Less Than 1 Mile
Beams of sun poured in through the window above her bed as Agatha awoke the next morning. It was Sunday, she thought to herself. She had to go pickup Nicky today to begin their next week together at her apartment. She turned over in bed and groaned, barely able to get any real sleep last night due to her mind racing with everything she needed to remember for the upcoming week. She loved having Nicky here, of course, and wished that things didn’t have to turn out this way where she’d have most of their quality time compacted into week-long intervals- but that was the new life her and Wanda had been forced to accept upon their separation. And plus she’d be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t enjoyed the time to herself that she was granted due to the arrangement.
She grabbed her phone off her nightstand and began her morning routine of checking emails, notifications, and just a few minutes of doom scrolling. She opened her Hinge app and began mindlessly swiping through women she hadn’t had any interest in actually getting to know- same as always. That was until a familiar face popped up.
“Rio,” she said, smiling to herself. Subconsciously delighted that she had come across her new neighbor’s dating profile. Oh, this was going to be fun.
Agatha sat up in her bed, excitedly. She slowly swiped through the other woman’s photos. The first one was a close-up shot of Rio as she smiled widely toward the camera holding two thumbs up next to her face. Damn, she was really cute. The next photo was a wider shot of Rio holding a baby lab. Agatha’s eye lingered on Rio’s perfectly toned, black and grey tattooed arms as they wrapped themselves around the dog, and her eyes were just as big and brown as the puppy’s she was holding. The next picture was Rio sitting on a stool in what looked to be a tattoo studio. Rio was flipping off the camera with a latex glove on, with her head tilted to the side. Agatha chuckled at that one.
She began scrolling through the entirety of the profile, eager to find out any new details about the woman who was now living on the other side of the wall.
Age - 31
Agatha knew the other woman had been younger than her, but for some reason the 10 year difference between them had surprised Agatha.
Looking for - Not sure yet
“Welcome to the club,” Agatha laughed to herself.
Occupation - Tattoo Artist
Well, that explains the last photo. And the gorgeous work the other woman had covering her arms. Agatha wondered if she had any other tattoos she hadn’t seen yet.
Less than 1 mile away
More like 100 ft.
After scouring every detail of Rio’s profile, twice , an idea sparked in Agatha’s mind. She scrolled back up the picture of Rio holding the puppy and clicked “Send Like” along with a message.
Cute dog. I hope it’s not too yappy. Wouldn’t want your neighbors to be upset ;)
Agatha clicked send and smiled to herself, satisfied with the new playfulness she was able to explore with the other woman. But that was all it was, playfulness and flirtiness to pass the time and make life a little more interesting. Especially when she sensed that the other woman appeared a bit flustered by it when she’d done it in person the day before. It gave Agatha an unexpected sense of power, which she seemed to enjoy very much. There was no harm in a little innocent flirting, right?
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Rio awoke to the sound of rapid footsteps running through the hallway. She picked up her head and looked around, momentarily confused at where she was. Oh right, her new apartment. She stretched her arms up over her head, laying in the queen sized mattress that sat directly on the floor for now . She still hadn’t gotten around to putting all of her furniture together just yet.
She heard keys jingling and hitting into a door outside her apartment, which sounded like the next door over. Agatha , she remembered. Along with the sound of the door now closing behind her, she heard what sounded like a child speaking in an excited tone. Her son .
She lifted her head up and tried to hone in on the sounds, but it was far too muffled between walls to figure out anything they were saying. Plus Rio felt creepy for even trying to listen in the first place. She grabbed her phone, pulled herself off of the mattress, and headed to the bathroom. She sat on the toilet, unlocked her phone and started sorting through her notifications. Her best friend Jen had sent her a few messages asking about how the move went, the electric company sent her an email confirming the opening of her account at her new address, and lastly a message on Hinge. Agatha liked one of your photos.
Rio’s eyes widened and she almost dropped the phone on the bathroom floor.
“Oh no. Oh no, no, no.” She muttered to herself. Surely there had to be a different Agatha on this app. It’s not that uncommon of a name. Is it?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, deciding there was only one way to find out. She opened the app and sure enough, a picture of her new neighbor appeared on her screen. Her new hot , single , lesbian , MILF neighbor. And along with the ‘like’ she sent through on one of Rio’s pictures, was a message:
Cute dog. I hope it’s not too yappy. Wouldn’t want your neighbors to be upset ;)
Rio’s jaw physically dropped as she stared at the message for far too long.
