Story Time!

The first 3 chapters of my story, "The Apartment Windows" are published now! Feel free to give feedback here or on my Wattpad website ❤️ My Wattpad link is on the home page of the website, or, read them here. Thank you for your time!

!!BEWARE!! Chapter Three is unfinished but available for reading regardless

Story Description

A boy named Reighn moves out on his 19th birthday with help from his parents. He moves into a small apartment with windows that look right into a neighboring apartment building. At first, he thinks nothing of it, but that was until he saw his window buddy, Michael, for the first time. Soon, friendship sprouts between the two. But, they won't stay friends for long.

Chapter One (The Move)

Reighn had awoken that morning with anticipation filling his head. Today was the day he was set off into the world to be his own person. Today was his 19th birthday and he had used the past year to save up for a nice apartment close to the center of the city. But, the anticipation was soon followed by realization. The realization that he was in charge of his own world. He no longer had his parents to lean on. They raised him well, taught him to be independent, and showed him how the world really worked, but he didn't know if he could get by without them. His mother, Christine, was a kind and caring woman, she was 36 years old. She gave birth to Reighn when she was only 16 years old. Having a teen mom had affected his life in many ways, but he knew that she was more understanding and accepting than many other people's parents, and he is forever grateful. His dad isn't his birth dad, but he loved Reighn like he was. Charley was a broad man who seemed like he would be an absolute asshole, but he was a gentle giant who put all of his muscle into constructing things for other people to enjoy, just out of the kindness of his heart. His parents were good people, a world without them isn't a world he wants to be in. But, it was time for him to move out. He didn't need to lose contact with them, he just needed to adjust to not spending every waking moment around them.

With his thoughts collected and out of the way, Reighn pulled himself out of bed and trudged downstairs for breakfast. He was excited, but that doesn't make him any less tired. His mother's face seemed to light up the second she saw him. "My darling is all grown up!" she almost squealed as tears welled in her eyes. She didn't wanna lose her son, she was proud of him, but, fear can overwhelm her. He knew his mother was scared, he was her baby after all. Reighn gave his mother a big hug, embracing her for what felt like the last time- even if he knew it wasn't- and he sat down for breakfast, ready for the big day. As he was eating his eggs and potatoes, he pondered about what life was like as an adult. He had to pay income taxes for his job, but now, he has to do so much more. His parents were kind enough to let him stay on their health insurance while he lived with them. But, what now? He'd have to figure it out.

He had finished eating and was throwing on some clothes he found on the top of one of his boxes when his dad walked in. "Reighn, once you're ready let me and your mother know so we can help throw these boxes in your car. We gotta get you out of here." his dad gave a hearty chuckle and a pat on the back to reassure him. Reighn knew that he had to laugh along to make sure his family was doing alright. He loved his dad, but, he didn't deal well with emotions. Well, not with negative emotions. So, making sure they were both happy and energetic on this difficult day was almost like a side quest for his journey.

"Hey, Dad?" he had to get his dad's attention before he left the room

"Oh, yah Reighn?" his dad responded with a soothing undertone to his voice

"I think I'm ready to get these boxes moving" he smiled to reassure his father and grabbed a box. It's really happening. He's moving away.

His dad picked up a box and called down to Christine to prop open the front door and come up and help. She excitedly opened the door and rushed past them to his bedroom to get some boxes. Reighn and his dad struggled to get the boxes into the back of the car because they didn't think it through and forgot to put the back seats down. Luckily, mom to the rescue set her box down and put the seats down. She looked at her boys with joking disappointment. Laughter filled the air, soothing down the anxiety that was clearly upon them.

After hours of packing boxes into the car and cleaning up Reighn's room, it was finally time for him to head out. His parents offered to head over to his new apartment with him and help unpack, but he knew they had done enough already. They were tired and needed to spend some time taking a break and cleaning up the house. He smiled and waved as he hopped into his car and sped off, heading to his new apartment. The anticipation was tearing at his heart. The nerves made his hands shaky and sweat seemed to coat his entire body. Reality seems to be a dream, and his dreams are becoming a reality. This is gonna be the time to meet the boy of his dreams.

Chapter Two (The New Place)

Reighn carried a few boxes up to his new apartment and unlocked the door. He slowly peered inside, anticipation filling his body. He flung the door open and stood in the doorway, looking around at the beautiful apartment, it was very open and bright. There was a large window on each of the side walls, letting in a calming amount of natural light. On the left wall, there was an open kitchen on a platform that was two stairs off of the ground. The floor was a gorgeous caramel brown wood color, a bit lighter than his hair. There was a large open area in the middle, most likely a living room. Then, on the far wall, there were two doors, one was a bedroom, and one was a bathroom. He was living the life of his dreams. He quickly set down the boxes he had in his hands and scurried down to his car to get more boxes, the excitement sent chills along his spine as he dreamed of what his apartment would look like and how amazing his life is gonna be.

