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The chime of a small bell rang through the air as the heavy wooden door of the local coffee shop swung open, allowing a group of 4 to enter the building. Each one was wearing a slight variation of the same uniform with the word S.T.A.R.S. Printed on the back, aside from one. A tall blond man sporting a slicked back hairstyle, Sunglasses and a more typical solid black police uniform.
"Afternoon fellas," One of the workers greeted from behind the counter. "The usual?"
"If you don't mind," said the oldest of the group who was sporting a red tactical vest.
"So Barry, when are we getting this stuff sourced directly to the precinct?" asked the young man wearing a dark gray tactical vest and bright red bandana over his head. "Walking here just to get a good cup of coffee is exhausting."
"Noted Frost. If two blocks is enough to knock the wind out of you, then you'll be doing more exercises once we get back," the man in sunglasses stated in a deadpan tone as the group of 4 took their seats.
"Captain Wesker come on. Back me up here Chris," Frost sat down next to Barry as Chris sat down next to Wesker. "The four of us always end up walking while Jill and the chicken stay behind to keep an eye on the phones. How is that fair?"
The brunette wearing the green tactical vest laughed. "So we're trading him to Bravo Squad when they get back tomorrow, right?" Chris asked through a cheeky grin.
"Not a bad plan," Wesker jokingly agreed.
"Ah come on you guys. Don't say that. You need me," Frost argued with a hurt expression.
"Do we?" Barry asked with a slight smirk as he got in on the joke.
"Yeah Dewey would be a good trade," Wesker once more agreed as a waitress dropped of 6 paper cups of coffee.
"Fine. Fine you win. I will be the personal Coffee Currier for the next two weeks."
"Three weeks? A very generous offer," Wesker countered as he sipped at his afternoon energy boost and the gentle chime of a bell announced that the door opened once more.
"Tits at two o clock," Frost quickly stated, earning a swift punch to the arm from Barry as a warning.
Chris rather quickly understood the message from his time causing trouble in the suburbs with Frost and Forest. He shifted slightly to look behind him and found that, sure enough, a young woman had just walked in, probably in her early college years by the look of her and her trendier fashion choices. She was sporting loose fitting jeans, and a black bra which was visible through a black fishnet shirt. Chris gave a low whistle as he stared.
Similarly to what happened to Frost, Wesker popped Chris in the back of the head with an open hand. "Keep your mouth shut if you're going to gawk, or I'll write you up."
"Alright, alright," Chris relented as he shifted to sit properly again. "... She is cute."
"You should go talk to her," Frost suggests with a grin, more than happy to keep the conversation away from the prior topic of being replaced.
"Whoa what?" Chris asked in shock from the sudden suggestion. "Nu-uh no. I'm good. You called point."
"Nah I just said tits." again he got a solid smack to his arm which caused him to wince. "You said she's cute."
"Still, I donno. I have a thing going with Jill and all so," Chris trailed off as if that should be explanation enough.
"You mean that 'thing' that hasn't made any progress in the year that she's been on the team because you keep getting into trouble and you refuse to say anything aside from Hi?" Wesker pointed out as his words grew increasingly irritated the more he thought of how many times Chris has been the source of his headaches.
"I'm just taking a subtle approach is all. you know. Get her attention, and let her approach me sorta thing," Chris explained with all the confidence of a 25-year-old who thought they could get away with anything.
"Is that what you call it?" Wesker asked as a slight smirk pulled at his lips once more. "I just called it stupid." He added before sipping at his coffee again causing Chris to deflate.
"Ah come on Wesker lay off him, If he said he's trying, then he's doing his best." Barry chimed in while vaguely waving off the captain to signal for him to stop.
For some reason that stung worse. When did this turn into 'Dog Pile on Chris' time?
"Eh whatever. Fair enough," Frost said, ready to let the subject go since it seemed safe enough to say he was not in the hot seat anymore. "Just figured. If you think that Rando is cute, talking to her could be good practice if you actually want to make any progress with Jill."
"Well," as annoying as it was, it was kind of a good point. His 'plan' hadn't really worked aside from getting to know Jill as a friend. Maybe a quick bit of flirting practice could help. It would at least shut these three up.
"If you're going to do anything now's your chance," Barry chimed in causing Chris to wake up a bit as he looked over. The girl from before had made it to the front of the line and seemed to be getting frustrated.
"Alright fine. I'll see what's going on," Chris relented as he got up from his seat to walk over. As he got closer, he was able to hear the two talking.
"Sorry ma'am. Company policy. No shirt, no shoes, no service," said a tired worker who just wanted this chick to get out the of line.
