I live in an apartment complex of rules.

I moved here two months ago. Apartment number 29. A quiet, quaint complex. A new home, one much needed. I was fresh out of college, and needed a closer place by my job. This complex was ideal. The whole process took longer than it should, about 6 months from start to finish. The upside of this was the chance to get a better look at the apartment. Every time I went, I noticed something new and more beautiful. A window I missed my first time around, the beautiful color stain on the cupboard. It was ever so inviting.

The neighbors here are strange. I’ve never heard them speak, and they keep routines to the second. A few days after I moved in, I invited my new neighbors to a house warming party. Sure, I was desperate, but hopeful. No one came. I caught one in the hallway and he managed to apologize for missing it. He said he wanted to come, but remarked “I wasn’t allowed to”. At first I assumed this was because of his wife.

But now, I know differently.