Illicit Affairs (LMM x Reader)

Two: Angel of Music

With the help of my friends, my apartment was in a habitable state by the end of the night. As merciless as they were with their jokes, many of which centred on a certain neighbour; having four sets of helping hands meant I was able to get a good amount of sleep that first night.

When I wake up, I take a moment to admire the morning sunshine as it floods my bedroom through the voile blinds. It's quiet, save for the comforting sound of a muffled uplifting piano tune somewhere in the distance, which I treat as fortuitous background music. I grab my phone off the nightstand and snap a picture of the room, wanting to capture the way the diffused sunlight bathes the room in its soft glow. With a skip in my step, I hop out of bed and grab my glasses, planning to spend the day exploring the neighbourhood. Thanks to my transfer, I was given a week off from work to relocate and settle before my official start here, and I intend to make the most of it.

~

I am definitely lost. After a long walk, I find myself panicking on a pretty unfamiliar-looking street and stop at the side of the road to gather my bearings on Google Maps, but across the street I spot a lookout that overlooks the Hudson river. I should really find my way home before it gets dark, but what's the harm? I stay to admire the view of the sun setting over the George Washington Bridge. Ever the hobby photographer, I brought my camera along on the walk, a backhanded consolation gift; I switch it on and snap a few shots. Honestly, it's impossible to take a bad picture of such an amazing view. I have this, now... Suddenly this random corner of town doesn't seem unappealing in the slightest. Maybe there's a reason I ended up here. Maybe...

In a stream of maybes, I follow the directions on my phone as I walk back, continuing to click photos along the way. There's something about the city with all its busy streets and towering buildings that makes me want to keep going, and that I do; though my photography is merely out of enjoyment, I know I want to capture everything for my future self to remember fondly. Maybe I'll start scrapbooking, just for the heck of it. Looking at the world through my DSLR screen, I finally find my way back to my block and stop outside my building for a few more photos before I head in for the night.

As I alter the settings on my camera, capturing the street from various angles, a figure with a dog brutally photobombs my frame by walking straight across it as the shutter clicks.

Scowling, I lower my camera to glare at the offender on the opposite sidewalk. The world is small, the block is even smaller and you already know where this is going.

Lin.

Of all people, it just had to be him strolling through my shot.

He stops, looking straight at me, seeming strangely alarmed as he sprints across the road and stops in front of me as the dog sniffs me. Lin lowers his headphones to rest them around his neck, leaving his hair rather adorably disheveled. I refrain from reacting. It's cool, it's cool...

"Hey, what are you..." His gaze drops to my camera, borderline suspicious. Excuse me?

"Well, it's nice to see you too," I remark, "So... what?"

"Nothing, I just thought you were... Never mind."

Then it dawns on me. Of course he's unnerved by a potentially crazy new neighbour who happens to be standing outside his apartment building with a camera around her neck. He doesn't know me any better than I know him, so of freaking course he seems to think something is off about this. "O-kay. I'm not some kind of stalker, if that's what you're thinking. And if you must know, this," I hold up my camera for emphasis, "is a personal hobby, and nothing more."