"And I'm saying that's rude as hell. They're covered, what are you? The shirt police or somethin'?" the young woman asked with a frustrated tone. She just wanted a cup of coffee.
Hearing the question caused Chris to chuckle to himself. "Hmm pretty sure we don't have a shirt department," said loud enough for both to hear.
The young woman jolted slightly before she looked over her shoulder and quickly recognized the metallic badge, causing her curious expression to shift to silent panic.
"Medium black coffee to go and whatever she was trying to order," Chris requests as he shifted to dig out his wallet.
At that point the worker gave up and walked away to make the drinks. They did not get paid enough to deal with this.
"I'm so sorry. You didn't have to do that. Thank you though," the young woman quickly said with a nervous tone. "I can pay you back."
"Don't worry about it," Chris said. "Consider it payment for a good laugh. What did you order by the way?"
"Black with a double shot of espresso," She admitted.
Color him impressed. "I see. And your name?"
"Emma Swanson,"
"Phone number?" He asked as he tried to force a neutral expression.
Emma opened her mouth to answer before pausing as the gears clicked into place. Instead, a quiet chuckle escaped her. "Clever. You almost got me."
"Can't blame a guy for trying," Chris shrugged.
"Suppose not. Unfortunately for you, I'm short a number until I make it to my dorm and move in," Emma admitted as the worker came back with the two coffees.
"And where's that?"
"That'll be $4.31," they state after ringing up the order.
Chris internally winced. he'd be drinking the precinct crap for a few days to make up for it but oh well. He fished a five dollar bill out of his wallet and placed that on the counter. "You can keep the change." He states before accepting his own cup.
Emma accepted her coffee as well and walked to the door with Chris. "That would be a good thousand miles from here." She answered his previous question. "I'm taking a bit of a break after driving for a while. A friend of mine recommended stopping here for a day."
"Ah," He gave a slight nod to try and mask any disappointment as they walked away from the shop with no clear destination in mind. Well that was a waste of five bucks, but he could probably talk this up to the guys later. "That explained the coffee."
"Yeah, I'm going to need it to stay awake and do some sightseeing," the young woman explained. "Do you know any good restaurants in walking distance from here?"
"Hm. Well there's Emmy's diner if you're looking for something quick," Chris stated as he shifted to treating the conversation as a cop talking to a tourist. "There's Crazy 8's if you're looking for something a little nicer. it's about 4 blocks from here if you hang a right on second street."
"That one sounds interesting," Emma hummed to try to hide a playful smile. "I'll let you get back to work though. Thanks for the coffee." She started. "I think I'll be at Crazy 8's at 7 then. In case you were curious about that too."
Really? She was just going to tell him of- oh. "Yeah. Sounds like a good plan. Maybe I'll see you around." He agreed as his previous confident smile returned.
With that, the two went on their separate ways and Chris walked back to the coffee shop with the extra cup of coffee that he didn't need, only to find that the others had already started packing up to leave.
"There he is," Barry announced with a sense of relief.
"You were 5 seconds away from getting written up. Again," Wesker threatened.
"Hey talking takes a while," Chris said in return. "I have a date though. So, I'll be clocking out on time today." He added with an air of triumph.
'*'*'*'*'
7 o'clock rolled around as Emma checked her watch and looked around to see if she'd find a familiar face. "You're being ridiculous... who goes on a date on a Thursday?" She quietly chided herself. Maybe it wasn't her most brilliant move but, the guy's confidence was rather attractive, along with the rest of him. It was hard not to want to get to know him even if this whole thing was a waste of time. She'd be leaving in the morning and likely never see him again.
Just as she was ready to give up and head inside, a beat up jeep pulled into the parking lot and shortly after Chris walked over.
"Hey, figured I might as well grab a bite to eat," Chris said as he walked over now sporting a white shirt casual jeans and a leather bomber jacket.
"Copper. What a coincidence seeing you here," Emma joked in response as she played along that this hadn't been planned in any way shape or form.
"Copper?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow as he moved to open the door for them.
"Well, you didn't give me your name. So I had to make one up," Emma cheekily explained as the two walked through the door.
Cute. "It's Chris," He stated as the two wait for the host to return and seat them.
"It's nice to meet you Chris," Emma replied as she takes the time to look around. Crazy 8's seemed to be some Mom and Pop shop style bar and grill. So a step-up or two from a diner, but nothing too excessive.
"Welcome to Crazy 8's. Table or booth?" asked an already tired waitress.
Chris and Emma looked at each other and both shrugged. "Either's fine," Chris stated and follows the Waitress after she waved for them to do so.
The two were shown to a smaller booth off to the side. "Here you go, I'll be back in a few minutes to take your orders." She said and waits for the two to take a seat.
