The smell of smoke and curiosity

My life wasn’t particularly bad for a 24-year-old. I have a good job that pays well and I enjoy it. I had parents who loved me for the most part, although they died when I was 18 and from then on I became an adult and had to fend for myself, it wasn’t much of a sad story so I can leave that till later.

Having moved into a small town named Furness with not a lot of people my age probably didn’t help my lack of friends issue, but I needed to start thinking about myself for once as my last set of friends and work colleges didn’t turn out so well in the end, at least this way I don’t need to work with anybody and I could be in the comfort of my own place and not be stuck behind a busy work desk piled high with overdue deadlines.

This town only had one big shopping mall and few shops nearby otherwise you’d have to travel pretty far to get to anything worth buying so online shopping it is. Although the scenery was beautiful, with big forests and lakes all around I found myself picking a block of flats across from a park with trees and wildlife not overrun by humans, a place to relax when needed.

I only had little things I had brought with me just some furniture and the essential clothes and necessities to get me through, I will make my flat a home in time as I wanted to get out of my old place and quick. This was the time for a fresh start in life, or so I thought.

The sound of the moving truck was almost like music to my ears as I approached the door of my new home knowing this is a new lease on life for me. It was 5 pm and autumn is at its end as the sky was already filled with the remainders of the sun’s glow and the moving truck had just left and it was time to settle down.

It had only taken an hour to unpack all of my belongings as I had around 3 boxes and a big suitcase. The back room was the bedroom and it already had; a single bed a wardrobe, a small work desk aside from the window, and a shelf full of my books alongside a tapestry I had placed above my bed, it was a fairly sized room as it also had a mini balcony through a door overlooking the town. In the bathroom, I had put a few towels and my washroom bits and bobs, small bath and shower just big enough for me. And finally, the living room had a sofa a table, my tv on the wall, and at the other side of the room before the hallway was the kitchen area with plenty of cupboards, a fridge freezer, and stoves it even had a little seating area on it to eat at like a bar.

After some quick tidying then a relaxing bath I had some easy takeout pizza, wrapped myself in my cozy silk red dressing gown, hair still wet as I hadn’t bought a hairdryer yet and I went to sit on my balcony to take in the fresh air of a new place.

Opening the balcony door I stepped out and did a big inhale. But what I smelt wasn’t fresh air, for it was the bitter smell of smoke coming from next door. I glanced over thinking I was going to see my newfound neighbor sitting there enjoying the view as well but all I saw was a fresh cigarette on the corner of a broken ashtray and the door ajar. Strange I thought but shook it off as tomorrow I shall introduce myself to whoever it is as behind that door, it’s late now and I should really be getting into my new bedsheets I bought and forget all about today worries until tomorrow comes, leaving my door open just a crack for the warmth in my room was too much to bare after a long day.

BANG. I awoke to the sound of a door closing as the walls to my flat weren’t very thick I knew it was my new neighbor. I peered at my clock and it was one am, I had only been asleep for four hours and I’m having a bad first night already. I exhaled and forced my eyes shut again, I needed to be up early enough to wait for my food shopping to arrive, and to introduce myself to my noisy neighbor.