16 Neighbour (1/2)

After Ensen had woken up the next day, he quickly hopped out of bed eager to get to the bank before it got too busy. Quickly throwing on some sweatpants and a blue t-shirt, he walked into the kitchen to grab an apple and began putting his shoes on.

If all went well with the bank, Ensen would have the property rights to the plot in just a few days. Knowing the initial establishment of his private Academy was just around the corner, he became even more ecstatic.

Checking his phone before leaving, he noticed it was supposed to be rather chilly today, surprisingly enough. Deciding to wear a jacket just in case, he grabbed his only jacket from a nearby coat rack. The jacket was all black with a similarly black hood at the back. It even seemed pretty new, evident that Ensen had barely used it. There was a breast pocket on the left side with a zipper holding it closed. This jacket did not add much protection from the chilly weather. It was more of a raincoat. But an extra layer of clothing wouldn't hurt him.

Putting on his coat, Ensen opened the door and began heading towards the elevator. In the hallway in front of him was his neighbor that he never really talked to. She seemed around 30 years old with wavy light-brown hair and wore a heavy wool coat to protect herself from the cold. She was miles more prepared then Ensen was.

Ensen was interested in his neighbor. Not for romantic reasons however, it was just an innocent curiosity towards his neighbor. Interest was the main drive in Ensen's life that motivated him to do things.

Hastening his footsteps, he quickly arrived next to her.

Hearing the approaching footsteps from behind her, the woman turned around slightly worried. Upon seeing it was her neighbor she relaxed slightly. While they have never talked before, she had a good impression of him after hearing that he a math teacher at a local private Academy.

Seeing that Ensen was either trying to catch up to her or rush ahead, she slightly sped up her pace and walked closer to the wall not wanting to interact with him.

After a few more seconds Ensen managed to catch up to her and matched her pace.

Ignoring the odd look the woman was giving him, he began speaking to her in a relaxed tone. ”Hello, I just realized I hadn't introduced myself to you. I'm Ensen Fuentes. It's nice to meet you.”

Looking at Ensen, the woman gave off a slightly cold vibe as she replied bluntly ”I'm Kaitlin.” obviously not willing to give much information about herself.

Slightly taken aback by the lack of any desire to hold a conversation, Ensen smiled awkwardly and walked in silence towards the elevator next to her. After a few more seconds they arrived. Pushing the button to descend, Ensen found himself in an awkward situation. Even worse, he had nobody to blame but himself. But still, he did not think she would have no interest in holding any sort of conversation together.

After a few seconds a dinging sound came from the doors as they began to open. Seeing that the elevator was empty, both Ensen and Kaitlin entered. Upon pressing the lobby button, he turned his head and asked what floor she was heading to. Hearing no response from her, he went near the opposite side of the elevator and closed his eyes, praying that this would end soon.

Fortunately for him, the elevator soon let out a ding similar to earlier. Knowing that the doors were about to open, Ensen decided he needed to apologize. He didn't know what he did, but still. She did not seem like a person that Ensen would like on his list of enemies. Opening his eyes and looking at her, he began speaking somewhat reserved this time.

”I'm sorry about that. I was just interested in who my neighbor was. I meant no harm.” He said, trying to smooth things over.

Expecting no response, Ensen stayed in place and waited for Kaitlin to exit.

As Kaitlin exited the elevator and began walking towards the front door, she paused her steps for a moment and spoke in the same blunt voice ”It's not you.” And without waiting for a response, she continued her steps, heading towards the parking lot.

Confused by the meaning of Kaitlin's words, Ensen paused in contemplation. After noticing the doors beginning to shut, he quickly stuck his hand out, causing them to reopen. With theories clouding his mind, he absent-mindedly began walking to his car.

Finally noticing he had arrived at his car, he tried to ignore what just happened. Besides, Ensen didn't have any reasonable theories. He didn't even know her last name, job, or anything about her.

After starting the car, Ensen slowly began making his way to the local branch of his bank. The traffic wasn't too bad, allowing him to arrive after only 15 minutes. Seeing a lack of cars in the parking lots, he pulled in, Ensen smiled as he parked the car and strolled inside.

Entering the bank, Ensen noticed a row of ATMs to his left, while straight ahead was a large desk made out of birch wood. Behind the desk was a woman around 22 years old. Approaching the desk, Ensen began settling his business here.

After nearly two hours Ensen finally managed to get clearance in transferring a large sum of money. Satisfied and slightly irritated from the long process, he began to return to his car. Luckily he managed to get there pretty early, as the bank branch was getting increasingly busy throughout his time there. At this point it was getting kind of absurd. There were at least 15 people waiting in line.