"Thank you," Emma said as the waitress walked away.
"So, How'd your sightseeing go?" Chris asked in an attempt to kick off a conversation.
"Pretty well. Raccoons seem to be a very heavily used theme here," Emma commented with a sense of amusement.
"Yeah, it's a bit ridiculous sometimes but," He shrugged. "Not sure why they made the mascot orange too."
"I was kinda wondering about that," the young woman admitted with a chuckle. "It's cute though." Emma added before thinking of a question in return. "So did you grow up here?"
"Nah. I moved here for work," Chris admitted. "I used to live a little further out west but, an old friend of mine reached out with a job offer. I was between jobs at the time, so I couldn't argue with the pay. Now I live here."
"I see," Emma nodded. "How long have you been here then?"
"Two-ish years now," Chris replied. Honestly, he was surprised he lasted that long. "You mentioned you were passing through on your way to school? What are you studying?" He asked while shifting to sit more comfortably as he began to more genuinely relax.
"Business management with an emphasis in marketing," She answered with a shrug. "It's not much, but it's a good start."
The two continued to idly chat, with basic get to know you questions. The waitress eventually returned and took their order. The relaxed conversation continued throughout their meal and overall, it was good company as far as awkward first dates go.
"Did you get to see everything you wanted to while you were here?" Chris asked as he put his silverware down on a now empty plate.
"Hm, It's hard to say," Emma admitted with a thoughtful expression. "I walked around and I saw things. It's a nice place." again she shrugged.
"Well. If you're up for it. Maybe we can walk around a little," Chris offered. It had been nice talking with her, so he didn't mind continuing the conversation.
"That sounds nice," Emma agreed as she similarly put down her silverware. "I'd like that. I'll go pay and I'll meet you by the door?" She offered in return.
Chris waved off the offer. "I can pay."
"You paid for my coffee earlier and kept me out of trouble. It's the least I can do."
Chris held up his hands in mock surrender. Who was he to argue with a free meal? She was leaving in the morning so- "Alright you made your point. See you outside." He said as he got up and made his way out. He could use a smoke break anyways.
With that, he slide a cigarette out of the box he had stashed in his jacket pocket and with a flick of his lighter, got it started. He'd put the box and lighter away and got a few puffs from the smoldering mixture when Emma finally joined him.
"Sorry about the wait,"
"Hardly noticed," Chris said and gestured for her to follow him. "Raccoon city is a whole different place at night."
"Is it?" Emma asked as they walked. The sun had set by now, so various neon signs and streetlight's lit their path.
"Well, raccoons are nocturnal. So are the citizens. The fun ones are at least," He explained with a playful grin.
"So the ones that cause you the most trouble, right?" Emma asked through a chuckle.
"You might be on to something," He admitted, while keeping to himself he was sometimes among the ones causing trouble. As they continued to walk, he eventually noticed that Emma was staring to shake from the cool late night breeze. "Here," He moved to take off his jacket and put that over her shoulders.
The sudden additional weight on her shoulder surprised her at first, but it was an appreciated gesture. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Just don't run off with it," He joked.
The joke earned a laugh before Emma went back to thoughtfully smiling as she took in the city. "For what it's worth, and with what little I know about you. This place suits you," Emma replied with continued amusement.
"Really?" He asked with renewed curiosity.
"m-hm"
The insistence caused him to smirk. "Why is that?"
Hm. That's one way to fish for a compliment. Emma paused to think it over. "Confidence. It's a city that seems to know what it is, and it's not apologizing for it."
"Interesting," He was certainly willing to accept that ego boost. "What makes you say that?"
"Well. Granted, I could be wrong. I've been here for less than 24 hours," She started as she shifted to make sure his jacket would stay over her shoulders. "But with what traveling I have done. Most large cities like this want some super macho, beefed up mascot. Especially if it has a strong correlation to the name."
"You are really stuck on the mascot thing, huh?" Chris playfully teased.
Emma only rolled her eyes at this and continued to explain as they walked. "They could have easily picked anything else. Like, The Raccoon City Bandits or something like that. Instead, they went with the raccoon. They made it pretty cute looking too and seem to have zero shits to give about if anyone else has an opinion on it. The whole city seems to have that energy. Everyone here, just," She said as she failed to think of a single word that would fit. "They are themself. If anyone has anything to say about it, they can keep it to themself," Emma attempted to explain it a bit better as a short laugh caused her smile to widen for a moment. "I kinda like it." she admitted as she shifts her gaze to look directly at Chris.
"I'm glad. Maybe you'll swing by again some time?" He asked as they started to make their way back toward the restaurant.
