Chapter Text
February had this freshness in the air on Paradis island. It was not as cold as the mainland, but it was still slightly chilly. Spring flowers were blooming in the small squares on the sidewalks. The trees were still bare but the first signs of spring were appearing. Some hyacinths and narcissus were bringing color on the grayish pavement. You looked around, then glanced at your phone, and then back to looking around.
‘This should be the address’, you thought, rotating the phone around. But the number on the building was not the same as the address on your phone. ‘Shitty maps…’, you mumbled below your nose and looked around. Feeling a bit lost and confused by the streets, which reminded you of the webs of a drunk spider, you put your phone away and grabbed the handles of your two huge suitcases. Most of your possessions were magically stuffed in those, probably weighing around 30 kg each. The exhaustion was growing, but you had to find your damned building. You saw a woman with a child walking down the street towards you. Politely stopping them, you asked for directions. She smiled, looked at the phone and explained that the building you were looking for was brand new and probably not on the maps yet. Thankfully, it was just 2 more minutes walk. You thanked her and continued following the new directions. Finally standing in front of your building, it was the same as the photos. It was indeed new, 15 floors with large windows. You had rented a small, one bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen, but with a nice size living room. It was slightly above your budget, as you were just starting your career, but your company was quite accommodating, helping you out with relocation costs. You already worked for them remotely for a few months and they were very happy with your performance. After you told them that you were looking to relocate, your manager arranged the moving and slightly higher salary.
You finally entered the building using the chip that was sent to you a few days before traveling to Paradis. The lobby was not too big, filled with a row of post boxes and 2 elevators. You walked to them and pressed the button. Waiting a couple of minutes, but none of them were opening. You started angrily pushing the buttons but your frustration just grew bigger as none of the elevators came. After a few swears, you heard a person behind you. A tall blond with sharp features on his face. He looked well built and muscular, a real heartthrob. You kinda checked him out and a small smile appeared on your face. He was also curiously looking at you and waved. You opened your mouth, but he spoke first.
“Don’t tell me the elevator is out again… It is a new building, how can it be so broken” he exhaled and scratched his beard. “You must be a new neighbor. You are quite unlucky. Nice to meet you, I’m Reiner”, he extended his hand to greet you.
You smiled and also moved your hand, but realized it was quite clammy from pulling the suitcases and you wiped it on your jacket before shaking his hand.
“Hi, yes. It’s my first day here, just moved from the mainland. I'm Lea, nice to meet you, Reiner!”, His hand was big and the skin was rough, but he was gentle with yours.
“Well, I see that you are having a bit of trouble now. Do you need help with your suitcases?” He asked politely. Everyone was so nice here, from the bus driver at the airport, the woman on the street and now the new neighbor, unlike most people on the mainland. There everyone was always rushing, busy and rude. But those suitcases were heavy and you knew that you would be struggling bringing them up the stairs, but also felt awkward for making your hot neighbor carry your luggage.
“Oh! Thank you so much, but they are so heavy! I don’t want to bother you”
“Nonsense, going to the gym almost everyday has to have some benefits”, he said and grabbed the suitcases like they were filled with cotton and started climbing the stairs.
‘Well, besides looking like a living sculpture, I guess this is also a benefit, you thought and chuckled quietly.
“Thank you so much, Reiner, I would have struggled a lot with this.” You said and remembered that your new apartment was on the 10th floor. You told him, hoping he will not regret his decision to help.
“So we are also floor neighbors, and don’t worry, it is a good workout.” He laughed, but by the fifth floor you were already breathing like you have smoked for 20 years. He was still going strong and encouraging you to continue. Finally reaching the 10th floor, he placed the suitcases on the floor and started rolling them.
“Which is your apartment?” he asked loudly as you were still climbing the stairs. Your body finally came out of the staircase and you put your hands on your knees, barely breathing. You could not say much for a bit, just pointing into the right direction. He laughed, which made your cheeks fire up. They were already red from the small workout but now you were embarrassed as well.
“Damn, that felt … like climbing a mountain … Does this happen often?” You asked, taking a deep breath. “1010 it’s the number”, remembering his question. “I need to start working out again … I was so busy with graduating and life…”
“Well, it’s not that often, but it is good cardio. Here you go.”He stopped in front of the door and moved away so you could open it. You fished the key out of your backpack and opened the door. Your apartment was small, but the large windows made it very bright and it seemed so cozy. A large smile appeared on your face stepping inside, he followed you in with the suitcases. You remembered he was there and immediately turned to take the luggage.
“Again, thank you so much, Reiner! You are an amazing neighbor! Do you have any plans for tonight, I would like to treat you to dinner for this”, your breathing was finally normal and you sounded so energetic.
