Doreen sat at her coffee table, rubbing her temples, feeling half-dead. The coffee machine, surprisingly loud despite operating a lot slower than when she first got it, still didn't outdo the noises coming from next door. Every apartment she'd lived in had their pros and cons, and every previous con felt negligible compared to the paper-thin walls that often felt cosmetic for how little it kept heat insulated and especially how effortlessly sound traveled, as if there was no real barrier between domiciles.
Nursing what was on its way to becoming a splitting headache, grumpy grumblings aimed themselves at the anti-sound-proof wall, hearing her neighbor in 6G dance as if she was on her way to a club to dance the night away. Eyes darting to the clock reading 10:02 am, she was hoping some other neighbor stayed home from work that day so they could scream what Doreen internally roared - "It's too early for this shit! Shut the fuck up, please!" The rent increase she imagined ponying up for stronger, sound-suppressing insulation was an amount she couldn't afford, but it was a pleasant thought that kept her from really screaming, at least for that moment.
Doreen considered herself a pretty reasonable, agreeable person, the way she most times considered Kristie in 6G to be. About five years younger, Kristie was only a few years out of college, and obviously hadn't totally grown out of the campus party scenes. After a year or two with mostly silence and the occasional sound issue, they came to an unspoken agreement about how quiet Doreen preferred her evenings. It was only when Kristie had company over that the agreement really got tested, and much to Doreen's dismay, company seemed slated to stay for at least a week.
Hearing the occupant head for the door, Doreen decided to let misery have its company and give Kristie an earful, complete with the disheveled look of a sleep-deprived woman from the last few nights or so. Opening the door with a whooshing force for effect, before Kristie could head to the elevator, a yelp got the woman's attention, and Doreen adjusted her eyes to see a totally different woman.
"Y-yes?" the confused woman turned to Doreen, shocked to some degree, but a lot smaller than she expected, which Doreen felt fortunate for. Mad as she was, there was less inclination to give any grief to Kristie's guest.
"I'm...sorry, I thought you were Kristie," words came through the pain.
"You're her neighbor?"
"Yes, Doreen," the hand holding her forehead winced to be away from massaging it for a minute, but still reached out for a handshake.
"I'm Carlita, nice to meet you."
"Likewise, mostly," she admitted, keeping one hand on her forehead, futilely combating the pain with gentle pressure pushing back.
"How bad?" Carlita asked, her expression transitioning from cheerful to understanding effortlessly, as if she knew exactly what was literally going through Doreen's head.
"...I wish I could sugarcoat it, let's say that."
"I'm sorry to hear that; I've been there sometimes, and to say 'it's a pain' is weirdly insulting, the way the real pain feels."
"Heh, damn right," the ailing woman agreed, feeling slightly better in this woman's presence. Sometimes amiable conversations or pretty sights could help ease headaches for her, and the longer Doreen noticed Carlita, the more she realized Kristie's guest fulfilled both. A tan that most likely originated from the equator, brown, shoulder-length curles with a bounce that Doreen envied, cute freckles strewn about her face and close to her cleavage, dressed like a fashion model while having no trace of the arrogance of one, even having the empathy of a nurse or doctor, each detail made the woman increasingly attractive, unconsciously taking attention away from the pain. Doreen wasn't attracted to women, she'd reasoned to herself often, but she could still appreciate beauty where she found it. Doreen could certainly be a looker herself, under better circumstances and the right stylist for her black bangs, but she envied the kind of beauty Carlita possessed. Half-listening to Carlita's words for a while, she almost consciously missed her offer.
"Hey, I'm going to get a latte from the place nearby. I think there was a pharmacy next door to it; want anything from over-the-counter to help?"
She smiled at the offer, then grimaced as she heard her loud coffee machine make an odd, discouraging sound.
"Ugh, I think I'll take a latte too. And thanks for the other offer, but I've already tried some meds, and they're only kind of helping. None of them will get to the root cause, I think."
"What's the root cause?"
"Lack of sleep."
A flicker of something crossed Carlita's face, Doreen noted, something nearly producing a smile. "If that's the case, are you sure you want caffeine, and don't want to try to get a nap or something?"
"My sleeping is really weird. Naps just don't happen for me, and it's been hard to sleep at night for a bit."
The corners of curling lips stopped holding back a smile that confused Doreen.
"Well, let me get those lattes before you do end up napping. Be right back."
Watching the younger woman walk away, interested confusion raptly kept her attention as her mind tried unraveling certain aspects about the visitor, but delving too deeply, a sharp pain hit her and she retreated to her apartment in order to sit down and nurse her head.
Time easily escaped noticing as it felt like a virtual minute later when there was a knock at the door. Doreen opened her door to a tall latte and compassionate smile greeting her. She took the warm cup, and reciprocated with a warm smile of her own. Before she could even say thank you, Carlita spoke. "You know, I thought about sneaking off to the pharmacy to see what I could find for you anyway, but I might know a simple technique that could help you out. Wanna hear about it?"
It felt easy to open the door to Carlita, caring less if it made Doreen feel desperate about getting help or just having Carlita's balming presence improve her disposition a little longer. She led her guest to her dining table, and they both sat down to enjoy their coffees, the ghost of Carlita's smile still present on her face.
"I hope it was alright I got you a standard latte; should've asked how you like it."
"It's good as is, thank you for making the effort," she sipped on it slowly, trying to savor something good, admitting to herself that enjoying it with company made a big difference. Even the strange, smiling look Doreen sensed from Carlita seemed to help with distracting from the pain, though it she looked surprised to see she was caught giving it.
"I'm...sorry for the weird look; just something you said earlier got me thinking."
"What did I say?"