"That might be a possibility," Emma agreed as her cheeks stained a light pink and began to sting from smiling so much. He really was something else.
Their quiet talking and laughing over silly jokes and flirting continued the whole way back to the restaurant parking lot. As Chris looked around, he didn't immediately notice any out of state license plates. "I'll walk you to your car?" He hesitantly offered. "I'll need my jacket back after all. Wouldn't want to leave you in the cold so," He added as an excuse.
"I actually walked here from the hotel," Emma admitted with a guilty smile. "I wasn't sure what parking would be like."
"Ah," That was fair enough. "Would you like a ride then?" He asked as an amended offer to spend a bit more time with her.
"That. Yeah. Actually, that would be great," Emma agreed. She sort of forgot she'd have to walk back in the dark if she didn't drive. While she had just walked around with, effectively, a stranger, it was at least better than walking alone since Chris had earned her trust by that point. "Thank you again."
"Not a problem. I'm parked over there," He explained and gestured to the jeep. "Just point me in the right direction."
Emma followed him over to the car and between telling him the name of the hotel and the direction she came from, he was able to drive the 5 blocks to the right place. The hotel turned out to be more of a cheap motel as the various rooms were accessible from outside.
"Here we go, safe and sound," He said as he finally noticed the clock. it was twenty minutes past ten. They'd been talking for a good 3 hours.
"Thanks," Emma repeated while looking between Chris and the door. Yep it was time to leave. He'd been rather sweet though... Um. In a split second decision, Emma leaned enough to give Chris a kiss.
While the action initially surprised him, he closed his eyes and even as the kiss began to linger, he found himself leaning to follow her for a moment as she pulled away. Leaving the two to stare at each other in dazed silence.
Dear god she must be going insane... "Do you, maybe want to go inside for a minute?"
It took a second but he nodded and turned off the car. "Sure."
Chris followed Emma this time and as soon as the door closed behind them the two picked up where they left off. Lingering kisses and hands led to heavier breathing as the two shed their various articles of clothing in favor of the cover of cheap linens. By the time they were done, Chris was smiling from ear to ear with a now sleeping Emma curled up next to him.
That... Had been the best cup of coffee he ever bought. The thought caused him to chuckle for a moment, though he stopped just as quickly to try and avoid waking up the sleeping woman. As he allowed himself to relax a bit longer his eyes drifted over to his discarded jacket and in particular the pocket where his cigarettes and lighter were stored.
There was something he kinda always wanted to do and this was his best chance for it. After a few more moments of debate he carefully got out of bed for a moment to grab a new cigarette and his lighter. getting that started before heading back to the bed and laying down. He was now the coolest person he kne-
the thought was cut short as hot ashes from the cigarette fell on his face, causing him to wince and bite the cigarette in an attempt to stay quiet. He quickly sat up once again as he moved to put out the cigarette using the ashtray on the bedside table. He nursed his face for a moment longer before looking back at Emma to find she was still contently asleep. Or if she was faking it to give him time to leave, she was doing a good job.
He probably should follow the protocol for this situation. With that, he got up and collected his clothes from the floor and made his way over to the bathroom for a quick shower. It was late but, he eventually walked out clean and dressed. sure enough, she was still asleep but she'd rolled around a bit, landing her closer to the edge of the bed where he'd previously been.
Seeing this caused his smile to return. As he found himself staring he looked over to the bedside table again and this time he noticed the pad of paper and pen with the motel logo on it. It would be breaking the unspoken rules of a fling in away... but, all the same he walked over and quickly wrote down a message before taking his cigarette with him and leaving.
The note pad now had his number scrawled at the top with a short message under it. Call me when you get your phone set up? - Chris
'*'*'*'*'
While Emma did call, nothing came of the note from that date on the 23rd of July in 1998. She even called a second time much to the disappointment of her roommate who was adamantly against Emma calling in the first place, but after hearing the news that Raccoon City had been destroyed leaving no survivors, She was rather sure that Chris died as well.
Five years had passed since then, ringing in a new millennium along with the end of Emma's time in college. It took her a little longer than she would have liked, but she graduated and even found a job that was one or two hundred miles away from campus. It probably helped that her taste in clothing had matured with her. Her more punk-like style had been replaced with a simple white button up shirt, a black pencil skirt with matching heels and a warm peacoat to fight off the biting autumn winds.
This was going to be something special, and she knew it. It was a new place, and a new chapter in the book of her life. The thought caused Emma to smile to herself as she walked around the new town to try and get a better feel for it. As she did so a coffee shop at the corner of the street caught her attention. It was late autumn at this point. It would be nice to have something warm to hold and sip at as she walked around. That was enough of an excuse for her to make her way over to the store and through the front door that jingled as it opened.
