After her discussion about driving and speed with Sebastian Lockwood, Sydney Sawyer shrank into the passenger seat and didn't say another word.
It wasn't until the sign for The Emperian came into view that she felt as if she'd seen a savior, her eyes brightening considerably.
"You can just stop at the entrance. I'll walk in from there," Sydney Sawyer said, her tone gentle and considerate. "You must be very busy with work, so I don't want to hold you up any longer."
Sebastian Lockwood replied bluntly, "I've already been delayed this long. What's another moment?"
"..."
"Which building are you in?"
"Building 16."
Sebastian Lockwood's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
After the car entered The Emperian, Sydney Sawyer kept an eye out for the building numbers. Her mother had found the apartment, and since this was her first time here, she had no idea where Building 16 was.
Yet, the car drove straight to the entrance of Building 16 and stopped.
"You're very familiar with this complex?" Sydney Sawyer let out a long sigh of relief, glad to have finally arrived.
Sebastian Lockwood responded with a low murmur.
"Do you come here often?"
"No."
"Then..."
The car was parked. As Sydney Sawyer unbuckled her seatbelt, the pressure across her chest vanished, and she instantly felt more at ease.
"I'm here almost every day."
"Huh?"
'What does he mean? Every day?'
"I live here too."
"..."
Just when Sydney Sawyer felt she could finally breathe, that suffocating, heart-pounding sensation returned, this time with a spark of excitement.
'Oh, Mom, why did you have to find me a place like this? Your daughter is doomed!'
Sydney Sawyer's heart raced. Back in school, when you had a crush on someone, you'd want to use the same brand of pen as them. And now, to be living in the same apartment complex—in Keston, a city of nearly ten million people—the odds were incredibly slim.
Suppressing her frantic heartbeat, she glanced at Sebastian Lockwood. "What a... what a coincidence."
Sebastian Lockwood merely hummed a low response.
His reaction, as Sydney Sawyer would put it, could only be described as:
Impossibly calm.
'So this is the difference between having a crush and feeling nothing at all. It's huge.'
Tamping down her wildly fluttering heart, Sydney Sawyer got ready to exit the car. But after parking, she saw Sebastian Lockwood turn off the engine and unbuckle his own seatbelt. "You don't have to get out. Just dropping me here is perfectly fine."
"I'm not just dropping you off. I'm going home."
"..."
At that moment, Sydney Sawyer was still thinking that he must live in one of the buildings nearby. 'After all, it would be inconvenient to park here if he lived too far away.'
After getting out of the car, Sydney Sawyer smiled at him. "Well... goodbye, then."
Sebastian Lockwood nodded and retrieved a bag from the back seat, one that likely held a laptop or documents.
Sydney Sawyer felt like she would genuinely lose her mind if she spent another second with him. After her quick goodbye, she hurried to the main entrance of Building 16. To get inside, one needed to either enter a passcode or swipe a key card.
When her mother had told her about the apartment, she'd only mentioned its location and the code for the apartment door itself, not the one for the main building entrance.
Not daring to just press random numbers, she was about to call her mother when a hand reached past her from behind...
...carrying that familiar scent of disinfectant, mingled with a crisp hint of pine.
BEEP BEEP BEEP—With each press of the keypad, Sydney Sawyer's heart hammered in her chest.
It was as if every button he pressed was pressing down on her heart.
"Remember it. The building code is 160257."
Sydney Sawyer's breath hitched. 'So they... live in the same building?'
The spring breeze seemed to fill her chest, making the hem of her dress billow out gently.
In that instant, it felt as though the wind was rushing in from all sides...
...and it was warm.
——
The building door buzzed open, and Sydney Sawyer quickly thanked him and slipped inside.
She walked to the elevator, pressed the 'up' button, and stood obediently to one side. As she watched the floor numbers on the display count down, she stole a glance at Sebastian Lockwood.
The afternoon sun streamed in through the glass of the lobby door, flooding the small space with light.
Sebastian Lockwood just stood there, bathed in the pouring sunlight. He looked like a jade tree in a spring shower—noble and elegant, his brilliance subtle and contained.
He was...
'...truly handsome.'
In a daze, Sydney Sawyer remembered how she used to always watch him in secret. She had rarely been this close to him, and...
...they had never been completely alone like this.
DING—The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime.
Ever the gentleman, Sebastian Lockwood naturally waited for Sydney Sawyer to enter first, but after a moment, he realized she was just standing there, lost in a daze.
He prompted her, "The elevator is here."
Sydney Sawyer snapped back to reality and scrambled into the elevator. But she had been lost in her thoughts for too long; just as she stepped inside, the doors were already sliding closed...
Her heart sank. 'Am I about to get caught by the doors?'
'Am I really going to embarrass myself like this in front of Sebastian Lockwood?'
'This is maddening!'
Just as she braced herself for the impact, a hand reached out from behind her, blocking the closing doors. The sensor was triggered and the doors slid open again, but his hand...
...remained near her shoulder.
It gently steadied her. Through the thin fabric of her clothes, the spot where he touched her felt like a red-hot brand, scalding hot.
"Be careful."
His voice was as gentle as ever, though with a slight rasp.
With her back to him, Sydney Sawyer couldn't see his face, but she could tell from his voice that he was very close. So close that his voice, his very breath, seemed to caress her ear.
Sebastian Lockwood glanced down slightly and saw that the young woman's...
...eartips had turned red.
"Thank you." Feeling utterly foolish, Sydney Sawyer scrambled the rest of the way into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.
Sebastian Lockwood followed her inside. He glanced at the lit button for her floor and took his place, his expression unreadable.
Mortified by her own clumsiness, Sydney Sawyer didn't dare look at him. Once inside, she fixed her attention on the advertisement panel on the elevator wall.
It was a promotional poster for the residential complex.
The Emperian was in the city center, surrounded by the best elementary, middle, and high schools in the entire city. The most expensive school-district properties in Keston were located here. It was also adjacent to a top-tier hospital and close to a subway station. Such a prime location meant the property values were sky-high.
Sydney Sawyer pursed her lips. Just as she was marveling at the real estate prices, the elevator arrived at her floor with a chime.
The building had ten floors, and her mother had found her a penthouse apartment. The elevator had reached the very top, and Sebastian Lockwood...
'...still hadn't gotten off!'
'Don't tell me...'
'The coincidence can't be this great, can it?'
"You live on this floor, too?"
Sebastian Lockwood looked at her, thinking she was a bit slow on the uptake. He gave a nod and walked straight out as the elevator doors opened.
Since this was Sydney Sawyer's first visit, when she stepped out of the elevator, she was utterly dumbfounded.
There were only two apartments on the floor, their doors directly opposite each other!
Sebastian Lockwood...
...lived right across the hall from her.
Just then, Sebastian Lockwood unlocked his door. Before closing it behind him, he glanced at her one last time and gave a slight nod in farewell.
The moment the door shut, an unexpected smile touched the dark eyes behind his glasses.
...
Sydney Sawyer, meanwhile, stood frozen to the spot. While shocked to be living across the hall from him, she also felt an inexplicable thrill. Her heart pounded, as if she had been transported back several years, to the time when she was so...
...so in love with him.