Blind Channel- One Shots

Nice to meet you- part 1 (Joel Hokka)

It's been two weeks since I've moved to Helsinki. I got a job at the University and took the chance to do what I've always dreamt of: moving abroad. I've always been quite fascinated by northern countries, and I actually had been to Helsinki before but as a tourist, so when the opportunity came and I got that job offer, it didn't take me long to pack my stuff and leave my hometown in northern Spain. And now here I am, living the dream. 

I was actually thinking about all this while waiting for the elevator of my apartment building. I usually get lost in my thoughts, but I got back to myself when the elevator stopped at my floor and those doors opened up. When I lifted my head and looked inside that cabin, I noticed there was a man leaning against the right side wall, scrolling on his phone. I didn't pay much attention to him while I was walking in. I noticed the ground floor button was pushed already, and proceeded to stand on the left side of the cabin, right across that man. That was when I lifted my head  to see the tall, long-haired blonde guy standing in front of me. For a second, I stared at him, admiring his beauty. While the doors closed, I said good morning to him. He lifted his eyes from his phone and looked at me, only to give me a small smile and go back to his phone, without actually answering. I have to admit, that one second while our eyes connected seemed like an eternity. His eyes were blue, a light kind of blue, like the ocean. His face looked like he was sculpted by an artist or something, and that little smile of his lifted my spirit. What a beautiful piece of man. His perfume was filling the air and I couldn't help myself but to take another quick look at him. I know, I was being weird, but he was truly handsome. Soon the elevator doors opened again as we reached the ground floor. He put his phone in his pocked and leaned off the wall. He said something in Finnish while looking at me, both of us stood still. I gave him a confused look.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak Finnish." I said, looking into those mesmerizing eyes. 

"Oh, sorry. I said- ladies first". He pointed to the door while answering me, giving me that little smile once more.  I giggled quite embarrassed and thanked him, stepping out. He followed me out and we made our way to the exit door. After opening it and walking out, I held the door opened for him.

"Thank you." And there it was, that smile again. Why am I crushing over my blonde neighbor? 

"You're welcome! Have a nice day." I smiled back and let the door close once he was out too. He answered a quick "you too" and made his way to what I assumed was his car. 

I took a walk to the nearest bus stop thinking about the blonde one. I actually felt quite ridiculous thinking about him on my way. I mean, I saw him for like 2-3 minutes total. But his beauty was just so hard to ignore. I guess I could say he was just my type of man: tall, blonde, light-eyed. But there again, this is Finland, and men like him are not hard to come across in here. 

I took my headphones and put them on before opening Spotify and choosing a metal playlist to listen to. The bus didn't take long to arrive at the stop, and after getting into it, I sat down and admired the city while getting lost in my own music. 

***********

"Well, I've just arrived at the building. Thanks for keeping me company. I'll call again later, maybe after dinner, okay? Bye!" I ended my call with my mom as I was approaching the entrance of my now home. I put my hand inside my bag to get the keys out, but all the stuff inside made it quite hard to find them. You know what they say about a woman's bag, right? I started cursing at myself at how long it was taking to find the damn keys, sighing heavily. 

"Are you coming in?" I lifted my head at the voice and saw the same tall blonde I've encountered at the elevator almost three weeks ago. I haven't actually thought about him again since that day, life was just too crazy and I had a lot more to do than to think about him, if that makes any sense. I let out a loud groan and made my way to the door he was holding opened for me. 

"Oh gosh, yes, thank you." 

"No problem." He answered, not looking away from me. I walked in and gave him a smile while passing by and he let the door close. We made out way to the elevator, again. Funny, no? Meeting him again under the same circumstances as last time, but I guess  that's what living in the same building does.  We stood in silence while waiting for out ride to get to out level and I took the chance to take another glance at him. His hair was tied up in a bun, which made him look even more attractive, thing I didn't think possible. He was wearing black jeans and a black leather jacket, with a guitar backpack hanging on his shoulder. 

"You play?" I asked, making him look at me before I nodded to the guitar case. 

"Yeah, I do. Both electric and classic." I nodded at his response. We walked into the elevator and he asked me what floor I was going to, and pressed both 3rd and 4th floor buttons. Well, guess I know he lives on the 4th floor now. 

"Are you new around here? Think I've only seen you like once or twice, and you're clearly not Finnish". His question caught me off guard, to be honest. Until now he only spoke the absolute necessary, which was totally fine. 

"Yeah I moved here a little over a month now. Still adapting. What about you?" 

"I live here for a while now. Hope you're enjoying it here so far." Throughout our little chat, his eyes did not leave mine for a second. It was almost like he was actually interested in what I was saying, or else he wouldn't have asked, right? You know when you're little and feel those stupid butterflies on your stomach when you see someone you like, a crush or an attractive kid? Well, that was me right now, on my twenties. His intense eyes were having that effect on me, and I guess there was just something captivating about him. We didn't speak for a while and when I saw him leaning back and putting his hand in his pockets before he ran his eyes up and down my body  couple of times, I had to break eye contact, as I could feel I was starting to blush. I didn't know what was happening all of a sudden, but I was feeling uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, though. After pulling myself together, I looked back at him and let out a little smirk. The door opened on my floor and I stepped out. Once I got out, I looked back at him. 

"I'm Elli, by the way." I saw a little smirk appear on his lips. He parted his lips and answered me while the door started closing.

"Nice to meet you, Elli. I'm Joel." 

So here it is, my first "story". I am considering writing a second part to this one, but I would firstly love to know your opinion. How you like my writing style, if you liked this little imagine, if you think it should have a follow up. Hit me up, and thank you for reading! <3