"Welcome," the staff all said at the same time in response to the bell, even though not a single one looked up from their various tasks. She didn't think much of it and simply got in line. As she made her way to the back of the line a patron that would be a few people ahead of her in line caught her attention.
He looked kinda like that guy from Raccoon City. Emma thought it over as she waited. A small sense of nostalgia ate away at the back of her mind and before she knew it the look-a-like was stepping up to the counter. Emma looked around nervously. She was probably going to piss off a few people by doing this but all the same she got out of line to walk over.
"Can you add a black coffee with two shots of espresso to that?" She said as she could feel her heart leap into her throat from nervousness. "Sir, I'd like to pay for your coffee, if you don't mind." Emma added after. It was a silly gesture. Everyone here would forget about it in a week.
"Oh. Uh," The man looked at Emma with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "Sure. Thanks."
"Can I get your names for the order?" The worker asked seeming unamused, but they went with it.
"Chris," The man said which left Emma in stunned silence. It had to be a coincidence.
"Ma'am," the worker said to get her attention.
"Emma," She replied quickly after as she returned to her senses. "My name's Emma."
Hearing that caused Chris to do a double take. "Wait." That wasn't possible. "Were. Did you visit Raccoon City. Roughly 5 years ago."
"It is yo- I'm sorry. I thought. I mean. Um. Hi?" Emma stumbled over her words as a multitude of thoughts barraged her mind at the same time.
The simple yet not so simple greeting caused Chris to give a soft laugh as the two of them moved to the side to wait for their drinks. "Hi to you too. Are you passing through again or?"
"No. Um No, actually I have an apartment," She answered while still trying to process this. "Wow. You're not dead." Emma finally said as that started to soak in. "I heard the city got blown up. I honestly just thought you were. Not you and just someone that, looked like you. I remembered you bought my coffee, so I thought it would be nice to pay it forward." It wasn't the only thing she remembered but she was just going to be quiet about that for now.
"I remember that, yeah," another laugh escaped him. "It's a small world it seems. How have you been? Do you have time to talk?"
"Yeah," Emma agreed. "I've been doing well. Finished college, I just got a job with a local record company, so I'll be working with music."
"Awesome," He said while nodding. What were the chances of this?
"M-hm," Emma agreed again as her mind was short on how to respond. Right common courtesy. "Uh what about you?"
"I just got back from overseas. I'd been traveling for a couple years now," Chris explained. "I uh yeah, just started working on setting up a new company. I have an apartment a few cities over. I was just out scouting for potential office space." He explained while mostly censoring the story. She was a civilian after all. She didn't need to worry about all this bioweapon bullshit that he deals with.
"That's great," Emma replied while still smiling. It wasn't everyday that someone just came back from the dead like this.
"Yeah," He agreed as well still smiling. "I have a few meetings I need to run to but, maybe you can stop by some time and you know. We can catch up?"
"Catch up?" Emma repeated as the shock of all this started to fade. Catch up? He told her to call him. She did. The city was fine for a few months after they met. He didn't want to talk to her before. Dear god, he thought she would just be that easy again huh? "Well." don't shout. "You know. No. I don't think so." Emma replied as she forced a smile. What an asshole. 5 years and he thinks she'd just be a fling again after he pulled that crap. Leaving his number and ignoring her when she called? She forgave it before because she thought he died, but he wasn't dead at all. What kind of egotistical. GAH! "I'll give you credit though, you still have all the confidence in the world thinking you can try that after."-Stop- "Just. Have a nice life."
Chris watched in dazed confusion as her happy bubbly responses quickly grew agitated and upset. It took a moment longer to realize why. "Wait I didn't-"
"Nope," Emma quickly cut him off as she heard her name called by the staff. She didn't care, she didn't want to hear it. "Goodbye." She said and as quickly as possible she left, hoping that she'd never see him again.
'*'*'*'*'
Time went on and the chance meeting at the coffee shop was soon forgotten. Nearly 15 years passed by, in fact.
It was the second week of June and the day's heat made it obvious that summer would begin in only a few days. "Well, at least it's not raining," Emma said, now roughly in her mid-thirties. She carried a large box into an old apartment building from the moving truck parked on the side of the road. The historical building was rather beautiful, but it lacked an elevator due to its age. This made moving into her new second-floor apartment a particularly excruciating exercise.