She knew that moving to a new part of town would grant her access to a whole new pool of potential matches, but she never expected that she’d be messaging her neighbor that lives just on the other side of her bedroom wall.
After the shock subsided, Rio clicked on Agatha’s picture- eager to see the rest of her profile. Her first picture was…stunning, to say the least. It was a picture that was surely taken for and used in a professional setting. Almost like a headshot you’d see on LinkedIn for the CEO of some big tech company. She wore a brown turtleneck, with a dark blue pinstriped blazer over it. Her dark, wavy hair splayed over her shoulders and her smile exuded confidence.
She swiped to her next picture, and this one she recognized. It was a photo of Agatha and her son. She had seen it the day before when she was in Agatha’s apartment. It was a candid shot of the mother and son sitting on a blanket, atop a lawn of green grass. They were looking at each other and smiling the cutest smiles Rio had ever seen. She wondered if the photo was taken by Agatha’s ex, during a perfect afternoon family picnic. Normally the idea of a simple, domestic life like that would freak Rio out - stemming from her own family trauma, of course - but instead she found herself smiling at the picture, thinking it was just adorable.
She continued to scroll further down to the details of Agatha’s profile.
Age - 41
Rio’s eyebrows raised. She knew the other woman was older than her, but the 10 year difference just made her even more attractive somehow.
Looking for - Nothing serious
While Rio appreciated the honesty, she wondered what Agatha was even doing on this app. Was she just looking for hook-ups? Surely the older woman could just walk out into the street and receive multiple bids for attention from a number of ladies looking to just hook-up with her.
Occupation - SVP of Media Sales
Well, that explained the corporate headshot in photo #1.
Less than 1 mile away
Thanks for the reminder, Hinge.
Rio rolled her eyes and tapped back into the new chat that Agatha had so kindly started. She thought for a second and took a deep breath, wondering how she should play this.
It’s a friend’s dog, don’t worry. I think my neighbor will be pleased.
Rio hit send and immediately locked her phone, putting it aside on the bathroom vanity. A rush of nerves rushed over her, although she wasn’t even sure why. It had not been an overtly flirty response. She thought it was just the right amount of playfulness and nothing more.
She finished up in the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and threw her phone in her pocket. She walked out into the kitchen and turned on her coffee machine. This was her last day off to finish unpacking before she headed back to work tomorrow, so she needed all the caffeine she could get. After downing her first cup, she walked over to the pile of boxes awaiting her in the living room. She began taking out a number of vintage gold frames, stacking them gently on the floor beside her. She had no real vision of what her first apartment would look like, but she knew that she wanted to make it her own. She wanted to have a place where she could express her personality and not give a damn what other people thought about it. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she instinctively pulled it out, giving it a glance.
Agatha sent you a new message
Rio’s heart sank. She momentarily forgot about the conversation with the other woman, slightly shocked that she would respond so quickly. Especially when she knew that Agatha had her son staying over at her apartment - like right now . Rio tapped on the notifications and their conversation appeared.
Good to know. And for the record, you’re correct. Your neighbor is very pleased ;)
Another fucking winky face? Was Agatha trying to kill her?
Rio was able to chock Agatha’s first message up to her just playfully saying hello, making herself known to Rio on the app to avoid any awkwardness they might’ve encountered later on. But now - is Agatha actually flirting with her? Is this what she meant by “ nothing serious” ?
Rio shook her head and blinked quickly. How on earth was she going to respond to that?
She began typing and deleting, re-typing and re-deleting. Nothing she could come up with sounded as witty or unbothered as she wanted to come across. Rio stuck her phone back into her pocket and resumed unpacking her boxes. She needed to focus on something else right now before her brain got too carried away in thought about her new next-door-neighbor potentially flirting with her.
_____________________________________
A few hours and a few boxes later, Rio heard a knock at her door. She set aside the pile of clothes she had just finished folding and approached the door, looking through the tiny peephole at who it might be. Except, she didn’t see anybody. Weird , she thought.
