My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 8

My new apartment was in a district called Sky Valley. It was a place filled with successful artists, well-paid freelancers, and contractual management specialists. There were a lot of young, talented individuals. Each of the people who lived there was unique, but they all had one thing in common: they were all devoted to their work, and they all minded their own businesses... Well, the majority of them at least.

The day I moved in, someone knocked on my door. I was busy unpacking and initially ignored the knocking sound, hoping that whoever it was would give up and go away. Unfortunately, a minute later I heard the doorbell. I figured that it was the same person, and if he or she was still there, then perhaps there was a good reason for it.

I opened the door and saw a brightly smiling, short woman with curly brown hair.

"Hi! I'm Carla. Can I use your balcony?" she asked, nervously grinning.

"Can you use my… what?" I glanced at her, feeling confused.

"I'm sorry, it will take a minute then I'm gone." She swiftly passed me by and barged into my apartment, heading to the balcony.

Since it was hard to think she could have been dangerous, I didn't stop her and followed her instead. She marched between my unpacked boxes and went outside. I was right behind her. I leaned against the balcony door and stared at her curiously. She stepped closer to the side glass railing and pulled her leg up. I sincerely didn't know if I should stop her or keep observing her weird actions… She must have realized how peculiar it looked. She paused and gazed at me with an awkward smile.

"I… I'm not trying to jump or anything," she said with her voice full of nervous laughter, "and I'm not breaking into someone's apartment either!"

"So… What is it that you are doing exactly?" I snorted.

She put her leg down, turned around, and looked straight into my eyes.

"I live next door and my key-card broke!" she called out desperately, "I have to get to my apartment to get documents before I start the meeting at 1 PM, and the building security told me they would get a new card for me in two to three hours…"

Her big, grey, pleading eyes were filled with tears.

"So basically, you are trying to break into your own apartment using my balcony?" I sighed.

"Well… yeah," she admitted with an uncomfortable grimace on her face.

I looked her up and down, then I glanced at the space between her balcony and mine.

"Are you aware that we are on the tenth floor and then you would probably need to jump while standing on my railing to get to your balcony?" I smirked.

Carla stepped closer to the balustrade, briefly looked down, then instantly pulled her head up, shutting her eyes.

"And you are even afraid of heights?" I burst out laughing, "Wouldn't it be easier to wait for that new key card?"

"You don't understand! I'm meeting a very important client! If he chooses me as his catering provider, I can make a fortune… And now… the whole menu proposal is inside my apartment!" Carla burst into tears.

I took a deep breath. I had never batted an eye on anyone's tears. I had always found them annoying, but there was something about this agitated and frustrated woman that made me want to help her.

"All right… step aside. I will get inside your apartment and then open the door for you," I stated while exhaling my irritation and wishing that she could stop whining.

She moved to the back, gazing at me, both surprised and confused. A second later, her eyes sparkled.

"Thank you!" she shouted happily, yet then she gasped. "But didn't you just try to explain to me how dangerous it is?"