Despite the woman's slender build, she clearly did not work out often, as her constant trips up and down the two flights of stairs were quickly winding her. Luckily, her door was the closest to the stairs, making the trip shorter. Upon making it to the apartment with the most recent box, she carefully placed the container down on the marble island counter of the kitchen to catch her breath for a moment. "No elevator, no air conditioning... no wonder this place was so cheap," she quietly grumbled while fanning herself and looking around the apartment. She was grateful that she had hired movers to take care of the larger furniture like couches and her bed, but the rest was up to her to carry from the truck she rented.
"Emma Swanson?" an elderly voice asked from the doorway, causing the brunette to turn to look for the source. Standing in the hallway was a kind-looking older man in his early 70s with thinning white hair. Based on a guess, all the stair climbing required to maintain the building kept him active and lively since he didn't seem to need a cane.
"That's me," she confirmed and walked over. "It's nice to officially meet you, Mister..."
"Jacobs," the man replied with a smile, offering a hand, which Emma took to give a gentle shake. "I'm just glad I could find a new tenant so quickly. The last one up and left after not paying rent for four months," the Landlord explained with a grumble.
"Seems it's lucky for the both of us then. It's a lovely apartment," Emma complimented. While the place had its shortcomings, it was more than enough for a single person with one bed, one bath, a study in the back of the apartment, and a full kitchen/dining area in the front with marble counters and up-to-date appliances that led into a spacious living room.
"I'm glad it's to your liking. I was hoping we could do the move-in walkthrough if you have a minute. I'll hand over the keys after that," the landlord explained before shifting to offer Emma a folder he held in his other hand. "That will cover all the service providers for phone, internet, electricity, and water that have leads into the building. You are welcome to take your pick. It also has the number for our service and repair department if anything breaks," he further explained as the two walked through the apartment. There was some of pre-existing damage to a few of the walls, and one of the door hinges was out of line, but other than that, it was as described. With those discrepancies documented, she signed the paperwork and handed it over to Mr. Jacobs.
"Perfect, you should introduce yourself to your floormates when you have the time. There's Bastion Howells across from you; he's an interesting sort but a good guy. Next to him is the Russos, a newly retired couple. Good folks, if you need anything, they'll likely be more than happy to talk your ear off," Mr. Jacobs explained. "And you'll be sharing the kitchen wall with Chris Redfield in the apartment to your right. Military sort, so he's often gone. A quiet fellow, but he pays his rent, so can't complain too much," the landlord said with a shrug.
"Thanks for the heads-up," Emma said with a nod. That name sounded familiar... why? "I'll be sure to introduce myself after I get settled in," she agreed as they headed back to the door.
"I'm sure you'll fit right in. Here's your key and a spare. The Russos have a key share thing going on, so if you want to join that, make sure to mention it to them. Something about it being safer than leaving a key under the mat in case of emergencies," the landlord said before handing her two keys to the apartment.
Emma nodded as she walked down the stairs with Mr. Jacobs to get another box while he explained the ins and outs of the tiny community she was joining by moving into the apartment. "I might have to take them up on that offer. I can be a bit of a klutz," she admitted.
"Oh, and mail arrives around 4 pm each day. They usually leave packages on the shelf by your door, but feel free to use that for holiday decorations. You can leave a note for the Postman if you prefer that they leave packages in the main office if they're too big to go through the mail slot on your door," he explained while gesturing to the old fashion door that had a thin slot for mail with a brass cover that could be locked from the inside.
"Thanks again. I'll make sure to reach out to you if anything comes up," Emma said, while wondering if maybe Mr. Jacobs had a case of the pot calling the kettle black when it came to how much the Russos like to talk because he was talking a lot.
"Good, good. See you around then," Mr. Jacobs said before excusing himself to head to his office on the first floor while Emma went back to the street and continued moving boxes up to the apartment. By the time she was done with that load, it was roughly 4 pm. Emma took another deep breath after getting the window air conditioning unit set up for her apartment.
"Okay, one more load," she said, coaching herself before heading back down to the curb with her keys for the rental truck and driving out of town. She tapped her fingers against the wheel while humming quietly to the music from the radio as she drove to her old apartment and parked outside. Upon walking into the mostly empty unit, she was greeted with barking, which caused her to smile as she was tackled by the larger fluffy gold and white-furred dog. "Duke! Who's my good boy? Have I been gone for like seven forevers?" Emma cooed while petting the dog and ruffling his fur.
"Are you ready to see your new home?" she asked, receiving a bark in response. "That's a good boy. Go get your stuffy," she instructed, causing the dog to hurry off and pick up a very well-used, almost flat teddy bear. In the meantime, she started taking boxes to the truck while Duke followed her back and forth. After another hour of packing and driving, Emma made it back to the new apartment with Duke and unpacked the last boxes. She dropped off the moving truck at the rental center down the road and walked the rest of the way back to her new home before collapsing onto the couch.
