Chapter 6
Seeing Adam at this late hour was unusual. It was so unusual that Sophia found she could not maintain her usual silence. She watched him fumble with his keys.
He looked lost and exhausted. It was a sight so different from his usual purposeful rush out the door. She spoke before she could stop herself. Her voice was gentle.
"You’re quite late today," she said.
The sound of her voice made Adam freeze. His hand stopped moving. His entire body went still.
Is Sophia talking to me? The thought flashed through his mind.
It was a jolt of surprise. And she knows my name? He slowly turned his head. He finally looked at her directly. He felt his face grow warm. A nervous smile formed on his lips.
"Oh, no, it’s not like that," he said quickly. The words tumbled out in a rush.
"I actually just came back. I remembered something I needed." He lied without thinking. He could not tell her the truth.
He could not tell her that he had been kicked out of his job just an hour ago.
He was afraid that this small fragile interaction they were having for the first time would be the last. He thought if she knew he was a failure she would not want to talk to him again.
A small private smile touched Sophia’s lips. She heard his clumsy reply and was not fooled. But she did not care. She was pleased that she had finally spoken to him. The internal barrier she had built had been broken.
Her feelings for Adam were not romantic. She simply admired his work ethic. She wanted to get to know him as a neighbor. He was the only other person in the building who seemed to be alone like her.