Page 1 of The Off-limits Grump Next Door
Chapter One
Kendra
As I stepped out of the cab and onto the brick interlock of the parking lot, the humid North Carolina air hit me like a warm blanket, wrapping around my tired limbs. The contrast from the icy, sharp winds of Alaska was almost jarring.
I inhaled deeply, the warmth seeping into my skin, loosening the tension that had built up from the nine-and-a-half-hour flight and the long drive.
I stretched my arms and rolled my neck, trying to work out the tight knots that threatened to push me into a new wave of exhaustion.
I hadn’t just left Alaska behind—I was trying to leave memories, pain, and grief, all frozen beneath the endless snow.
Yet as I stood here, soaking in the southern sun, I couldn't help but wonder if those ghosts would melt and follow me anyway.
In front of me stood a modest three-story apartment complex with a faded brick façade and white trim that glowed softly in the late afternoon sun. The red roof added a rustic charm, and the windows twinkled in the light, a welcoming contrast to the rugged, snow-capped mountains I had left behind.
It was peaceful enough, a far cry from the rugged mountains I’d once called home. Maybe that’s why I chose it—to disappear into the ordinary, where no one knew me or my past.
I paid the cab driver and turned to wrestle my suitcases from the trunk. The weight of them reminded me just how much baggage I was carrying—not just the physical kind. As I struggled to haul them up the steps, a low, gravelly voice cut through my thoughts.
"You're blocking the whole darn stairway."
The voice was thick with annoyance, like I’d personally set out to ruin his day. I turned around, already preparing an apology, when my breath caught in my throat. Standing there, tall and broad, was a man whose face I hadn’t seen in years but had once thought of every day.
Antonio Michaelson.
The same Antonio I’d secretly crushed on back in college. Only this Antonio looked like life had hardened him, chiseled him into someone sharp-edged and unforgiving.
His piercing blue eyes were locked on me, narrowed in irritation. His scowl could curdle milk from fifty feet away, and his tightly clenched jaw looked like it hadn’t smiled in years.
My heart stuttered. How was this possible?
How was he here?
“Excuse me… hey!” he barked, snapping his fingers to grab my attention.
I blinked, shaken from my thoughts. "Uh, sorry," I stammered, still processing that this was the same man I’d admired from afar, the one who’d once smiled effortlessly, who used to make everyone feel welcome.
“Don’t be sorry. Move!”
His tone snapped me out of the fog. "Okay, jeez… chill. I’m just trying to move in.” I gritted my teeth, feeling the weight of his judgment pressing down on me as much as my suitcases.
My muscles screamed in protest, and my eyes burned from the fatigue that threatened to spill over into tears. This was not how I pictured starting over.
He snorted, giving me and my belongings a once-over with a look of disdain. "Great. Another neighbor who thinks the world revolves around them."
I felt my irritation spike, but I bit back the retort sitting on the edge of my tongue. I didn’t want to start my new life by fighting with the first person I met, even if he had once been the guy I thought could do no wrong.
Was he always this much of a jerk, or had something happened to change him? How had I not noticed this side of him back then?
“Probably because you were too busy swooning over his smile,” the voice in my head whispered, and I grimaced.
Antonio lingered, watching me struggle with an intensity that made my skin prickle. His gaze was heavy, judging, as if he could see right through me—and I hated that it made me feel self-conscious.
I pulled my suitcases the rest of the way up, managing to get inside with a final grunt of effort. When I turned to close the door, Antonio still hadn’t moved.
"You know, you're not exactly the welcoming committee I was hoping for," I said, keeping my voice even, though irritation dripped from every word.
He raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I'm not here to welcome you. I'm here to tell you to keep the noise down. Some of us like peace at home."
