Thank you for all your kind words so far - I really appreciate it!
It had already been over a few weeks since two quick knocks had landed on the front door and nearly made her jump out of her seat in surprise. At the time she'd been so preoccupied watching the out-of-place black town car pull away from the curb that she hadn't even heard anyone walking in the hallway, but she'd been beyond curious as to who might be looking for her at that hour. Not even at that hour - who was looking for her, period? In the three years she'd lived in the building, she couldn't remember one time someone had knocked on her door.
When she'd found Yang standing on the other side of the door, her chest had immediately filled with butterflies. Something about the girl made her feel so...alive and connected. And while she might have initially been a little disappointed that Yang had only come over to borrow some salt, Blake was still inexplicably thrilled that the blonde had sought her out at all.
As promised, Yang had returned the salt shaker the very next day and then posed one question about what kind of books Blake liked to read before leaving again. That third interaction had been just as exciting as the first two, yet left her with a lingering wish for more time together. There were a lot of questions Blake would love to ask Yang, if given the opportunity.
While the dinner Yang had initially mentioned never seemed to materialize, whether because Blake hadn't seemed too enthusiastic about it when Yang had first brought it up or because Blake was the one who never brought up the subject again, she didn't know. But even if dinner never happened, her little corner of the apartment building had suddenly become a lot more lively.
It wasn't as if she had suddenly become best friends with her new neighbors, but she...well, they always seemed to be around. They passed in the hallway or outside on the sidewalk. She could vaguely hear them through their shared walls. And she could absolutely hear them when they walked past her front door. A few weeks ago she would have considered the extra noise and personal interactions to be a nuisance, but now that she'd gotten used to their presence it was actually comforting, in a way. With Ruby and Yang just a wall away, Blake felt like she was less...alone.
Somehow, Blake and Ruby seemed to have a very similar schedule - meaning that they ran into each other in the hallway fairly often. Actually...it was Ruby who normally ran into Blake, quite literally. The brunette seemed to have only one speed, which was somewhere between a fast jog and all out sprint. Blake had quickly learned to listen for the sound of feet racing down the hall before turning any corners lest the girl be flying towards her accompanied by the pint sized bundle of energy which was Zwei.
While Ruby was always running around, Yang traveled at a much more leisurely pace. Just a couple of times Blake and Yang had ended up taking the stairs together - the blonde also complaining about how slowly the elevators operated in the building. In those fleeting instances they spent together Yang would ask Blake a couple of questions - non-prying ones like how her day had been and if she was enjoying the wonderful weather outside. But then they would reach Blake's doorway and Yang would easily detach herself from the conversation and walk away with a friendly wave and 'see ya later' as she went.
There was so much Blake wanted to know about the blonde, but she could never summon the courage to ask anything more personal than 'how was your day?'
While she'd learned very little about Yang, she had managed to determine the identity of the wealthy stranger who always arrived by black town car - the vehicle drawing immediate attention whenever it pulled to a stop in front of their building.
The girl's name was Weiss - a piece of information gathered through overheard conversations in the hall. Weiss turned out to be Ruby's...somewhat bossy...girlfriend. She came over often - nearly everyday. But instead of waiting in the car for Ruby to come downstairs, Weiss always came inside - walking right up to the door to retrieve Ruby, loud heels clicking down the hallway the entire time. The pair would squabble often - or, through the door it sounded more like Weiss scolding Ruby over something or another while they made their way back downstairs.
From what was overheard, Blake would never have concluded that the two were a couple. It was what she saw when they got outside the building that had solidified that knowledge. Before getting into the car to be driven wherever they were going the two girls would kiss.
Every single time.
And not a friendly 'good to see you again' peck on the cheek. Chaste and tender, it was still easy to tell that there were feelings between the two that were much deeper and stronger than the overheard conversations would suggest. It was sweet and adorable and completely undid every assumption Blake had made about the girl through sharp quips heard through the apartment door.