Seeing his owner collapse caused Duke to hurry over and start repeatedly licking Emma in an attempt to revive her. "I can't feel my legs," Emma grumbled while receiving the puppy bath for a few moments. She eventually nudged the dog away, so she could sit up while trying to renew her resolve. "I can do this. I just gotta meet the neighbors, and then I can go to bed," the woman coached herself before giving another tired sigh. "Meeting people is draining... what do I even say?" she asked herself, petting Duke.
An idea came to mind as she glanced at the kitchen. "Cookies might make it easier..." she quietly mused before pushing herself to get up, wash her hands and face, then start unpacking the kitchen.
Emma was happy that she had planned her move well enough that she didn't have to completely restock and was able to move over what food she had from her last apartment. Eggs, flour, sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, a pinch of salt, baking soda, and chocolate chips. With all the ingredients laid out alongside the bowl and mixer, Emma started preheating the oven and measuring them out with a smile. "They do say that making cookies is a realtor's trick to make a house feel homely. Maybe this will help me feel more moved in, too..." the woman said with a short chuckle. She'd made it about halfway through mixing the dry ingredients before a frown started to form. She scraped the bottom of her sugar container for the last cup needed, only for it to be empty.
Crap... Well, she could try a half batch, but that would be pretty skimpy as far as cookies went. A regular batch made twenty-four, half a batch made twelve between three neighbors. So, four cookies a plate... Yeah, that was not going to work. She was not going down as the neighbor who gave out four cookies as a 'nice to meet you' gift. She'd be better off not offering a gift at all at that point. Especially since cookies were easy to make. Not to mention, she already had the other ingredients in the bowl for a full batch...
"Okay, just ask a neighbor for a cup of sugar. It's not that weird. It's practically a rite of passage in sitcoms," the brunette said as she put down the measuring cup to head over to the door and enter the hallway. Three doors and three options. It seemed like the Russo family would be the one she needed to make a better impression on. After thinking it over, Emma went to the door to her right and knocked on it. This Chris guy was rarely around anyway, right? So, it wouldn't matter as much if she made a bad impression and if he wasn't home, then no harm, no foul.
It took a minute, but shuffling could be heard behind the door before a few clicks and the sound of metal sliding against metal. The door opened shortly after, showing a man in his early to mid-forties. He seemed confused and didn't say anything after opening the door.
"Hi, I'm Emma Swanson, your new neighbor," Emma started since the guy seemed quiet. "I just moved in today. I'm in the middle of cooking, but I'm short a cup of sugar. I was wondering if I could borrow a cup from you?"
"Name's Chris... Let me see if I have any," he said before closing the door, followed by the sound of sliding metal again. As he did so panic once more set in. After hearing his voice she remembered why that name was so familiar.
Oh god please no. She moved in right next door to him? Why? What cosmic entity in the sky did she spit on in her sleep to deserve this? As these thoughts continued the door opened once more before Chris offered a measuring cup of sugar.
"Here. Need anything else?" he asked. While he didn't seem grumpy, he did sound tired and disinterested, which caused Emma to feel guilty. He wasn't sleeping already, was he?
"Thank you, that should be it. I'll get the measuring cup back to you soon," she said and accepted the offered ingredient. Did he not recognize her?
"'Kay. Have a good night then," he said, closing the door once more and locking up before Emma could say anything else.
He seriously didn't recognize her at all. huh... Well that was no skin off her teeth. At least she had what she needed. Once safely back in her own apartment and kitchen, she gently put down the measuring cup to give herself more time to think. On one hand, she had half a mind to start repacking her things and look for a different apartment. On the other. He was acting like he didn't know her at all. Maybe she should just do the same. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she was the one being ridiculous. If it was him, she'd do the same and pretend she didn't know him. Honestly, there was a good chance this was just some other Chris that sounded similar. They didn't look too similar. Kinda. And Mr Jacobs said he was hardly ever around, so she should just drop it.
With that decision made she went back to making cookies to hand out to the neighbors. Though, since he seemed tired, maybe she'd drop his cookies off in the morning or something... She thought over what to do about that as she finished making the chocolate chip cookies. Then she placed eight on each paper plate before plastic wrapping them with a small handwritten note to introduce herself and added her contact information in case they needed to reach her.
"Wish me luck, Duke," she said to the contently resting canine before heading over to the door directly across from her own. After knocking, a young man around her age with long dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail answered the door.
"Hello? Oh. Um, hi," he replied while trying to process an unexpected visitor with baked goods.
