Page 26 of Most Likely to Fear Love

I shook my head, desperately searching for a way to change the subject. “It’s nothing, really. Just... work stuff.”

“Work stuff doesn’t make you blush like that,” Emily pointed out, her eyebrow raised skeptically.

I felt trapped, cornered by their well-meaning but relentless curiosity. My mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible explanation that wouldn’t lead to more questions. But before I could think of what to say, Hannah caught my eye from across the room. She gave me a subtle nod, understanding flashing across her face before she said, “Hey, Mia. Didn’t you say you had a weird work thing going on?”

“Oh my god, yes!” Mia exclaimed, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

I shot Hannah a grateful look and got a wink in reply.

“So, get this - someone in my office is leaving post-it notes on my desk, and we can’t figure out who it is!”

“What sort of notes are we talking about here?” Annie asked.

“Just really nice notes. Lovely quotes, affirmations, or just like, I hope you have a nice day.”

A chorus of “awws” filled the room.

“That’s really sweet,” Maya said. “Do you have any suspects?”

Mia shook her head. “Not a clue! We’ve been trying to catch them in the act, but they’re like a post-it ninja or something.”

Emily chimed in. “We can’t even tell if it’s a guy or a girl. And you’d best believe I’m watching Mia’s door like a hawk. Whoever this is, they know how to get by meandMia. There are over two hundred people on our floor and nearly a thousand in the whole building. We may never know who it is.”

I took another sip of wine and leaned back into the sofa. “Fascinating.”

“Very,” Emily agreed. “We’ll report back if we find out anything more.”

“Definitely do that,” Maya put in.

“For sure,” Mia corroborated. ‘Now, in other breaking Harris news, I found out yesterday that the neighbors are selling up.”

I swear we all let out a sigh of relief at Mia’s news. Those neighbors had been the fucking pits from the moment they’d moved in.

“Thank god,” Hannah muttered, voicing what we were all thinking. “I swear, if I had to listen to one more of their 3 AM karaoke sessions, I was going to lose it.”

Emily nodded vigorously. “Or their leaf blower at 6 AM on Sundays. Who does that?”

“Don’t forget the time they decided to repaint their house at midnight,” Poppy added, rolling her eyes. “With floodlights!”

We all groaned at the memory. The entire street had been lit up like a football field for days.

“Well, good riddance,” I said, raising my glass. “Here’s hoping the new neighbors are a bit more considerate.”

Maya leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eye. “So, who do we think might move in? Any bets?”

“Ooh, I hope it’s a cute couple with a dog,” Mia chimed in. “You know, the kind that actually picks up after their pet.”

“Or maybe a nice retired couple,” Annie suggested. “They’d probably keep to themselves.”

“As long as it’s not another wannabe rock band,” Hannah grumbled.

Now it was Sammy’s turn. “How about some footballers? Some eye candy would be nice.”

That was something we could all agree on.

I stumbled into my bedroom,kicking off my shoes and letting out a contented sigh. I’d only had a few glasses of wine at Mia and Emily’s, but it had left me feeling warm and relaxed, my mind pleasantly fuzzy around the edges. I fumbled with the buttons of my blouse, managing to change into my pajamas without too much trouble.

Just as I was about to get into bed, my eyes fell on the empty mug I’d left on the nightstand last night.

---