And it made her heart race - from how adorable it was, but also because it was usually at these times, when Ruby was away, that -
A double knock on the door immediately drew her complete attention away from the window - the sound familiar in its light-hearted succinctness. Using a bookmark to save her place, she willingly abandoned the novel on the side table in favor of walking quickly to the door, her nerves building with every step. Stopping for one second to check her reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall, she briefly ran one hand through her raven waves in an attempt to smooth them.
Resigned that this was as good as it would get without putting in some serious primping time, she unlocked the door and pulled it open without even bothering to check who was on the other side.
"Hey, Blake!"
A flush immediately took up residency on her cheeks, as it always did when Yang smiled at her so happily. Hopefully the shade looked so normal by now that Yang believed it was how Blake normally looked and didn't suspect it had anything to do with their meetings.
"Hello, Yang," she replied quietly, her own smile surely paltry when compared to the blonde's megawatt grin. "What can I help you with today?"
For a moment, Yang just grinned at Blake in this incessantly ecstatic way that seemed to appear whenever she smiled. It was only when she tilted her head slightly in confusion that Yang seemed to remember the purpose for her visit.
"Oh!" the girl responded with a small start and tap to the forehead. "I was wondering if you, maybe, had a pineapple and...a whisk I could borrow?"
A smile pulled even harder at the corners of her mouth, a small laugh threatening to escape.
"I actually do have those things," she replied, stepping away from the door and gesturing for Yang to come inside. It was only with the invitation that Yang stepped carefully through the door and stood in the very middle of the room, swinging her arms while lilac eyes scanned the apartment carefully.
Yang always did this - standing in the same place as if not wanting to unwittingly disturb any of Blake's belongings with the added presence. But at the same time, Yang looked around so intently - like she was trying to memorize the interior. For the life of her, Blake couldn't figure out what Yang could possibly find that was so intriguing, but it was flattering all the same. And it had only been very recently that Yang would even set foot inside the door, so this was progress more than anything else.
"So...reading anything good?" Yang asked, nodding towards the book sitting by Blake's chair.
"The third book in the series - more knights and battles over kingdoms," she replied knowing that Yang would understand what she was referring to. Just last week she'd given the girl a quick recap of the first two books, after all.
"You'd think they'd of run out of kings to kill by now!"
"Now they're chasing down princes," she replied with a grin - for just the briefest of moments standing right in front of Yang in the middle of the living room. Her breath caught in her throat when Yang looked down at her with a warm smile that melted its way through to her heart.
"Well, sounds like a bloody good time," Yang quipped with a quick grin before looking down at the ground, shuffling her feet, and letting out a soft cough. "Anyway...what'll you read next? After you finish this series, I mean?"
"I have a few options...depends on what mood I'm in." Also sitting on the side table by her reading chair was a stack of new books that were already waiting for her to choose from. "I have science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, romance…" trailing off, she turned back at Yang only to find the girl staring intently at the books from across the room. "Any suggestions?"
"Oh, romance! Definitely romance," Yang replied before her eyes widened. "I-I mean, if you're into that type of thing."
The comment made Blake's cheeks flush. Was Yang asking if she liked reading romance stories...or if she was interested in romance in general?
This time she was the one who coughed lightly into her hand before replying.
"I...I mean, I bought the book so...I guess you could say I'm 'into' that type of...story."
The response made Yang chuckle and lean over to gently nudge Blake's shoulder with her own.
"Who isn't, right?"
Yang's eyes twinkled down at her - more enrapturing than a night sky filled with stars. If she could, Blake would spend all day staring into those eyes...except Yang would probably think that was little strange. But even now, Blake could feel herself being drawn in...
Breaking the gaze, Blake was finally able to gather her thoughts. There had been a purpose for walking inside, but she had forgotten it - ah! Yang had asked to borrow some things - Blake should probably go get those before she took anymore of Yang's time.
"I'll go get those things you asked for," she finally said before forcing herself into the kitchen to escape the magnetic pull emanating from the blonde.
As usual, Yang turned towards the kitchen to watch Blake move about, but didn't follow her any further than the edge of the living room. Feeling lilac eyes trace her every move, Blake tried to look calm and composed while pulling open multiple drawers to find the whisk she hardly ever used. After finding it in the bottom drawer of the island, she reached out to grab the pineapple that had been sitting on the counter untouched ever since she'd brought it home from the grocery store last week. She'd never thought she'd need it, but now she was glad she'd bought it.