After about twenty minutes of rushing up and down the stairs with heavy boxes, he finally got them all into his apartment. It was a lot less breathtaking with disheveled boxes sprawled out across the floor, but it still had charm. He opened up the box closest to him, discovering it was filled with Tupperware, silverware, bowls, plates, and a scatter of cups and water bottles. He didn't own many, but it was enough to get by. Reighn carefully grabbed the box and brought it to his kitchen. Why he didn't label the boxes is something he will never understand, maybe it's his lack of thinking ahead. Who knows? He put his headphones in and played his playlist full of queer-coded pop music such as Girl in Red, Cavetown, Lady Gaga (of course), and a few scattered songs. With his music and his motivation, he reopened the box and jovially bopped to his music as he organized the dishes in the cupboards. Box, after box, after box. It seemed like he would never finish setting up and organizing, but eventually, after hours of labor, sweat, and almost a few tears, he was done. He looked around at his apartment in awe and amazement. Besides the very obvious missing furniture, it was gorgeous.

As Reighn was heading to his bathroom to wash the sweat and stress off of him for the night; as well as some self-care, he deserved it after all. As his fingers placed themselves on the door handle, he managed to catch a glimpse into the neighboring apartment across the way, from his window. He immediately looked away and stood in shock, collecting his thoughts and forcing out the air in his lungs. What the hell did I just see? I was not meant to see that. His thoughts were scattered. A shorter male, a beautiful velvety dark complexion, towel around his waist and slipping on a shirt; his neighbor. He clearly had just taken a shower and was still dripping with water, droplets cascading down his chest and stomach. He was stunning, so stunning that Reighn was glued in place, looking away. Eyes glued to his fingers, knuckles turning pale. He felt like prey, that with any stubble movement, the predator would see him. After the initial shock, he collected his thoughts, snapped into reality, and dashed into the bathroom. He swiftly shut the door and stood in front of the mirror, taking a look at himself. his short hair was sticking to his forehead from the sweat of unpacking, and probably some from the... situation. He pulled off his shirt the way most cishet males do by grabbing the collar behind his head and quickly pulling it off, messing up his hair even more. He flung off his shorts and boxers and hopped into the shower, allowing himself to feel the warmth of the hot water after a long day of rushing and hard work. He listened to the sound of the water pit-patting on the bottom of the bathtub and allowed himself to zone off, allowing himself to think dramatic thoughts, and makeup situations that would never happen. For some reason, the imagery of his neighbor kept popping into his head. No matter how much he tried to suppress the thoughts, they would barge into his mind, filling him with a flood of feelings- guilt, nervousness, warmth, fear, and a weird feeling of calmness. This was strange for him, and for some reason, he didn't want this feeling to ever end.

After an hour of showering, mindlessly washing in the flames of water, thinking about many things, many things, and the neighbor boy. He stumbled out of the shower and dried his hair with the towel before drying himself off and tying the towel around his waist. Reighn combed his hair and opened the bathroom door. The hesitance when he opened it was the same hesitance he had when he had first opened the apartment door, and he didn't know why. Once he realized the grip he held on the handle was immensely tighter than it needed to be, he loosened the grip and cracked the door open. His eyes went straight to the window, searching for the boy. There he was, clothed and his hair was tied back. Reighn dashed into his room, leaving the bathroom door ajar. He seemed as if he wasn't controlling his body like everything was just happening like he wasn't in control. He had thoughts, yes, but they were so fast-paced and impulsive that they made life seem like something from fiction. What was happening to him, and why didn't he want it to end?

Chapter Three (The Notepad Taylor's Version)

Reighn could not take his eyes off of the man out of the window. His hair was long, brown, and curly, tied back into a man bun. His skin was dark and glowing, and his eyes were this rare and captivating shade of amber. He felt entranced like he was being drawn in. He found himself walking to the kitchen. He could peer out the window without being caught. Then, reality set in; he was a creep, he was actually being a creep. Reighn sighed and went to go slump on the folding chair in his living room. He threw his head back and let out a long sigh. Of course, he knew his love life was in shambles. Why, why did he want to find the boy of his dreams. He wondered why he felt this way; he pondered endlessly. His heart felt like it was wrenching inside of his chest. All Reighn wanted to do at this moment was tear his heart out. He hated this feeling with everything in his being. He let out another sigh and glanced out the window one more time. Shit. He and the boy made eye contact. He felt his heart sink. Pearls of sweat started emerging from his forehead and trailed down his face. The eye contact went on for far too long; he felt miserable. He wanted to grip his chest to stop his heart from beating but couldn't move. Then, the boy left. Somehow, Reighn felt disappointed. He discarded the feelings of embarrassment and began to head to his room to lock himself in there forever. Then, the boy appeared at the window again. He was holding up a notebook to the window. Reighn walked over to the window in curiosity and read the paper being presented to him. It read: "Hey! I'm Michael. You?"

His heart began to race. Did he want to talk to me? Reighn nodded at Michael and rushed to grab a notebook and marker off his kitchen counter. He quickly wrote the words: "Hi! I'm Reighn" on the first page of the notebook and showed the neighbor.

Michael smiled- with what seemed to be a smile of delight- and flipped to the next page. "Pronouns?"

"He/Him, you?" Reighn wrote back

"He/They!" Michael smiled, showing the paper. The boys held eye contact; Reighn felt joy and nervousness flood his system.

Reighn yawned and made an awkward glance at Michael. They nodded and smiled and turned off to head to bed. Reighn knew he needed to head off as well. He had work tomorrow after all.