The night air is marginally cooler than the stifling heat of the day. The open window next to his bed barely allows for any air movement, especially with there being no breeze. His apartment building is one of many packed so close to the next that his window is a mere few feet away from someone else's window in the next building. Normally, he wouldn't bother opening the window because the only view it affords is of that opposing window. But tonight it is simply too hot. His building's a/c is ridiculously inadequate. Living on the upper floors means that by the time the cool air gets to his level, it's no longer cool. His small apartment has no windows, except for his bedroom window, so his only choice for relief is to open it and hope that somehow, some errant breeze finds its way to his window.
Living in a city of this size has so many drawbacks. But he accepted it to survive. Since the window doesn't face a street the noise of the city is lessened to a murmur. The smell of the city rarely reaches to this height, but there is no other smell either. That can be another meager blessing. All-in-all there really isn't anything bad about his window, nor is there much good about it either. Especially on a night like tonight.
Crawling slowly from his bed to the window he sits in the opening with one leg braced against the frame with his knee up and his other folded and crossed underneath. Leaning his head back and closing his eyes he feels the very slightest movement of the outside air. It's not cool, nor fresh, but it is cooler than the air inside his apartment and it feels fresher than the stagnant air inside his apartment too.
Suddenly, he hears the sounds of the window across from him being unlocked and opened. Looking over he sees a young girl with long, blonde hair wearing an oversized jersey pushing the window open. She clambers into the opening of her window apparently trying to escape the heat of her room as well.
Looking over at him she seems only slightly surprised to see him, "Oh, hello."
"Hello," he responds back.
"Your a/c not work either?"
Smiling ruefully he says, "Not really."
"Gotta love life in the big city."
Chuckling he says, "Indeed."
He notices the sweat on her brow and the strands of hair plastered wetly framing her face. She is quite beautiful, but obviously very young compared to him. Her arms are slender as are her legs but they are pleasingly shaped and toned. Add in the numbered jersey she is wearing and he surmises that she must be an athlete. Her legs seem long as do her arms. The muscle definition is more pronounced above her knees and just below her shoulders on her arms. Doubtful that she plays football, so she must be into basketball he decides. Her face, however, has a sleekness to it that with her youthfulness makes her extraordinarily gorgeous. Overall, from what is not hidden by her body-length shirt it is plainly obvious how attractive she is. He can't help but wonder what the rest of her body looks like. He knows she is way too young for him, but he can still appreciate her natural beauty like a piece of artwork.
He then asks her, "Have you been living there long?"
Not even bothering to open her eyes she responds, "A few months. Just in time for the school year."
"Ah. College or high school?"
"High school. It's my last year. I just turned 18."
"Oh, well happy belated birthday."
"Thanks. How about you?" She inquires.
"I've been living here for almost a year now." He pauses and then says in jest, "But I'm not in high school or college."
Chuckling at him she says, "I wouldn't think so. You like it here?"
"It's not great, but I'm surviving. How about you, you like it so far?"
"That's a good way of putting it. It's not great, but I'm surviving too." She opens her eyes and glances at him as if she were considering saying something more. But then looks away.
"You mind if I ask your name?" he asks, wondering if she would be ok with increasing their familiarity.
She looks back at him and seems to scrutinize his face, like she was trying to see beneath his surface to his true intentions. "I am not sure if I should give you my real name. We are strangers."
Nodding he says, "I understand. I just thought since we are such 'close' neighbors, at least from a physical proximity perspective that it would be ok to get to know each other a little bit. But if you have reservations, I can respect that. However, I still feel inclined to know what I can call you, if not your real name, then something else?"
A slight raising of her eyebrow and an even slighter tilt to her head tells him that she is intrigued or at least slightly interested in something that he said. He is unsure what he said, but he knows that he said something that she wasn't expecting that caught her attention.
"You can call me Paige."
"Alright, Paige. It's nice to meet you. My name is Gary."
She smiles slightly and says, "Nice to meet you, Gary."
She looks away, seemingly unsure what to say next. He also feels the awkwardness of the sudden silence. It's like all his thoughts just vacated his mind and he suddenly has nothing else to say.
Clearing her throat she says, "Well, it's late and I have school tomorrow, so I guess I'll see ya later. Good night."
"Yeah, you're right. See ya later and good night."