She opened the door and looked down, only to find a small boy standing politely, too short to see through the peephole. It clicked immediately that this was Agatha’s son. He had the same piercing blue eyes and dark, thick hair. But Rio also recognized him since she’d seen pictures of him in Agatha’s living room and on her dating profile.
“Oh, hi there. You must be Nicky?” Rio asked, offering the small boy a friendly smile.
He looked up at her, nodding his head up and down with a big smile. He reached his hands forward, holding out an empty plate toward Rio. “Thank you for the cookies. They were really yummy.”
“You’re welcome, buddy. I’m glad you liked them.” Rio said, taking the plate from the little boy. “My name is Rio, I just moved in yesterday.”
“I know. My mama told me.” the boy said, still smiling widely. “She also said that you have a lot of cool drawings on your arms.” he said innocently, eyes searching the other woman for the tattoos, but to no avail as she was wearing a long sleeved hoodie.
“Oh, um, yeah. I guess I do.” Rio said, in a surprised tone. Had Agatha been talking about her?
“Does your mom know that you’re here, kiddo?” Rio asked.
Before the boy could answer, she heard Agatha’s voice ring out from her own apartment, their door still open from Nicky’s departure.
“I sent him over to return your plate.” Agatha yelled out as she emerged from the doorway, making herself known. “But I appreciate you checking.” Agatha said, in a softer tone.
“Oh, of course.” Rio assured her, nodding her head.
“So can I see them?” Nicky said excitedly. Both women’s heads tilted at the boy, unsure of what he was asking. “Your drawings?” he clarified, noticing his new neighbor’s confusion at his previous question.
“Oh, my tattoos?” Rio said, finally realizing what the boy was asking. She rolled up her sleeves, holding out her forearms to Nicky so he could get a closer look.
“Wow! That’s so cool!” the boy exclaimed with his eyes wide. He reached out his hand and began tracing the intricate black lines of her floral sleeve.
Rio smiled at the boy’s wonder and turned her head to look at Agatha only to discover she was doing the same. They looked at eachother and chuckled at the boy’s amazement.
Agatha tucked her hair behind her ear and called out, “Alright, Nicky. No more touching the pretty lady without asking first.” she said jokingly, breaking up the sweet moment that was taking place prior.
Rio blushed slightly at the compliment and smiled as Nicky pulled his hand back, looking up at Rio’s face. “How did you get that on you?”
Rio laughed at the way Nicky phrased the question. His innocence was adorable.
“Well, first I drew out the stencil and then I had a friend of mine tattoo it on me with a tattoo machine. It uses a tiny needle to poke the ink into your skin so it stays on you forever.” Rio explained in the most kid-friendly terms she could think up.
“You drew that?” He said, jumping up with excitement. “I want one!”
Rio laughed and nodded, looking at Agatha apologetically and then back at the boy. “Come back to me when you’re eighteen, buddy. I’ll make sure to hook you up.”
Nicky frowned and looked down at his feet. Rio suddenly felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t know how to talk to kids. None of her family or friends had any children that she was around frequently enough to know how to communicate with them.
“But hey,” Rio started again, gaining the younger boy’s attention back. “Maybe another time I can show you my sketchbook and we can work something out. How does that sound?”
Nicky jumped back up, nodding with another one of his big smiles. “Yes please!”
“Ok Nicky,” Agatha interrupted again, “it’s time to come back. I’m sure Rio is very busy.”
Nicky walked back over toward his Mom and called out “It was nice to meet you!” as he disappeared back into the apartment. But Agatha remained in the hallway, in front of her own door.
“He’s a sweet kid.” Rio said, offering a small smile to the older woman.
“Thank you.” Agatha said, as she tucked another piece of hair behind her ear. “Just let me know if he ever gets too bothersome. He’s in the phase where everything is a question.” Agatha said politely.
Rio noticed the demeanor change in Agatha, how much softer and less intimidating she was when she talked about her son. She could already tell that she was an amazing mom.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. His curiosity is endearing.” Rio assured her.
“Well, have a good night Rio.” Agatha said as she headed back into her doorway. She lingered back to say one last thing before she disappeared back inside. “Oh, and don’t leave me on ‘ read, ’ darling.” The door closed behind her and silence filled the hallway.
Rio stood with her mouth hanging open. She was fucked .