“Don’t have to do that! I just wanted to help a fellow neighbor.” He smiled and scratched the back on his head. His smile was warm and welcoming. You already felt at home there.
“I don’t have anything to eat anyways and it’s almost time for dinner. Maybe you can show me a nice place around?”, you smi;ed and he finally agreed. You told him that you will meet him in half an hour as the night was approaching and your stomach was making awkward sounds, but you wanted to check your new home out. He went to his apartment and you walked around to get a feeling of your space. It was already furnished with a couch, a sofa, a small coffee table facing the balcony. You walked outside, looking at the view. There was a park closeby, a neighborhood with houses and a few other larger buildings. You had a great view of the sunset as the sky was starting to turn a shade of pink. You breathed in and out, closing your eyes. It was so different already. The calmness, the view, the cozyness. You went back in, walked to the kitchen, checking out the appliances. Afterwards, you looked for the bathroom, which had a bathtub, so nice. You never had one before, couldn’t wait to try it out later that night. Then you walked to the bedroom, which had a huge bed, almost talking up the whole space, a wardrobe and a dresser. There was another window facing the same direction as the balcony. You jumped on the bed, which was just the right amount of hardness. You lied down and closed your eyes. Inhaled, exhaled, again and again. You felt calm and you might even call it happy. You knew it would be challenging to find new friends, but you were hopeful, anyone would be better than the ones from your past. Some bitter memories flashed through your head but you managed to shake them off. You wanted to leave those feelings behind, you didn’t want to bring that type of luggage with you, you already had enough on your plate.
You got up and went to refresh yourself before going for dinner. The 30 minutes passed quickly and you heard a knock on the door. You took your keys and wallet before running out. Reiner had changed to a leather jacket and black jeans, which showed his muscles. He looked so yummy, but no, no, ‘I am not looking for a boyfriend right now, stop having dirty thoughts!’ you tried to disperse any naughty ideas from your head. You needed time to adjust and heal before jumping into anything. Reiner went to press the button of the elevator and you heard it moving.
“Now you are working, useless elevator.”, he laughed and stepped into it when the doors opened. You followed him into the elevator. The ride down was a bit awkward, but while walking outside, you started chatting a bit more about each other. You learnt that he worked as a detective, which explained his good shape. You told him that you graduated graphic design just a few months ago and explained where your new office was, which was actually close to his work as well. Soon you arrived in front of a pizza place and went in. He told you that those were the best pizza for their price and he often ordered dinner after long shifts. You sat inside and both ordered some food. While eating, he gave you more tips and tricks around the city. Shiganshina was considered a large city for the island, but it was nothing compared to the cities on the mainland. It was comparably quieter and it had a lot of tram lines around, so the car traffic was less. You saw a lot of people on bikes and scooters, so you considered getting one for yourself. Reiner told you where to find cheap groceries, restaurants, bars, even offered to take you out, but you politely declined. You didn’t want to mislead him into some kind of wrong expectations or ideas.
After finishing your dinner, he tried to cover the check, but you almost fought him for it, since it was your treat. You finally managed to get a hold of the check and headed out. It was already dark and you usually avoided walking home during that time, but this time you had a policeman walking with you, couldn’t be any safer.
“Maybe you are the right person to ask this, is it a safe city? In my college city, it was quite the trouble to walk home alone at night.” You asked him in between your conversation.
He explained that the crime rate was quite low, with occasional shoplifting, some DUIs, vandalism, but nothing exciting as he described it. Well, his boredom was your relief. Now you could walk with confidence to your office day and night. You went back to the apartments, the elevator was still working, thankfully, as you were exhausted. He made sure you got into your apartment and went into his. You closed the door and thought that he was one of the nicest people you had ever met. It was a good first day on the island, but you just wanted to get that bath as you planned. You turned on the tap and while it was filling, you started unpacking a little, getting out your towels and some clothes. The rest of your belongings were going to arrive in a few days, as they were being shipped from your old place.
The bath was finally full and you practically jumped into it. The warm water hugged your body, relaxing your muscles. Everything felt different already, you just hoped for it to continue like that, because you could not go back, it was too much, it was painful, but you were hopeful. You knew that you could not hate every single person, due to the pain inflicted on you by a few people. You were hopeful that you will find different people here, better ones.
Time passed, while lost in hopes and dreams. The water became lukewarm and you began shivering a little. You decided it was time to go to bed and you got up, rinsing your body and heading to the bedroom. You set an alarm for the morning, earlier than your usual wake-up time, but you had to fish out your clothes from the suitcases and head to your first day in the office. You made the bed with fresh new sheets and tugged yourself in. There was no better feeling than sleeping on fresh bedding. The tiredness quickly swept you into dreamland and everything became quiet.