Jordan stood in the hallway staring at the closed door. His brain needed approximately five seconds to catch up with what had just happened.

Chloe Kim had answered the door. The real Chloe Kim. Without a mask or sunglasses or any of the protective layers she wore at The Ivy. She’d looked him directly in the face and then slammed the door hard enough to make the hinges shake.

Okay. Cool. This was fine.

Jordan knocked again. "Cali? That’s you, right?"

Silence.

He tried for a casual tone like this was totally normal and not the weirdest coincidence of his entire life. "Who knew we were neighbors, haha. Small world."

The lock clicked.

The door opened exactly three inches. Chloe’s face appeared in the gap, her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. She pressed one finger against her lips in the universal gesture for shut the hell up right now.

"Shhhh!"

She looked left. Then right. Then left again like she was checking for snipers.

A door opened down the hallway.

Unit 405. An older woman with silver hair pulled into a neat bun poked her head out. She wore a lavender cardigan and pearl earrings that probably cost more than Jordan’s car. Her sharp eyes assessed the situation with obvious interest.

Miss Valentine. Jordan had seen her exactly twice since moving in. Both times she’d been leaving the building carrying expensive shopping bags.

Chloe’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. The panic disappeared. A bright smile replaced it. She lifted one hand and waved.

"Hi Miss Valentine! Just meeting my new neighbor."

Miss Valentine’s smile was knowing. "How lovely. You young people enjoy yourselves."

Chloe’s hand shot out and grabbed Jordan’s wrist. She yanked him forward with surprising strength for someone five-foot-six. Jordan stumbled over the threshold as Chloe pulled him into Unit 403 and slammed the door behind him.

THUD.

The lock clicked again. The chain rattled into place.

Jordan stood in the entryway catching his balance while Chloe pressed her back against the door like she was holding off a zombie invasion.

From the hallway, Miss Valentine’s voice drifted through the wood. "Ah, young love."

Her door closed with a soft click.

Chloe’s shoulders sagged. She exhaled slowly through her nose.

Jordan looked around the apartment because looking at Chloe right now felt dangerous.

Whoa.

This was his first time inside a girl’s apartment. His actual first time. Eliza had never invited him to her place. She’d always insisted on meeting at restaurants or coffee shops or his apartment that one time she’d needed to borrow his laptop charger.

But this space looked like it belonged in a lifestyle magazine. The floors were clean concrete without a single scuff mark. A gray sectional sat perfectly arranged with throw pillows that matched. A glass coffee table held a neat stack of fashion magazines that looked like they’d never been opened. A fake plant stood in the corner looking somehow more alive than real plants Jordan had killed.

The kitchen gleamed. White quartz countertops. Stainless steel appliances that actually reflected light instead of collecting grease. No dishes in the sink. No takeout containers anywhere.

Even the air smelled good. Like vanilla and clean laundry and something else he couldn’t identify.

His apartment was literally twelve feet away through one wall and it looked like a different dimension compared to this.

This girl lives next door. She has blue hair and makes sixty-two hundred dollars a month posting pictures online and her apartment looks like a Pinterest board came to life. And she just dragged me inside like we’re in a spy movie.

Chloe finally moved away from the door. Her breathing came fast and shallow. She walked to the kitchen and gripped the edge of the counter, closing her eyes.

Calm down. Just calm down. Breathe.

Jordan rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry."

Chloe’s eyes snapped open.

She turned around and glared at him with an expression that could melt steel.

Her lips pressed together in a pout that was way too cute for someone who looked ready to throw him off the balcony.

Jordan’s brain short-circuited. That face. She’s making that face and it’s not fair because she’s supposed to be scary right now but instead she looks like an angry kitten.

Chloe walked toward him. Each step was slow and intentional. Her bare feet made no sound on the concrete floor.

Jordan stayed frozen in place.

She stopped exactly two feet away and crossed her arms under her chest. The motion pushed everything up. Her crop top did absolutely nothing to hide the shape.

Jordan kept his eyes on her face. Do not look down. Do not look down. You are a gentleman who respects women and also she will literally kill you if you look down right now.

"Did you know?"

Her voice was quiet. Dangerous.

"What?"

"Did. You. Know."

Jordan held up both hands in surrender. "No! I had no idea. Honest. I just figured it out like ten minutes ago when I saw the realized the blue hairded girl I talked to this morning was the same person from lunch."

Chloe’s eyes narrowed further. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes? Because it’s true?"

"You knocked on my door."

"I needed to confirm it wasn’t just a weird coincidence."

"By knocking on my door and saying my name in the hallway where anyone could hear?"

Jordan winced. "Okay that part was maybe not the smartest move."

"Maybe?"

Her glare intensified. Jordan had never seen someone look this angry while also looking like they belonged on the cover of a magazine. Her cheeks had flushed pink. Her blue eyes were practically glowing.

His heart was doing something weird in his chest. Probably panic. Definitely panic. This was panic and not anything else because acknowledging anything else would be incredibly stupid given the circumstances.

Chloe took another step forward. Now they were maybe twelve inches apart. Close enough that Jordan could see the faint freckles on her nose that didn’t show up in her photos. Close enough to smell whatever shampoo she used. Something floral.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Four months."

"Four months." She said it like an accusation. "You’ve been here for four months and we never ran into each other once."

"I don’t leave my apartment much."

"Why not?"

Jordan considered lying. Considered making up some excuse about being busy with school or work or literally anything that didn’t make him sound like a pathetic shut-in who spen1t two weeks gooning in the dark after getting cheated on.

But Chloe had been honest with him at lunch. She’d admitted her coffee dates were purely transactional. She’d told him her online persona wasn’t real.

So Jordan went with the truth. "Because I was kind of a mess. Still am, actually. I’m just trying to be less of one."

Chloe blinked. The glare softened slightly.

"What kind of mess?"

"The kind where my ex cheated on me on Christmas and I spent my winter break eating pizza and watching League of Legends streams at three AM."

"That’s rough."

"Yeah."

Silence stretched between them. Not awkward exactly. More like both of them were trying to figure out what came next.

Jordan’s phone buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled it out and checked the screen.

✨ ATTRACTION UPDATE ✨

Chloe Kim: 15% → 12% (-3%)

Ah shit.

===

[A/N:]

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