'Finally! A start to something new. It has been three long years, and it's about time to let everything go and have a fresh start.' This was the very first thought that came into Alex's mind as he entered into his new apartment, which was on the ninth floor of the building.

　　The past three years have been hard for him. Divorce from his wife, true colors of his ex-girlfriend, his parent's disapproval on his behavior, his efforts to mend his relationship with his sisters, everything has taken a toll on him. From the past three years, he had been living with guilt and he still feel at fault for his actions.

　　He looked at his apartment and had a satisfied grin on his face. It wasn't anything exclusive but a comfortable condo for him, just as he likes it. It has been a while since he has started to live in his comfort zone. He sometimes felt like smacking himself for not changing his attitude sooner because if he did then not only his life but even others' lives would have been much easier.

　　He gave a long sigh, took a shower and was about to go to bed earlier than usual until he heard the loud music which was coming from downstairs.

　　He groaned and dragged himself to have a few words with the owner. Hopefully, it was not some young adult who likes to throw late-night parties on a regular basis. The irony of life. He used to be that kind of guy who used to have late parties every other night, but with age things do change. He is not an old fellow with grey hair; he is a young man who is almost thirty. He is just more mature than other guys in his age. Life and experience do that to you or any other person in this world.

　　As and when he was walking down the stairs, the music got louder, and it was doing nothing but aggravating him more with each passing second. He took a deep breath and rang the bell just before the music stopped. Some timing the keeper has. He might as well have a word with the respective owner so that this doesn't happen again. He doesn't want to come home to this every single night. After long hours of work, a peaceful night with good sleep is a must.

　　He was waiting for the door to open and was flabbergasted when he saw that instead of some young stranger answering the door; it was the woman he had longed to meet from the past three years.

　　----------

　　Marissa got a panic attack when suddenly the volume of the music increased from the stereo. She recently brought a new music system as her old one decided to die down. She wasn't that good with technology, so she was trying all sorts of buttons to reduce the volume. She tried to read the instructions, but it all seemed gibberish to her.

　　"You! stupid dumb box, will you lower down your damn voice. Goddamit! Why can't this system be simple to work with?" She shouted loudly, talking to no one in particular.

　　"Jesus Christ! Come on, which one of you is going to lower the volume of the music." She started talking to the buttons.

　　As crazy as this sound but she didn't want the grumpy old lady to give her long lecture about discipline and as it is, it wasn't her fault that she is not that literate about gadgets.

　　Just when she was able to control the volume, the doorbell rang, and she knew for the fact that it might be one of her neighbors. Or worst, the grumpy old lady.

　　Marissa remembered the time when her friend Ronny decided that it would be hilarious to wake the whole building up by the loud music in the middle of the night and to her dismay, the outcome wasn't very good as she got a long lecture by the famous grumpy old lady about being an ill-manner women and how it's not ladylike to have a guy home in the evening. She sometimes wonders how the hell that old lady was even born in this era. She was too narrow-minded and orthodox.

　　She closed her eyes and opened the door presuming to be the grumpy old lady. "I am so sorry, Margarita. It was totally by mistake. I got this new stereo and was having difficulty in handling it..." She kept on rambling words like an idiot until silence greeted her.

　　Marissa slowly opened one of her eyes to get a glimpse of the grumpy old lady's face, but to her utter surprise, she found the man standing in front of her, whom she swore to never meet or even think about again.