"Hi, I'm your new neighbor. I just moved in across the hall. My name is Emma. I thought I'd make some cookies and introduce myself, so," Emma said, offering the plate to the young man. "Here you go." Yikes. She'd done a lot better during her first introduction, and that one hadn't gone great either.
The man smiled. "That is so sweet, thank you," he said as he accepted the cookies, causing Emma to notice that his nails were very nicely painted.
"Oh wow, I love your nails," Emma commented before she could catch herself, though the man's smile only grew. "Who do you go to?"
"Thank you, I actually do them myself," he replied with a smile. "I'm a nail tech at the nails and spa just down the road, just stop by and ask for Bastion, and I'll help you out."
Emma smiled and nodded. "Definitely, I'm usually at a keyboard, so I keep my nails short, but if a special occasion arises, you'll be the person I go to," she confirmed, feeling much more relaxed now that it seemed like the conversation was going more smoothly.
Bastion nodded in response. "All right. Well, you have a good night, Emma. It's very nice to meet you."
"Thanks, you too," Emma said before waving and heading back to her apartment as Bastion closed his door. Once she got the next plate of cookies, she walked over to the door diagonal from hers. The Russos had a very homey feel to their apartment with a door wreath, a welcoming mat, and a small potted plant on their door-side shelf. "Maybe I should pick up some flowers," Emma whispered to herself. The plant was a nice touch, she had to admit. With that, she took a breath and knocked on the last door only to hear…well, she wasn't sure what she was hearing. It didn't quite sound like English, but two voices were heard on the other side of the door. Italian?
Sure enough, the door opened to show a short, graying woman with her husband sitting on the couch in the background watching TV. "Hello dear, are you lost?" she asked with a concerned expression.
"Oh, no, I'm not lost. I'm your new neighbor across the hall. I was hoping to introduce myself and drop off some cookies," Emma explained before offering a hand. There we go. The third time was the charm. "My name is Emma Swanson. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you as well," the woman said, accepting the handshake before looking back into the apartment to call over to her husband, speaking Italian once more. "My name is Anna, and this is my husband, Marco," she said as the graying man walked over to join her. "We're home most days, so if you need anything, make sure to let us know," she said as she accepted the plate of cookies.
"Thanks. Mr. Jacobs mentioned that you have a key share going for the floor?" Emma asked, which caused Anna to nod.
"Yes, did you want to join?" she replied.
"No, she just brought over cookies and asked about it for her health, my dear," Marco pointed out, earning a gentle swat from Anna.
Emma gave a half-hearted chuckle as she took one of the keys from her pocket. "If it's not a problem, I'd appreciate it."
Anna accepted the key. "It's no trouble at all. I'll get it copied and give one to the other two as well. I'll have your set over by the end of tomorrow," she explained, which surprised Emma slightly.
"Oh, we all keep a copy?" she asked, misunderstanding. It wasn't an issue, but it wasn't what she initially expected either.
"Just out of caution, at least one of the four apartments is bound to have someone home. If it's an emergency, it's best for everyone to be able to help out when possible," Anna explained with a nod. "It will be nice to have all four of us on the same page. The last tenant was rather adamantly against participating." The woman went on to tell Emma more about each of the other tenants. Five minutes passed, then ten.
"I see. Well, thanks again," Emma said with a smile. Mr. Jacobs was right; she did talk a lot.
"It's our pleasure. Is there anything we can help you with? Did you get all your boxes unpacked?" Anna asked in a motherly tone.
"Everything is taken care of," Emma confirmed. "I just wanted to introduce myself. I won't take much more of your time. It's getting late."
"All right, have a good night Emma," Anna said before nudging Marco.
"Good night," he said before turning to go back to his place on the couch.
Emma waved as she turned to leave, then Anna closed the door. Once home in her own apartment again, a triumphant smile crossed Emma's face. She did it. She moved in and met her neighbors. They all seemed pretty nice too, which was a stroke of good fortune. Emma looked at the last plate of cookies and the mess on the counter. She should probably wash everything, but she was tired… she'd wash the measuring cup and return it tomorrow. For now, she picked up the final plate of cookies and walked to Chris' door again, where she left it on the empty shelf before heading back.
Emma had just finished locking up for the night when she heard a loud THUD against her door, causing her to jump back with a yelp as Duke started barking. Whoever it was, the barks seemed to scare them off as she heard footsteps quickly hurrying down the stairs. She hadn't exactly been stealthy about moving in, but she didn't expect someone to try and break in because of it.
Maybe, I should talk to the landlord about installing one of those doorbell cameras... If I offer to pay for the installation, maybe he'll allow it, Emma thought fearfully as she walked over to the still grumbling dog to sit next to him and pet him until he calmed down.
What a strange day.