The burnt smell in her apartment was her neighbor's fault. Lia sighed as she quickly went into the living room to shove her window up higher. She had followed her mother's chocolate chip cookie recipe to the letter, but she had gotten distracted and let them cook too long. The rest of that night she had thought about how she could thank that man for rescuing her. She didn't want to even think what would have happened if he hadn't been there. Now her thank you was going straight into the trash can in all its burnt glory.

"Just try again," said Lia to herself as she walked back into the kitchen, using the spatula to scrap them off the tray and into the trash can.

Luckily she had made a double batch. She had been planning to keep some for herself, but she would just make some another time. Lia set to work trying to make sure they came out perfect this time, even going so far as to drag up a chair so that she could sit in front of the oven door. When the buzzer went off, she took the golden chocolate cookies off the sheet pan to cool. Once cooled, she arranged them on one of two flower platters she had in the cupboard, walking it across the hall to the apartment.

Lia took a deep breath, reaching out a hand to knock on the door. There was no answer. Perhaps they weren't home. Lia sighed as she looked down at the plate of still semi-hot cookies in her hands. She decided to give the door one more knock.

"Who is it?" finally came a voice from the other side. It sounded a bit different than yesterday, but maybe it was because of the door that was muffling things between them.

"Oh! Hello! My name is Lia! I brought over some cookies to thank you again for yesterday."

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?"

"You saved me from the creep living next door to me," said Lia. "You knocked him out so he'd leave me alone."

"I did, did I?"

'Is this man humble or just really forgetful?' thought Lia as she awkwardly shifted from foot to foot where she stood.

"Yeah, you did, so...did you want to open the door so I can hand you the cookies?"

"You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," said Lia.

"Just leave the platter outside the door then," he said. "I'll get it when you leave."

Lia thought that kind of odd, but she knew this man was a recluse. This was the most she had talked to him since moving in. She didn't want to bother his Friday anymore than she already had anyway. Bending down, she gently set the platter on the ground before turning and walking back to her apartment. Just as she was opening her door, she heard the apartment door across the way open. She quickly turned to look over her shoulder to see a man dressed head to toe in black, quickly grab the cookie platter and just as quickly disappear again back inside.

"Why are there so many weirdos in the world?" asked Lia out loud to herself with a sigh as she entered her own apartment, shutting the door behind her.

- - -

Life went on for Lia. She kept trying out for interviews for better paying jobs while still working random shifts at a nearby grocery store. Since the Friday she dropped the platter of cookies off, she hadn't seen or heard from her neighbor across the hall. She didn't know what she was expecting if she was honest with herself. She hadn't seen the man before he saved her, and she knew that she would probably never see him again.

As Thursday rolled around again, Lia busied herself with trying to figure out her day. Since she had the day off from working at the grocery store, she figured she could pursue through online work ads in the hope of being able to line up another interview or two. As she sat on her couch with her laptop, she heard a knock at the door. It was so soft at first, that she almost missed it. That was when she heard it again a bit louder than before.

"Coming!" she shouted as she got up, closing the laptop and putting it on the coffee table in front of her.

Lia had no idea who it could be. She hadn't made friends yet since she had only moved to the area a few weeks ago and was more concerned with getting a job than anything else. Moving to peek through the peephole first, she noticed a man standing dressed in all black on the other side. He was holding her empty platter in his hand.

Moving to unlock the door, Lia stood in the doorway and looked at the covered man in front of her.

"Thanks for the cookies. I came to return your platter," he said.

He held it out to her, but Lia made no move to take it. She forced herself to lock eyes with his tinted sunglasses.

"Why do you wear all that?"

"Personal choice," he said, holding out the platter towards her again.

She hummed as she moved to take the platter back.

"How are you, by the way?" he asked. "Did that man hurt you?"

"It's been a week since then, and now you ask?"

"I'm sorry. I was busy," he said. "I couldn't come check sooner."

