Syren

She won't stop singing. The landlord promised the walls were soundproof, which, obviously, was too good to be true, but you had hoped for maybe a little more privacy. Finally she answered the door.

"Who are you?"

"Your neighbor," you reply bluntly, "who appreciates her sleep."

After a moment of awkward silence she murmurs, "sorry, I'll try to keep it down."

With a brief nod, you go back next door, and lay down to hopefully get a few more hours of sleep.

---

The next day, coming home from work, you run into that girl again. She's rushing down the stairs, nearly in a blur, but she's got a dark, but fancy dress on, like she's dressing up for a show. Last night she hid under an oversized hoodie, veiled in the darkness of the drabby apartment complex halls. Today, she is distractingly beautiful.

"Hi neighbor," she shouts in a rush.

You can't even reply, because honestly your breath is taken away, not that you would ever admit that. But now that she's gone, you can't help but wonder about what kind of person she is, when she's not singing at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night. Regardless, her irregular schedule gives you a brief respite for the time being.

---

You're woken up at 1 am. For the second night in a row she's next door, singing her heart out. Although tonight, you really listen to her voice. You slowly rise from your bed, and begin creeping towards the wall. A few inches away, you can hear her buttery voice seeping through the thin barrier. She hums and drones note after note while you stand frozen, now realizing how truly beautiful her voice is. Your body falls closer and closer to the wall as you settle down. The lullaby drifts you off to sleep.

---

You wake up to her knocking rhythmically. Before you can trudge even halfway to the door, she yells out, "Hello? I know you're awake!"

"Coming," you reply, opening the door.

"Good morning!" She says cheerily before her smile drops, "Wow. Looks like you slept like shit."

"Yeah.."

"Did my singing keep you up again?"

"Yes, but I actually wanted to talk to you about that. See, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Can I buy you breakfast and we can have a proper introduction?"

"Sounds like a good idea," she answers, a smile growing on her face.

---

The two of you sit across from each other at a quaint cafe. You break the silence. "I'm sorry. For getting mad the other day. I had a long day, and I shouldn't have taken my anger out on the new girl."

"Good. Cause I'd hate to already be enemies with the cute girl." She smiles.

"Oh."

...

"So what do you do? It sounds like you're a pro at singing."