Standing in my doorway, the mysterious, and very handsome, man I met in elevator smiled down at me as I processed what he just said. Neighbor? This very very very attractive man is my neighbor? Two conflicted feelings came over me; I felt excited that he was my new neighbor, but there was also a feeling of fear. His deep dark eyes seemed to peer deep inside me as they connected with my own; I shivered from their intensity. Then, suddenly, a growl came from my stomach. My face flushed a deep red from embarrassment and the man started to laugh.    

            “You must be hungry,” he said while he continued to laugh. His deep velvet voice sounded so nice when he laughs, but as he continued to laugh, my cheeks became hotter. The man stepped to the side and gestured towards me. “Come, I will take you somewhere.” He gave me a dazzling smile. Regaining my composure, I shook my head.

            “There is no need,” I said when I finally regained my ability to speak. “I can go out myself.” The man shook his head and kept smiling at me.

            “You are new here so I will take you out,” he said. “Please.” With that last word, all my reasons to refuse vanished and I felt myself nod. I stepped out of my apartment, locked the door, and we headed towards the elevator. Walking next to him, I felt very intimidated and insecure; no one has ever made me feel this way before and, to be honest, it really irritates me. Frustration bubbled up inside me as I felt powerless next to my new neighbor.

Once we left the building, we walked down the street and stopped at a little restaurant. I don’t really remember the name since I was focused on the stares the two of us received on the street. Girl’s walked by with looks of awe and giddiness towards my neighbor, but I received evil stares filled with envy. The two of us sat down at the back corner of the restaurant and a pretty female waitress came to take our order. After receiving mine she turned towards my neighbor and froze. My neighbor gave her a dazzle smile and just ordered water. The waitress, who finally returned to normal, gave my neighbor a timid smile and walked away.

            “I am so sorry, I realized I never introduced myself,” said my neighbor. “My name is Kris.” He smiled at me as he leaned back comfortably in the chair. I could not relax; being with him made me on edge.

            “Nice to meet you,” I said. “My name is Jessica.” His smile grew and my confidence shriveled.

            “What a beautiful name.” His voice caressed my ears, but a small part of me still felt afraid. “Where are you from?”

            “I am from America,” I responded. His dark eyes became filled with curiosity with a hint of amusement. He was interested in me.

            “So you have just moved from America?” he asked. I nodded my head. “I never would have guessed since your Korean is so good.” I chuckled a little and smiled at him.

            “Thanks, my parents were from Korea so I have known Korean all my life.”

            “Were?” he asked. A pit formed in my stomach. I never like talking about my parents so I just looked down at my lap. Realizing what my silence meant, Kris changed the subject. “Why did you move here?” Once I regained my composure, I lifted my head and faced Kris.

            “My uncle,” I said. His eyebrows rose with interest. “My uncle lives here so I figured it would be a good idea to be close to family.” Sensing my distress about the topic, he stayed quiet until my food arrived. I ate my noodles very fast while Kris continued to sit silently. Watching me inhale my food, he looked at me with a look of intense curiosity within his dark eyes. After I finished eating, we left the restaurant. Kris paid for my food despite my protests. We walked side by side along the sidewalk in silence. Kris turned to say something but was cut off by a ringing sound that came from his pocket. We came to a stop as he grabbed his phone and turned away from me. Respecting his privacy, I turned towards the street and watched the cars and people that came by. The city is so lively, just like San Francisco, which made me feel a little bit better about moving. After hanging up, Kris came back to me.

            “Sorry, I have to leave,” he said. “That was work.” He gave me an apologetic look.

            “That’s okay, I should probably go home and unpack,” I said. Shrugging my shoulders, I tried to act nonchalant, but a part of me was disappointed. We parted ways on the street, and I trudged back to my apartment. I have never met a person that has made me feel so many emotions and feelings all the time. Just being with Kris makes me all confused, and I barely know him. I have never felt so unsure and insecure with someone, but I also felt happy. For the small amount of time I have spent with him, I have never felt so complicated.

            I rode up the elevator in silence while I pondered my own feelings. The smooth metal doors opened slowly and revealed some young woman banging on the door next to mine. She was thin with long black hair that reached her waist. She was dressed in a slim dark purple dress that barely covered her or her s. Wearing really high silver heels, she continued to bang her fist on the door.

            “Why won’t you return my calls,” she yelled to the dark wood door. I slowly crept down the hallway hoping that she wouldn’t notice me. The woman continued to bang her fists against the door while yelling. “I know you are there Kris.” Kris? I reached my door with the full intention of ignoring her, but that is kind of hard to do with the noise she is creating.

            “He is not there,” I said. The woman immediately stopped and turned slowly towards me. Her eyes were filled with frustration and anger.

            “Who are you?” she asked with anger. “Are you another woman?” She asked with pure hatred in her eyes. I put my hands up in surrender and shook my head.

            “No, I am his new neighbor,” I said. I held up my key and slowly unlocked my door in order to prove that I lived here. She eyed me suspiciously.

            “Then how do you know that he is not in?” she asked. I shrugged nonchalantly.

            “Because I saw him leave,” I answered.

            “So you were not just with him?” she grilled me. I wanted to say that I was, but I knew that the best way to diffuse this situation is to lie. I opened my mouth, but I was cut off.

            “So what if she was?” asked a smooth female voice that came from behind me. I turned and saw a beautiful young woman standing behind me. She had beautiful dark hair that was styled with perfect waves. She was dressed in jeans and a bright red jacket with knee high black boots. She also had flawless smooth skin, and her face was flawless as well. Her eyes seemed somewhat familiar as I stared at her. Her deep dark eyes stared at the other one with amusement. “What does it matter to you, Hana.” The woman named Hana’s look of fierceness turned to a look of fear.

            “What are you doing here Bora?” asked Hana. Bora gave Hana a sweet smile, but her eyes stayed cold.

            “I could ask you the same thing,” said Bora. “Especially since Kris has made it clear that he never wants to see you again.” Bora crossed her arms and Hana copied her. Hana tried to look intimidating, but she could not compete against Bora.

            “Well, he can’t get rid of me that easily,” huffed Hana. Bora’s smile disappeared as she stepped right in front of Hana.

            “Let me make this clear Hana,” growled Bora. “Kris doesn’t want to see you again so I better not see you here ever again.” Her voice was cold and fierce, I felt scared even though she wasn’t talking to me. Bora’s face stood within inches of Hana’s, and Hana looked like she was about to pee herself. I stood in awe at Bora. She looked so confident, fierce, and beautiful all at the same time. Hana then nodded her head and ran, well tried to since it was hard in her heels, for the elevator. Bora continued to give her an icy glare until the elevator doors shut. Then Bora’s face suddenly flashed into a smile as she turned towards me.

            “I am so sorry for this whole scene,” said Bora. “She is way too clingy and keeps bothering Kris.” All I could manage was a nod since I did not know what to make of this situation. Extending her hand towards me, Bora continued to smile her gorgeous smile.

            “I am Bora.” I took her hand and shook it.

            “Jessica,” I replied. Something tells me that there is a very special relationship between Bora and Kris, and I wasn’t too happy about it. A small twinge of envy boiled within me, and I was kind of surprised by it. Why should I be jealous? I barely know Kris.

            “So you’re Kris’s new neighbor.” I nodded my head slowly.

            “I just moved in,” I said. Her dark eyes, filled with intrigue, stared into mine.

            “Interesting.”

            Who is this woman?