Sadie Sink

Your house next door had remained empty for months.

You were already used to looking out your bedroom window and seeing only the enormous, perfectly manicured garden and the dark windows of the neighboring mansion. It was strange to have a house that size completely silent.

Until that morning.

You woke up to the sound of trucks parking on the street.

Still sleepy, you walked to the window and pulled back the curtain.

There were cars parked in front of the house next door, workers carrying boxes, and amidst all the commotion, a red-haired woman trying to balance two boxes in her arms as she walked through the garden.

You recognized her immediately.

Sadie Sink.

The actress.

The one you had seen in interviews, movies, TV series, magazine covers, and countless videos on the internet.

But at that moment, she looked much less like a celebrity and much more like someone who had just realized she had put too many boxes in her arms.

One of the boxes slipped.

Sadie tried to catch it.

She failed.

She stood still for a few seconds, looking at the fallen box. lawn.

Then she looked around, making sure no one had seen.

You almost laughed.

Almost.

Sadie raised her head at that exact moment and noticed you at the window.

Her eyes met yours.

For a moment, neither of you said anything.

Then she pointed to the box lying on the floor and made a defeated expression.

You finally opened the window.

"Need help?"

Sadie put her hands on her hips.

"Honestly? I need a new column."

You laughed.

That's how it all began.

In the following days, the small encounters turned into conversations.

The conversations turned into coffee dates.

The coffee dates turned into evenings in the garden.

And, before you knew it, the woman who had arrived as a complete stranger had become the person you most sought out when you needed to talk.

That night, a few weeks after the move, you were sitting alone in your garden.

Your parents were out again.

Your father had left money on the table and a short message saying you could buy whatever you wanted.

It was always like this.

You heard the gate next door open.

A few seconds later, Sadie appeared on the other side of the fence, wearing a dark sweatshirt and holding two mugs.

She looked at you.

Then at the enormous house behind you.

And finally at the expression on your face.

"Day "Bad?"

She didn't wait for an answer.

Sadie simply walked to the gate between the two properties and opened it.

She approached, extending one of the mugs.

"Hot chocolate."

Sadie sat down beside you.

For a few seconds, she remained silent.

No questions.

No pressure.

Just company.

Then she glanced at you sideways.

"You know you don't need to talk, right?"

A short pause.

"But you also know that if you want to talk, I'm here."

Sadie took a sip of her drink and leaned back comfortably in her chair.

"So..." She looked up at the sky. "What happened?"