Ethan sat at his small wooden desk, a stack of books towering beside him. His laptop screen glowed in the dimly lit apartment, the cursor blinking on a blank document that had remained untouched for the past hour. He had an assignment due, research to complete, pages upon pages of notes to review.
And yet, all he could think about was her.
He tightened his grip around his pen, tapping it restlessly against the desk. Focus. He forced himself to look down at the textbook in front of him, scanning the words on the page. But they blurred together, turning into meaningless lines. His mind betrayed him, painting an image of Sienna instead—her teasing smirk, the sway of her hips when she walked, the way her voice wrapped around him like silk whenever she spoke.
He exhaled sharply and raked a hand through his hair.
This is ridiculous.
Forcing his attention back to the book, he read aloud, hoping it would anchor him. "The economic impact of…" His voice trailed off. He hadn't even registered the words.
Frustrated, he slammed the book shut and leaned back in his chair. His eyes wandered toward the thin wall separating his apartment from hers. He hadn't heard anything from her tonight—no laughter, no murmurs, no rustling sounds of movement. The silence was maddening.
He tried to tell himself it was a good thing. Maybe she was out. Maybe she wasn't with anyone tonight. Maybe—
Stop.
Growling under his breath, he shoved his chair back and stood up. He needed a break. Something to reset his brain. His eyes landed on the small bookshelf beside his bed. Reading always helped, right? It was an escape.
Grabbing a well-worn novel, he flopped onto his bed and flipped it open. The words flowed in front of him, and for a moment, he managed to slip into the story. But just as he was beginning to lose himself in the pages, his eyes drifted to the doorway.
To her doorway.
He imagined her standing there, leaning against the frame like she had that morning, a playful smirk on her lips. He imagined her stepping inside, unbothered, as if she belonged in his space. The scent of her perfume would linger, teasing him, reminding him that she was close enough to touch but never his to hold.
His grip on the book tightened. Damn it.
Shoving the novel aside, he stood up and paced the room. Books weren't helping. Work wasn't helping. Nothing was working. He needed to do something, anything, to get her out of his head.
With a sigh, he grabbed his phone and scrolled mindlessly through social media, but every smiling woman he saw reminded him of Sienna's wickedly confident grin. He tried playing a game, but his mind drifted before he could even complete the first level. Every distraction he attempted circled back to her.
The worst part? He didn't even know why she had such an effect on him. She was just his neighbor. He barely knew her, and yet, he had memorized her every move, her every glance. It was embarrassing. Obsessive, even.
A sudden knock at his door startled him.
His breath caught. Could it be—
No. No way.
Still, his pulse quickened as he hesitated, then made his way over. When he swung the door open, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.
Sienna stood there, dressed in an oversized hoodie that barely covered her toned legs. Her hair was damp, as if she had just stepped out of the shower, and her lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.
"Hey, nerd boy," she drawled, tilting her head. "Busy?"
Ethan swallowed. "Uh… kinda."
She peered past him, eyes flicking to the desk cluttered with books and papers before settling back on his flustered expression. "You look very distracted for someone who's busy."
He stiffened. "I was studying."
"Were you?" Her lips twitched. "Because you look like you've been brooding."
"I don't brood."
She laughed, leaning against the doorframe. "You totally do."
He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. "Did you need something?"
"Maybe." She lifted a brow. "Or maybe I just felt like bothering you."
Ethan inhaled deeply, trying to steel himself against the way her presence unraveled him. "Well… you succeeded."
She grinned. "Good. You looked like you needed the distraction."
His pulse hammered. You have no idea.
Before he could think of a response, she turned on her heel. "Alright, go back to your nerd things. Just don't think too hard—you might short-circuit that big brain of yours."
He watched her retreat down the hallway, her laughter lingering like a ghost in the air.
Ethan shut the door and pressed his forehead against it, exhaling slowly.
Books couldn't distract him.
Work couldn't distract him.
The more he tried to keep her out of his head, the more she dug her way in. It was like she had cast some kind of spell on him, and no amount of logic could break it.
And now, he was convinced—
Nothing ever would.