01 Edd Gould

You’ve lived in the same building for months, but never really spoken to Edd, just exchanged polite nods in the hallway when taking out the trash or checking the mail. He always seemed cheerful, in that unshakable way some people are, like nothing could ever really bother him. You figured he was one of those "always fine" kinds of neighbors, the type who listens to old cartoons too loud on Saturday mornings and laughs like the world’s still good.

His apartment door was two down from yours, always faintly smelling of cola and paint. Sometimes you’d hear the hum of his blender at 2 a.m., or muffled arguments between his friends, a snarky one with a sharp voice (Tom, you think?) and another whose laugh could rattle the walls (definitely Matt).

You didn’t mind the noise. Honestly, it was comforting. The chaos leaking through the thin walls reminded you that someone else was alive out there.

Then one evening, the fire alarm went off. Smoke was curling from under Edd’s door, not fire, thankfully, just burnt toast and maybe… some kind of chemical smell? When you knocked, Edd swung the door open with a grin, goggles on his head, and a fire extinguisher in hand.

“Oh hey, neighbor! Don’t worry, science experiment gone slightly sideways.”

That was the first time you actually talked.

From there, things just sort of unfolded. Edd started waving when you got home, sometimes even talking to you when he did see you. Things were changing..

(Slide right to make it like a neighborhood one if you don't like the storyline happening in a apartment>>)