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A man in his early twenties stood in front of the thin street, far away from the city and its hassle. He wants to have a new start. A new life, a new place.

This might help him, have a fresh start.

He walked inside the street, whirring the suitcase with himself. As he entered the street he felt a block of sunshine. It wasn't dark but not too bright either. As he reached the end of the street he found the house he bought for himself.

The house was not so big nor so small, it was enough for one person to live. It looked a bit dusty from the outside, the man- named Alexei sighed, and took out the keys from his pants pocket and unlocked the door.

He entered the house and felt a sudden rush of air. He felt like something.. Or someone touched him. A Gentle touch that felt..

Soft.

Delicate.

He pulled his suitcase in and walked towards the living room. He found the couches covered with white dusty sheets. He removed them and threw them away as he sat there now unpacking his luggage.

He spent his next two hours unpacking, no music, no TV, just the muffled sounds of boxing hitting here and there on the ground.

After opening every box, he walked towards the kitchen of the house and started to put on the utensils in the cabinets.

He was so engaged in his work when he suddenly found a neatly folded paper in one of the cabinets placed at the back. His eyebrows crinkled, his lips twitched. A frown appeared on his face as he opened it.

A smooth, delicate, fluent writing in black ink.

There was no name, no date on the paper. Just one sentence written so nicely. It felt too personal to be random..

For a moment he thought about it, but then shrugged it off thinking it might be left behind by the previous owner of the house.

He put the paper on the shelf and placed the coffee making machine on the corner of the shelf. Taking out the coffee mug from the cabinet he brewed himself the coffee.

The fresh odder of the coffee filled his nostrils as he exhaled lightly sipping the warm coffee. As the bitter-sweet taste came to the contact to his tongue his eyes closed tightly and eyebrows furrowed.

“Ah, after the hectic day.. This coffee made my day better.” He mumbled to himself and was about to leave from there when his gaze fell on the paper again.

For a few seconds, he contemplated whether he should keep the paper or not. But, then put it inside his pants pocket and walked to the living room again.

The day went by, him placing his needed stuff in the house, when his eyes landed on the blue curtains flaring in the air as he went towards it, he found the window open and the cold breeze coming inside the house. He closed the window and went to his room now.

He got fresh and slept in the new place.

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Alexei liked the house, it looked quite old, but it was enough and fine for the man. At least, he got a house to stay in and a roof on top of his head. That was enough, at least he wasn't living in the rented house and had to pay rent every month from his salary.

He works as a waiter in a nearby café shop the salary is decent and enough for himself. He had an 8-hour shift and after that he'll be back at home enjoying watching TV, listening to some soft music or just simply painting.

The man likes to paint, he isn't a professional but yes, he can paint well.

It's been a few days since he started living in this house, and it was quite fine, he was adjusting to the new environment and the place quit well. But, the weird thing was, he found more notes in the house.

They were all scattered at the different places of the house. One in a book placed in the living room shelf, another pinned behind the bathroom mirror. Each one was short, it felt like someone had scattered their thoughts all around the house. Sometimes it would be poetic or other times it gives a quiet ache to Alexei's heart.

In the beginning he found it weird, how can someone put these notes here. It felt like all these were placed knowingly. But, slowly it started to pull him towards it. He felt like these were placed for him, for him to read, for him to know.

He started to look forward to them, he enjoyed reading them and now.. He starts to reply to the notes too. He knows it's quite useless and dumb of him to reply to them but, he felt at ease. He knows no one's gonna read it, but he still continues. Sometimes he laughs at his silliness.

He starts to write the replies on napkins, receipts and on the back of grocery lists.

He was writing one now too, he laughed at himself but still continued to scribble.

‘No one's gonna read it Alex! Why would you write it?' He questioned himself in his mind.

“Maybe because I find peace and comfort.. It might not be read or answered by someone, but.. I still feel like doing it.” He mumbled to himself and tucked it into a book, the notes mentioned.

