Elio's POV

I noticed him immediately. He was tall with unruly black hair just above his shoulders that looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. A white tee sat loosely over broad shoulders, his jeans looked well worn, and he wore socks with flip-flops of all things. I held back a laugh, jumping down from the back of the moving van. He must've thought he was being stealthy over by the dumpster, watching me like that, as if I didn't have peripheral vision. Not that I minded having a cute guy ogling at me.

I gathered the courage to look over at him, but he was already walking away. I sighed and grabbed a couple of boxes before making my way towards the stairs.

"Why did I grab two? I can't even see," I muttered to myself, feeling my way forward as best I could until bumping into something. "Is someone there? Sorry, let me just..."

I eased the boxes down to the ground and straightened up to find myself staring into eyes as dark as the unruly strands of hair falling into them. I could hardly contain my excitement. Just the man I was hoping to see again!

"Sorry about that, couldn't see ya there past the boxes," I said. "You're not hurt, are you?"

His smile was breathtaking. He had this sleepy air around him, like he'd just woken up from a nap. His eyelids drooped lazily, and I didn't sense a single tense muscle throughout his whole body. I couldn't help but feel relaxed and at ease standing near him.

"Not at all, don't worry about it." His voice was smooth and soft, each word kind of slurring into the next. "Would you like a hand?"

"For real? Hey, thanks! That'd be great. Grab the bottom one, will you?" I took the box on top and made my way for the stairs in a hurry so he wouldn't see the heat sprouting in my cheeks. Handsome and generous? I bit back the giddy feeling threatening to burst through my chest as I heard his footsteps following me up the stairs.

We spent the whole afternoon carrying boxes from the van to my apartment, and he didn't complain even once. We sat in silence at golden hour for a few minutes, catching our breaths. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips; I could feel his eyes on me again. He just couldn't help himself, could he?

It felt good though, even if maybe it shouldn't have. He was a stranger after all. But even so, his gaze felt warm. There was nothing predatory or malicious behind it. I only felt admired and seen. I wondered if that was how paintings in museums felt as people from all over the world came just to stare at them. From that moment, I knew I'd enjoy getting to know this guy better.

"Oh my god!" I laughed at myself for being so scatterbrained. "I never even introduced myself? How careless of me. I'm Elio Webber, and I just moved here today."

"Shoot, you're right," he chuckled. "Cameron Hills, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I just moved into 301 last week."

I sat straight up at that and beamed uncontrollably. What were the odds? "No way, so that means we're neighbors then? What crazy luck."

"Definitely," Cameron said with a smile. "You can hear old man Craine in 108 snoring from the road. I'd hate to be on the same floor as him, let alone neighbors."

I thought for a moment.

"Hey, would you like to stay for a drink? It's the least I could do to thank you for all your help today. And maybe you could fill me in on some of the other tenants?"

Of course, I was actually curious about the other people in the apartment building, but if I were to be honest, I just needed an excuse to keep him there. It was already getting late, and I wasn't ready for this interaction to end. Before he could refuse, I jumped up and started searching for the beer I'd packed in one of the boxes. I'd planned to drink them alone to relax after unloading the van, but that was before I had company.

"I'd love nothing more," Cameron said.

I nearly tripped over my own feet going to sit across from him. I cracked open a couple of beers and handed him one. "Tell me everything!"