Anon is a 42-year-old architect working from home who lived a quite lonely life for the past few years. His girlfriend broke up with him which threw him down into spiral of sadness and loneliness. He used to think to himself that he was not an ugly man but also not an amazingly handsome man either. Maybe that was the reason his girlfriend broke up with him. Regardless, he tries to bury such thoughts away and think of the things he is thankful for. He was able get a sweet gig at the company which he can do from home. Working from home certainly helped give him some well needed time alone but amidst his paid solitude, the lives of his neighbors always seem to leak into his life whether he liked it or not. Of these neighbors, Laura catches his eye the most.
Laura is a teenager that came from a rough household. Her parents, Peter and Donna, fight almost every day. Laura often escapes the noise by sitting down in the front porch doing whatever she can to keep her mind away from her family. Anon has approached her several times with some sweets, his ears and a shoulder to cry on. Laura’s parents certainly know about Anon but it seems they are too preoccupied arguing with each other to worry about him.
***
It is a rainy night outside and Anon is watching the latest Netflix movie trying to kill time. He just finished a contract and earned a couple of days off before reporting back to work or at least report back to his laptop. A pair of muffled voices distracts Anon from enjoying the movie. He peers over to his window and he sees a light from his neighbor’s house. Peter and Donna are at it again with their nightly fight. Anon could not discern what they were arguing about today but the breaking of plates can be heard. A doorbell catches his attention. He is not expecting visitors today and certainly not at midnight.
Anon answers the door to be greeted with a drenched Laura. He notices how her provocative red dress hugs her body revealing her womanly curves. Despite how soaking wet her skin is, tears can be seen running down her flustered cheeks.
"C-can I come inside, Mister? I don't know where to go." Laura asks while sobbing.
“Of course, come in, come in. You are soaking wet, let me get a towel to dry you off.” Anon replies while searching for a towel in a nearby drawer. Despite his best efforts, his eyes constantly wandered and found their way to Laura’s young fertile body. "So, what is happening. Are your parents still fighting?" He asks as he passes a towel to her. His face slightly flusters in his futile attempts at keeping eye contact with her.
"Yes, and I can't go through that right now. They have been arguing for hours." she says. She pats her body dry but does very little to keep her clothes from clinging to her body. The towel caresses her soft body. Her slender neck shines under the light. If anything, her movements made her more enticing than ever. She looks at Anon with teary eyes hinting at frustration and desperation. “Can I stay here tonight, Mister? Please!” She speaks.
“Yes, of course, do you want a change of clothes? I still got some clothes my ex left here.” He offers to her. Anon empathizes with Laura’s predicament. Being stuck with two people fighting each other everyday will certainly take a toll on anyone.
"Maybe later, I need to sit a little bit, can we go in the living room." she answers. Obliging, Anon and Laura go in the living room and sit on the sofa. To calm the mood and to drown out the noise of her still arguing parents next door, he plays some soft music on the television. Laura lays her head on Anon’s shoulder.