grip on his shoulders became firm as she slowly stood up, guiding him as she did so. His knees were wobbly and he needed to support himself with the wall, but it went more smoothly than he was fearing. As her hands fell from his shoulders and his vision cleared he could see her smiling in front of him. There was something behind the smile, a sort of friendly concern as he blinked back tears from the pain.

"Is the pain fading?" she asked, trying to look directly into his eyes. Slightly uncomfortable at the directness of her gaze, Henry mumbled a yeah and moved a hand to rub his eyes.

"What year is it?" she asked further. The strangeness of the question went over Henry's head as he struggled against the pounding beats in his ears and he answered her without much hesitation. The girl smirked and took his arm.

"I'll walk you the rest of the way, don't worry. You live in 302, right?"

"Yeah," Henry affirmed even though he thought it was weird that she would have to ask such a question since they were neighbors. Then again, maybe she paid just as much attention to the other tenants as he did, although that was something he was finding hard to believe as she happily led him to his door. Funny, he thought he'd never get here because his headache, though it was gradually subsiding, was still raging. Fishing his key out of his pocket, he noticed his fingers were trembling terribly as he tried to unlock his door. The girl watched his struggle quietly before asking her final question.

"How many kids do we have?"

The keys dropped to the floor as Henry let out a soft yelp of surprise. He felt his cheeks flush red as he simultaneously tried to look at her to see if she was serious as well as tried to hide from his embarrassment. She laughed, full and relieved, and she bent down to pick up the keys before he could.

"Relax, it's okay! I was just worried you had had a stroke. I think you're fine, but if you want to go to the hospital or urgent care or something I'll take you there." Smiling, she turned the key in the lock and opened the door for him.

Henry stared at the floor and waited for the heat to recede from his face. Who was this girl? How in the world could she offer the things she did? If she lived in South Ashfield Heights it meant she was looking for a cheaper apartment, which suggested that she didn't have extra money for gas especially if the trips were as frivolous as driving a sick neighbor whom she really hasn't even met to urgent care. Granted the closest urgent care center was located on the ground floor of St. Jerome's Hospital and that wasn't that far away, but still. On top of that, she looked young – fresh out of college, or maybe just barely graduating if she was going for a four year degree.

"Nice place," she complimented as they entered his tidy apartment. Words got stuck in his throat and he could only mutter a thankful mmm in reply. The girl turned to him.

"Are you okay? Er, do you feel like you're gonna be okay? Because I will drive you if you want to."

"No," Henry blurted without thinking, then looked at her with wide eyes as her expression turned worried, "N-No, I mean, I'm okay, I think. It's getting better."

The girl twisted her mouth at him, "Drink water, then, lots of water, and aspirin too,"

Her eyes suddenly lit up, "Oh—Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to barge into your room! I guess you can probably take care of yourself from here, huh?"

"It's okay...," Henry muttered as he shuffled into the small kitchen. Pulling out two glasses, he filled them both with water and turned around, offering one to her, "Thanks...,"

"Oh...Oh! No problem, you looked rather, well," she took the glass, "I was worried, I guess. Does this happen often?"

"No...," Henry confessed, "I was sick, for these last few days? That's about all I know." She was quiet, drinking the water as she gazed around his room. Henry watched her out of his peripheral anxiously. His neighbor was pretty, with vibrant green eyes and complimentary brown hair. She was comfortably dressed with a long-sleeved rich purple shirt and jeans, colors that would fit so well with the new spring buds on the trees outside. Her nose was cute too, and if he squinted Henry swore he could just barely make out freckles dotting the bridge.

"So, you're Henry, right?" she said, making him jump.

"Y-Yeah, Henry Townshend."

She smiled warmly at him, "I think I was out the few days you moved in, sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. I'm Eileen Galvin," she held out her hand. Fumbling with his glass for a moment, Henry took it, "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Henry agreed, "Thanks."

"If you need anything, I'll be next door. Well, I'll be busy the next few months though, I'm graduating soon."

"Congratulations," Henry said, a little bewildered at his current situation and still distantly aching. As she stared her eyes betrayed a certain kind of sympathy for him. Putting the empty glass on the counter-top she gave a kind smile and sincerely thanked him. Wishing him well, Eileen left his apartment. Henry listened for her door to open and close and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. She was graduating college and he was already in the range of his late twenties. Odd that he'd be admiring her beauty, especially when he's usually so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he rarely notices other people. Try as he might to only convince himself that it was his photographer's mind at work he couldn't believe the excuse – his true passion lied in scenery and nature, and did portraits only when he was looking for work.

He finished his glass and refilled it, trying to down it as quickly as possible. A nap wouldn't hurt to take his mind off of things. The chance that he would encounter his next-door neighbor in any other situation than a hallway passing was absurd. He supposed it didn't hurt to imagine every now and then, but he had always been rather down to earth if aloof.

Popping two aspirin, Henry laid down on his bed without bothering to change his clothes and promptly fell asleep. It was going to be his last dreamless sleep in a long time.