The Cold Floor

AMANDA

«The words flowed from his lips, illuminating his luminous gaze; showing her that there was no more ethereal beauty than the one given off by her pale face. Then he took her in his arms, joining his forehead with hers, thinking that if that was a sin, he would gladly burn in the flames of hell.

Bright look?

I snorted and ripped the page from the notebook, balling it up and leaving it on the floor, where a small mountain of paper was beginning to accumulate; find a new page and start writing again.

I was one of the few people who needed to put their ideas on paper so that they could begin to take shape, if I tried to do it on the computer I would go blank. I hadn't even had three lines when a shrill sound startled me, causing me to draw a huge line in the middle of the page, ruining it completely.

I dropped the notebook on the table, frustrated and angry.

"Again? It is the third in the week »I thought obfuscated.

Almost instinctively I got up from the chair in front of the window of my apartment; the place where he used to work during the week. I walked to the door and yanked it open.

The corridor was completely deserted, that annoying sound again interrupted the tranquility of the building, although this time it was followed by a few giggles. I wrinkled my nose, that was completely ridiculous; I crossed the corridor quickly without bothering to close my door, at that point I was already beginning to see red.

I went down the stairs two at a time until I was on the ground floor. I reached the door of one of the apartments and read him the number on the gold plate, which was already as familiar to me as his own: 251. I knocked hard, not bothering to be nice or polite.

A tall, purple-haired woman with a carefree smile opened the door for me; Emiliana Basile already lived in that condominium when I moved in two years ago and from the first moment we met I knew that it was the cross that I had to bear for all my sins, which by the way is over, there weren't so many to deserve that punishment.

But going back to Emiliana, she was 30 years old, with tanned skin so typical of Italians and her family was originally from Palermo (I found out from a comment from our landlord, not because I was finding out about her) and from what she knew she could dedicate herself to to sell meth to addicts.

The Italian looked at me with amusement that she didn't bother to hide. With a grace that made me envious, she brushed a short lock from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. He didn't say a word, but his sapphire gaze was fixed on me, expectant.

Not being the first time, I thought it was unfair to waste such eye color on a person like that. I cleared my throat, trying to make my voice sound confident.

"I'm so sorry to bother you so early. I'm sure you have very important activities to do, so I'll be brief. A note of sarcasm seeped into my words. "But whatever you're doing is heard all the way to my department and it won't let me work." I explained in a conciliatory tone.

For a moment her face was slightly pinkish with embarrassment; I felt good thinking that I had achieved my goal, however, that expression disappeared, being replaced by a mischievous smile and a mocking look. I instinctively squared my shoulders, preparing myself for a confrontation.

"You can say it, you know?" Your tongue will not be desecrated by pronouncing a simple word. he inquired in a tone of false courtesy. —Repeat after me: SEX. He pronounced opening his mouth wide to emphasize each of the letters.

Now I was the one who was completely red, although I didn't know if it was from grief or anger, maybe a little of both.

I shook my head, maybe too fast to be convincing and I knew that Emiliana would notice that little slip, I just hoped that she wouldn't comment on it or the beautiful floor would end up stained with blood and one of us convicted of murder.

I could tell by the twinkle in his eyes that he did, however, he didn't say anything about it.

"Good for you".

"I don't care what you were doing. I drawled.

-So what are you doing here? You know I was having sex, it's no secret. he asked, tilting his head.

He definitely had to stop pronouncing that word. She knew it was bothering me and she did it on purpose. I wasn't a nun, but I wasn't leading a promiscuous life either, and I wouldn't discuss my sexuality in the middle of the hallway, let alone with her.

I glared at her, looking at her from top to bottom, it was there that I realized that Emiliana was only wearing a delicate semi-transparent robe that revealed her lace underwear.

"My God! That outfit must cost more than my entire wardrobe."

If you weren't my sworn enemy, I would ask you for the name of the store where you bought it, if only to see, since I doubted that my salary would allow me to acquire something like that. Suddenly the idea that he was selling drugs didn't seem so crazy to me.

—The sounds and the giggles do not allow me to concentrate. You are very scandalous. —As soon as those words left my lips, I knew I shouldn't have said them, seeing that Emiliana's smile spread even more, if that was possible.

"Forgive me, I'm good at what I do, and my lovers often make a lot of noise." —he admitted shamelessly and leaning his body on the door.

I wanted to hang her right then and there, but forced myself to remember that murder was a crime, and in jail they wouldn't give me the notebooks I was used to writing on. The thought calmed me down.

"Then limit the sound to your space." - sentence emphatically.

"If it bothers you so much, you can join." He invited me with a mischievous smile. I blinked once and then twice to make sure that what I had heard was true and not a product of my imagination, although...

Why would I imagine those words?

"Not exactly my type." I said crossing my arms.

"The threesomes?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

—Share a partner.

"Do you believe in monogamy, neighbor?" she inquired amused, but notice that she was truly entertained by the conversation.

Fantastic! I had become the jester to that woman with the tanned skin and long legs.

I believe in avoiding an STD. I countered by rolling my eyes. Emiliana chuckled under her breath, but in the end she nodded, something that didn't really surprise me, it was always the same routine when I complained to him about something, which was almost all the time.