Chapter 3 Next Door

Sophie groggily opened her eyes, the morning sunlight filtering through the blinds and casting a warm glow on her face. She stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep.

As she sat up in bed, her thoughts immediately turned to Edward, her contract ex-husband. She sighed and reached for her cell phone on the nightstand, picking up the SIM card and tossing it onto the floor.

"I'll buy a new number later," she muttered to herself. "I don't want to think about him anymore."

Sophie swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, pausing for a moment to take in her surroundings. It had been two years since she had last been in her small apartment, and she felt a pang of nostalgia as she looked around.

She made her way to the kitchen, deciding that cooking would be a good way to distract herself. As she rummaged through the cupboards, she came across a familiar mug and smiled. She filled it with coffee and took a sip, savoring the warmth and familiarity of it.

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise coming from outside. She peeked out the window and saw a moving truck parked in front of the building. It seemed that someone had moved into the room next door.

Sophie's curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the door to her apartment to get a better look. She saw two men from the moving company carrying a couch into the neighboring unit.

"Excuse me," she called out to them.

"I'm sorry if we woke you up. We're just moving in next door."

One of the men turned to her and apologized. "I'm sorry if we disturbed you, ma'am. We'll try to keep the noise down."

As Sophie watched the movers carry furniture into the neighboring room, she couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement. It was almost like a scene out of a movie, with the bustling activity and the sense of new beginnings.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see a man standing behind her. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and was just as handsome as Sophie's ex-contract husband, Edward.

"Hi, I'm Henry," the man said, extending his hand. "I'm your new next-door neighbor."

Sophie shook Henry's hand, but couldn't help noticing that he seemed to be stroking her hand in a strange way, not like a normal handshake. It was almost as if he was flirting with her, but Sophie wasn't sure.

"Have you been here long?" Henry asked, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"No, not really," Sophie replied, still feeling a bit flustered. "I just moved back in a few days ago."

"Ah, I see," Henry said, nodding. "Well, it's nice to meet you. Do you like chocolate?"

Sophie nodded slowly, and Henry reached into the plastic bag he was holding and pulled out a bar of expensive-looking chocolate.

"I thought you might like this," he said, handing it to her. "It's my favorite kind."

Sophie took the chocolate and thanked him, feeling a bit speechless. She couldn't believe that such a handsome man had just moved in next door, and was already flirting with her.

As Henry turned to leave, Sophie couldn't help but wonder why such attractive men seemed to appear so easily in her life. She had just gotten out of a contract marriage with Edward, and now here was Henry, who was just as good-looking.

Sophie shook her head and smiled to herself.

As Henry turned to leave, Sophie couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion. She had just gotten out of a contract marriage with Edward, and now here was Henry, who was just as good-looking. It was almost too good to be true.

Sophie shook her head and smiled to herself, wondering if she was just being paranoid. She had always been a bit of a romantic, and maybe she was just reading too much into things.

As she entered her room, she placed the chocolate bar on the table and sat down on the bed, letting out a deep sigh. She couldn't help but think about the strange encounter with Henry. She had just gotten out of a contract marriage and wasn't looking for anything serious, but there was something about Henry that intrigued her.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was a certain charm about him that she found irresistible. Maybe it was the way he smiled, or the way he seemed to genuinely care about getting to know her.

Suddenly, she remembered that she had left the television on and quickly got up to turn it off. But as she reached for the remote, there was another knock on the door.

Sophie opened the door to find Henry standing in front of her, a sheepish grin on his face. He was holding a small bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

"Hey, I hope I'm not bothering you," he said. "I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Sophie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She hadn't even realized that she had been uncomfortable until Henry mentioned it.

"No, it's okay," she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "I was just surprised, that's all."

Henry nodded and handed her the flowers and the wine. "I thought maybe we could have a drink and get to know each other better," he said. "If you're not busy, of course."

Sophie hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to lead Henry on, but she also didn't want to be rude.

"Sure, why not," she said, smiling. "Come on in."

Just then, the scene on the television changed to a more sensual one. The main character and a woman were having sex, and the woman was shirtless. Sophie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, and she quickly reached for the remote to turn off the television.

But before she could, Henry spoke up. "Wow, that's quite a scene," he said, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Sophie felt her face grow even hotter. "I'm so sorry," she said, fumbling with the remote. "I didn't mean to have that on."

Henry chuckled. "No worries," he said. "I've seen worse. But I should probably let you get back to your show. I'll catch you later, okay?"

Sophie nodded, feeling a mix of relief and disappointment. She wasn't sure what she wanted, but she knew that she needed to take things slow.

As Henry walked away, Sophie couldn't help but wonder what the future held. She had just started a new chapter in her life, and anything was possible.

She sat back down on the bed, the soft fabric of the comforter beneath her. She could still smell the faint scent of Henry's cologne in the air, and she couldn't help but smile.

Maybe this new chapter would be better than she had ever imagined.