Ali POV
"Well, that's everything," I said to no one, laughing to myself. I plop down on the couch in my new living room. It feels so nice to have a place of my own. Closing the door so that no one can see in, I start unpacking my boxes. I have a two-bedroom apartment, so even though I don't need a roommate, I can get one if I feel like I'm getting lonely in a few weeks. Maybe I'll ask Penny if she knows anyone who needs a place. In the meantime, it's time to organize.
I start in my bedroom with my writer's desk. I can't be an author without a proper workspace, after all. I put together my desk with the shelves above it, add some of the books my publisher has sent me and some plants, place my chair, and move on to my bed. I love a cozy space with fairy lights and plants everywhere. Laughing to myself, I think of Penny and her brown thumb.
My phone rings, taking me out of my own thoughts. "Hello? Oh hey Penny, what's up?"
My sister's sobbing voice breaks over the speaker and she says, "Kurt's cheating on me again. Can I come live with you? I know you just moved in and it's not fair, but I can't be here right now. Also, I can't afford a place on my own, not on my waitress salary."
"Of course you can. You're my sister. I will always be here for you. Now get your ass packed and get over here. Do I need to call movers to get your stuff tomorrow?"
Penny sniffles and says, "Yes please. I will pack tonight and be there tomorrow morning with my stuff. He has work tomorrow, so I will leave a note for him. He won't come looking for me."
I laugh at her childish answer. I'm only one year older than her, but she is so childish at times. "OK sweetie, I will hang up and call the movers. What furniture are you bringing? Do we have to buy anything?"
She sighs and says, "I don't have much. Most of the stuff is Kurt's, but the TV, couch, and table are mine, with some bedding and the dining chairs."
"That's good. I didn't have a TV for the living room or a dining table. I don't need a second couch though. Do you wanna sell it or store it?"
Penny was quiet for a moment and said, "Can we store it? I don't wanna have nothing, you know?"
"I get it, baby sis. I have a small storage space in the basement of the building. We can wrap it and put it there. I'm gonna go call the movers now. Love you. Get some rest."
I hear Penny sigh and say, "Thanks for this, Ali. I love you too. Goodnight. I will see you tomorrow."
Hanging up with my airhead sister, I curse at Kurt for hurting her. If I ever get my hands on him again, I will murder him. Calming down, I pick up my phone to call the movers to have them bring Penny's things here. A short 15-minute call later and I have that all arranged and head back into my room.
If Penny is moving in tomorrow, I have to get this done today so I can set up the bathroom with a system or chaos will ensue tomorrow. Penny has no sense for keeping things clean and tidy, so I have to make sure she knows where things go to help abate the mess.
Finishing up my room, I take a step back and am pleased to see that it looks presentable. I move on to the bathroom, hanging the curtain, organizing the medicine cabinet, and adding baskets for laundry with a few rugs on the floor.
It's 2 a.m. by the time I finish with what I wanted to. Boring as this may be, I have to get it done. Penny is a walking tornado. I check what now is going to be Penny's room and pull out what little stuff I put in it aside from the spare bed that will now be hers.
"That should be good. Off to bed—but first, a shower," I said to myself as I walked to my room to get some clothes.
---
The next morning, I woke to my alarm. Getting up, I remembered that Penny was moving in today. Penny came in at 8 a.m. with the movers behind her. She had about a dozen boxes with her Care Bears alone. She then brought in about three suitcases of clothes, four large boxes of shoes, and her furniture. I had to show the movers where to put the sofa, so they followed me down to the basement while I left Penny to start unpacking.
---
3rd Person POV
Two young men were walking up the stairs to their apartment, 4A, discussing trivial facts about stairs when one of them sees a young blonde in the apartment across the hall from them. The shorter of the two has a dopey look on his face while the taller one just looks impassive. Deciding to go talk to the young blonde, the short guy heads over while his friend follows behind.
Short guy: "Hi." Penny: "Hi." Tall guy: "Hi."
Cue awkward silence.
"Hi," Penny says, ending the round of greetings.
The short guy says, "Hi." (awkward laughter here) "We don't mean to interrupt. We live across the hall."
Penny: "Oh, that's nice."
The short guy: "Oh, not together-together, but together in separate heterosexual bedrooms. I'm Leonard, and this is Sheldon."
Penny: "It's nice to meet you. I'm Penny. I just moved in with my sister Ali. She should be back soon. She went to show the movers where to put the extra stuff in the storage space in the basement."
Sheldon: "I hope she has a proper layout for the space to allow for ease of access in case of emergency."
Penny: "It's Ali, so I'm sure she has that covered. She always has plans and maps for emergency exits."
Sheldon taps Leonard's shoulder and says, "I think I might like our new neighbors."
"Me too, Sheldon. Me too," Leonard said quietly back to his friend.
Right at that moment, Ali came up the stairs and saw her sister with their door wide open talking with two strange men.
Ali: "I've told you a thousand times, Penny, to not leave the door open or talk to people we don't know all that well."
Sheldon: "Yep, I like her so far. Hello, I'm Sheldon and this is Leonard. We live across the hall and I must say your propensity for safety has greatly impressed me."
Ali: "Um, thanks I guess. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to get moved in. There is a lot still left to do. I have to put things away, store my boxes, clean, decorate, and label where things go."
Sheldon looked at Leonard, shocked, and said, "See? Why can't you be more like her? It's not hard to put together a system."
Leonard just rolled his eyes, ignoring Sheldon for what seemed like the 100th time, and looked to the now two beautiful women in front of him and said, "Would you like to join us for lunch? We got Indian food on our way home. I know that moving can be stressful and I have found that when I'm undergoing stress, good food and company can have a soothing effect. Also, curry is a natural laxative and I don't have to tell you that a clean colon is a happy colon."
Sheldon: "I don't think mentioning bowel movements in the same sentence as a lunch invite is appropriate."
Penny: "Oh, you're inviting us to eat? That's so nice. We would love to."
Ali just looked at her sister for a second and proceeded to follow the trio into the neighboring apartment.