"Ouch!" she gasped in quiet surprise, snatching her hand away from the fruit when the leaves jabbed into her fingertips. Glancing towards Yang to confirm that she had, in fact, caught Blake's mistake, she quickly picked up the pineapple from the bottom and carried it to the living room to present to Yang.
"Watch where you hold it," she warned. "Those spikes can be quite...spiky."
Internally she groaned at the lame choice of words, but in the moment her mind had completely blanked on anything wittier to say.
"Thanks for the warning!" Yang replied while carefully taking the fruit from Blake and balancing it in the palm of one hand and holding the whisk in the other. "I'll make sure to...prick my spot carefully."
Yang's eyes positively sparkled at the joke, the accompanying grin growing when Blake laughed in surprise at the unexpected bit of humor. Whenever Yang told any type of joke, Blake felt, for that brief instant, like they were closer than neighbors - like they were friends who could make jokes and laugh with one another, enjoying each other's company.
But the moment disappeared when Yang's eyes flitted to the front door and back.
"Anyway...I should probably get going...but you're the best!" The compliment only managed to increase the flush on Blake's face, but Yang was already walking towards the door so hopefully hadn't noticed. Blake trailed close behind, her disappointment at their abbreviated interaction growing with each step.
"I'll get them back to you as soon as possible!"
"Take your time," she replied while the blonde stepped out into the hall. It wasn't like she used a whisk...ever. And the pineapple she hadn't even known how to cut open, much less what she would eat it with.
With another grin and a wink thrown in for good measure, Yang turned and walked the few feet to next door. Before heading inside, Yang turned back to Blake one last time, smiling widening before finally disappearing from view. It was only then that Blake stepped back into her own apartment and closed the door.
Yang never lingered too long, which was always unsatisfying in a way. It didn't seem like the girl had anywhere to be, but...it felt more like Yang didn't want to impose on Blake's personal space for too long. She really wouldn't mind if their visits lasted longer though; after all, it was only due to these sporadic encounters that she'd begun buying the most random assortment of fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. She wanted to have whatever Yang happened to be asking for, if only so that they would have the opportunity to talk for a few more minutes.
But maybe Yang didn't want Blake to get the wrong idea about the constant visits...or maybe Yang was merely just in need of these items and Blake was the kind neighbor who was always willing to lend a hand. It was strange though...because when Yang said 'borrow,' the girl truly meant borrow. Everything would be returned either later today or sometime tomorrow, seemingly untouched.
Trying not to be nosy, Blake had never asked what Yang needed all these things for - likely just how Yang probably didn't want to pry into Blake's life, as well. But she was immeasurably curious…she'd tried to come up for a few rational explanations by now, the best of which was that Yang might be a fruit photographer or she posed for professional portraits while holding the various fruits. Hopefully fully clothed, but -
Squashing that train of thought before she went too far down the rabbit hole, she also tried to quell the excitement Yang's visits elicited. Blake didn't want to be that person - the neighbor who developed a crush on a girl who was being nothing but friendly. This was the first time in her life when she would honestly say that she might read too much. Just because Yang came over to borrow things all the time didn't mean that she liked Blake in that way. This wasn't a romantic novel - this was real life. Not even real life, this was Blake's life. And that type of storyline didn't happen to her, period.
Still...if she was forced to be honest with herself, she would admit that her feelings for Yang were a bit more than just neighborly. And in her imagination, which had been running rampant the past few weeks, she couldn't help but dream that Yang felt the same.
"Who are you kidding…" she quietly chided herself. "You're her neighbor, nothing more."
That's what she kept telling herself, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind that kept insisting what a great love story it would be. Two strangers who happen to become next door neighbors - destined to be together, they quickly fall in love and embark upon their new life together, filled with adventures and happiness and -
"I read too many stories," she surmised with a groan. Walking back to the window, she sank into the chair and picked up the book to carry on where she'd just left off. But with a section of her mind still replaying each second she'd just spent with Yang, her attention never fully returned to the story in front of her.