An hour later, back at Rex's apartment. "Hoaaam, finally finished. Time to eat," Rex thinks to himself. He stands up from his chair, stretching until every muscle pulls tight. He walks over to the coffee table and sits on the floor, grabbing the bag Ruby left behind. He pulls out a container and opens it; a savory aroma immediately hits his nose.
"Wow... she gave me lasagna? It's still warm, even after an hour... alright, let's eat," Rex says in his heart, picking up a fork.
But just as he's about to take a bite, "knock... knock." Rex looks toward the door. He sets his fork down, stands up, and walks over. He peeks through the hole, and seeing who it is, he opens the door. Standing there is a beautiful woman, perhaps a little older than Rex, with straight black hair accented by a silver streak. She has a very sexy build and is wearing a black tank top paired with casual blue jeans.
"Hi Rex, busy?" the girl asks.
"Um... aren't you working, Rose?" Rex asks the girl in front of him.
"No, I'm not feeling well today. Can I come in? Keep me company while I drink; I'm exhausted," Rose says, lifting a bottle of wine she brought with her.
"Sure... come on in. Usually you just walk right in anyway; why'd you knock?" Rex asks, confused.
"I didn't want to disturb you, hehe," Rose answers with a friendly smile.
Rex steps aside to let her in. They sit in the living room, and Rose notices the lasagna container on the coffee table.
"Oh, you're eating?" Rose asks, surprised.
"Yeah... sorry, I was just about to start," Rex says as he sits down.
"No problem... go ahead and eat. I'll go grab the glasses; you just stay there," Rose replies, setting the bottle on the table.
Rose turns and heads toward the kitchen to grab two glasses so they can drink together.
***
Now, about this girl, Rose. She's my next-door neighbor. Her full name is Rosemary, but she insists I call her Rose because she says it's a "pet name," haha. I'm pretty sure she's joking. She's one of the two girls who have basically made my apartment their headquarters. She's always bringing me food and drinks like today. Her payment? Usually just a photo—that's it. After that, she usually stays all day and leaves at night, mostly just watching me work, asking about my merchandise, or lounging on the sofa scrolling through her phone.
She actually works for social services, handling marriages. She often shows up with her hair in a messy bun, wearing glasses and carrying stacks of files. She'll just sit on the floor and work silently without bothering me. Sometimes I get the feeling she just enjoys spending time at my place, though I still don't know what her angle is or the motive behind her kindness. Plus, she's a bit mysterious.
See, two years ago when I first moved into this apartment, she welcomed me and asked my age. I remember clearly she said she was nineteen, but even now, her appearance hasn't changed a bit. Maybe it's because she's my neighbor and I see her often so I don't notice, but after two years, isn't that a little weird?
On top of that, when she's drunk, she likes to talk about how she has no family here and that all her relatives are in "other states." Even though I drink too since I'm nineteen and get buzzed sometimes, I'm not stupid. There are no "states" in this world. Forget that—there aren't even any other cities. What is she even talking about?
That kind of thing would only make sense if she came from the same Earth as me, but that's impossible, right? That's why I think she and Ruby are the same; they're both weird and always come over but never meet. They always miss each other, like employees working different shifts to watch over me in this house.
But hey... beneath all that, she's kind, affectionate, and never demands anything. So, I'm just grateful to have a good neighbor and friend, even if my trust issues won't let me fully believe in her or accept her 100 percent. It's just that she sometimes comes over in skimpy clothes like today, and she has a habit of pressing against me while I'm trying to concentrate on work.
It's not that I'm complaining, but I'm a man. Plus, back in Arendel, I was twenty-eight and experienced physical intimacy; it's incredibly hard to control myself around her. Is she doing it on purpose? I can't be sure, and I try not to overthink it. Anyway, that's Rose—my neighbor and one of the two girls in my life for the past two years.
***
Rex continues eating casually. Suddenly, Rose sits right next to him, pressing against his side. "Click," she takes a selfie with him. She checks the result and snaps another one until the angle is perfect. Rex looks relaxed and keeps eating, undisturbed. Rose pours wine into the two glasses on the coffee table. Once finished, she looks over at Rex while he's eating.
"Is it good?" Rose asks.
"Yeah... want some?" Rex asks, offering her a bite.
"Aaaaa... feed me," Rose says, opening her mouth wide.
Rex feeds her a piece, and Rose looks like she's in heaven. Then, she notices a bit of sauce near his lip. She leans in quickly—"slurp"—and licks the sauce away. Rex turns to her, startled.
"Huh... what was that?" Rex asks, touching the corner of his mouth.
"There was some stray sauce there; I just cleaned it up, hehe," Rose answers with a teasing smile.
"Oh, I thought it was something else," Rex says, going back to his meal with a shrug.
"Hey," Rose says suddenly, shifting until her chest is pressed against Rex's arm. Rex immediately looks at her; her face is inches away while he's still chewing.
"Do you have plans this Sunday? Can you go with me? Summer is coming up soon, and I want to buy some lingerie and swim suit," Rose says.
"Hmm... we'll see. I'll let you know if I can make it," Rex replies.
"Okay, I'll be waiting for your answer," Rose says, resting her head on Rex's shoulder.
"Are you drunk already?" Rex asks.
"Not yet. Only had one glass. I'm perfectly sober and clear-headed," Rose answers casually, picking up her glass and taking a sip.
Suddenly, "riiiing," Rose's phone goes off. She picks up her smartphone from the coffee table and checks the caller. She immediately sits up straight and stands.
"Rex, I have to go. I need to take this; it's for work," Rose says.
"Oh, okay," Rex replies casually.
Rose rushes out of the apartment, but as soon as the door is shut and she's outside, "click," she turns off the phone. She walks to her own apartment next door, humming happily. Once inside, she kicks off her slippers and enters a second room. "Click," she flips the light on and locks the door. Her grin turns massive.
The walls of the small room are covered—from floor to ceiling—with photos of Rex in various poses. The room contains only a PC setup, a photo printer, a dummy phone, and a pile of body pillows printed with Rex's face and torso.
"Aaah... this is my heaven. Come on, let's edit that photo," Rose thinks to herself.
She quickly fires up her PC, turns on Bluetooth, and transfers the photo she just took. She crops herself out and zooms in on a side profile of Rex eating, then hits print. She grabs the photo and kisses it passionately.
"Uh... so cute... so cute... I'm so crazy about you, Rex, my love," Rose hums cheerfully, hugging the photo against her large chest. "Oh man... I'm getting turned on. Alright, let's blow some steam," Rose adds.
She opens a desk drawer and pulls out a dildo with Rex's face taped to the tip. She immediately pulls down her pants and spreads her legs wide. "Aaakh." Her face looks intensely satisfied. She moves rhythmically while staring at the photo of Rex on her computer screen.
"Uh... if I stayed there any longer, I would have pounced on him. He was wearing that tank top... his arms are so muscular and his chest is so broad... oooh," Rose groans.
Meanwhile, on her desk, there are stacks of online shopping receipts and a black credit card. She glances at the pile.
"Rex... I'm going to buy out everything you're selling... so you don't have to leave the house for work or school... just wait for me at home... akh... Rex... I love you... of the two worlds, you're the only one I love, Rex... oooooh... I'm coming," Rose moans and think at the same time.
Yet another girl obsessed with Rex. But who is this girl named Rose, really?