He placed the book back and went to eat his dinner and after that he watched a Netflix movie and slept in his room.

In the morning when he woke up and had his breakfast, he held the same book out of its place. He placed some money in it too, last night while writing he didn't feel like putting it somewhere in a safe place, but he felt like it was safe there so he tucked it in the book.

He took out his money, but there was no note. It wasn't there anymore. But, another note was there in the book he didn't write that—

He was surprised. Did he just get a reply back? Really? He was stunned, but at some corner of his heart he felt happy and excited too. But on the other side it sent chills down his spine, was he getting watched by someone?

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The days started to pass for Alexei, it wasn't that silent and lonely anymore. He didn't feel alone anymore, he had the presence of someone beside him.

It made him more curious and excited than anxious. Instead of finding it creepy and chilling, he finds peace and enjoys reading notes and laughs being happy.

The notes became more frequent and now, it felt like it was a direct answer to him. A direct note to him, to talk to him. And he, instead of trying to find it out, started to enjoy the company of that someone. He doesn't know who it is, but he still talks with them, he still manages to reply to those notes, and he would find the answer as always.

Today, he came back early from work, so he thought about doing a painting. He was setting his paintbrushes and jars in the living room as he decided to paint here. When he was arranging the jars he found a note tucked in the paint brush jar.

With a smile he took it out and unfolded it.

Alexei blinked, he read it twice. His heart thumped loudly against his chest.

Were they... Watching him?

He should be scared, it's creepy. Someone's eyeing him in his own house. But he didn't, instead a small soft smile displayed on his lips.

He sat on the stool and started to paint, his full concentration was on his painting, but his heart was thumping loudly and softly as he knew this time too someone would be watching him.

After completing his painting he left it there to dry, and then he left to have his dinner. While, having dinner his mind again went back to the note, and he smiled.

He wrote a reply on a napkin and tucked it gently under the same jar.

ווו×

The next day he woke up and went to the bathroom to get ready. There he found a note tucked behind the mirror.

He took it out and read it.

He paused reading it, he was sitting on the lid of the toilet. He stared at the words with some unknown emotions and then gave it a thought before writing another note on the back of it.

He slid it back behind the mirror.

ווו×

Later that evening when he came back from work and headed towards the kitchen to drink a glass of water, his feet halted.

There stood someone.. By the end of the hallway.

The figure was barely visible, it was glowing faintly in the dim light. The figure looked delicate and petite more like a woman, but from the appearance it felt like it was a man..

Alexei didn't move, he wasn't able to. His breath struck in his throat, he saw the figure tilting his head to the side, and he even saw a faint smile too.

And... It vanished.

Alexei's heart thumped, he rushed forward to the place. But, there was no one, no shadow anymore. He stood in all the silence looking around, and then walked back to the kitchen to drink water. He found a fresh note on the dining table.

His hands trembled as he picked up the note. No, it wasn't because of fear. But something else. There were some deep feelings striking inside him.

He wishes he could see the person he talks to..

He has started writing more often now, sometimes even full letters. He would sometimes tell him about his favorite books, sometimes about his day. He even told him about how he once got lost in a museum just to see an art. He even told him about his insecurities and how he felt like in a world full of people, he felt lonely.

Alexei's words were read, they were understood and felt by him and were answered by letting out his own little confessions. He felt like someone was there for him too. He can feel that Alexei was like him too.

Lonely.

Depressed.

Alexei was one day painting his emotions out, no specific thoughts. And when he was done, he stared at the painting for a long time.

When he felt the presence of someone, he turned his head and found someone standing near the window behind the blue curtains.

He left from there, leaving his painting in the living room only but also note behind.

After that he went to sleep, the next day he found a note in the same place where he left his. And as usual, his one is gone.

“Leonid..” The word rolled out Alexei's mouth as he smiled softly, his heart flipped.

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