Lia watched him warily for a moment, scanning him. She wondered if somewhere within the black garments was a weapon. She doubted it though. He had rescued her. Why would he return a platter just to hurt her? He noticed that she was looking at him weirdly.

"I should go," he said with a sigh.

"Did you want to come in for a second?"

The question seemed to take him by surprise as he took a minute or two to respond.

"Oh no. I have things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like...um..."

She smirked at seeing him fumble for an excuse. This man was an odd one for sure.

"Maybe for a few minutes," he said finally as he shifted anxiously from foot to foot, acting like he'd be in trouble for the answer he just gave.

"That's fine," she said as she moved aside so that he could step inside.

Lia shut the door behind him, walking past him to go put the platter on the cupboard to take care of it later. She saw that he was still lingering in the entryway like some sort of ghost; wringing his gloved hands together.

"You can make yourself comfortable," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I...I know."

He still stayed where he was. Lia sighed, walking back over to him by the door. She moved to gently grab one of his hands, tugging it off the other.

"Come on. Come check out the lumpy couch I got at a charity shop."

Lia heard him let out a short chuckle as she kept a hold of his hand, navigating him into the living room. She didn't know what made her so comfortable around him. She was never this comfortable around men before. Perhaps it was because he was more nervous than her. She let go of his hand once they stood in front of the couch, watching as he slowly took a seat on it. Lia laughed when she saw him trying to adjust himself not even five seconds after he sat down.

"Lumpy, right?"

"Ha ha....yeah."

"Can I get you anything?"

The man stopped his shifting as he quickly shook his head. Nodding, Lia moved to sit down next to her laptop on the coffee table across from him.

"What's your name? I'm curious since you know mine and I don't know yours."

"I don't know your name," he said.

"But I told you it when I delivered the cookies last Friday," she said. "Maybe you didn't hear through the door. My name is Lia."

"Lia," he said and stopped, not saying his.

"Is there a reason you can't tell me yours?"

The man was silent for a second as Lia noticed him fiddle with his gloved hands again. He then said something so softly she could barely make it out. She leaned forward to be closer to him.

"Can you say that again?" she asked.

"Jungkook," he said softly. "My name is Jungkook."

"Jungkook," she repeated with a soft smile. "Much better of a name than Lia which is ail backwards."

Jungkook chuckled.

"Why are you spelling it backwards?"

She shrugged.

"People use to tease me that I would ail them at times, pointing out that it was really in my name."

"Well, kookgnuj isn't anything, so I think I'm in the clear at least."

She was surprised at the other's attempt to crack a joke, smiling softly.

"People are jerks," he continued. "Don't let them get to you."

"I won't," she said. "And now they really can't. I moved well enough away from everyone. I'm starting over here. You're actually my first guest if you believe that."

"I don't believe it," he said before adding, "But you're the first person I've talked to in a long time if you believe that."

"You probably could talk to other people if you didn't look like you were going to mug them," said Lia; the words flying from her mouth before she realized they had been said. Her eyes widened in horror, but thankfully the other laughed.

"I suppose you have a point there."

"Might also help if you went out," added Lia, chiding herself internally again. Where was she getting this courage from?

"I suppose you have a point there too."

Silence fell between them for a moment as Lia just sat there, watching him nervously wring his hands some more.

"Jungkook..."

Saying his name snapped the other out of whatever thoughts he had fallen into, looking across at her. She offered a small smile.

"You can trust me. Even if you're wearing it because you're horribly disfigured or something, I won't say anything."

Lia could tell that he was still a bit hesitant about it all, but soon enough he reached up a hand to remove the sunglasses from his face. She saw the eyes of the man that had saved her last week staring back at her. His irises were a deep, rich coffee brown, swirled with touches of lighter brown like cream fading into it. She wondered if that would be all he would remove, watching as he soon reached up his gloved hands to remove the face mask. His delicately formed lips came into view; pink as a rose bud. The black ski hat was pulled off his head after, revealing a sweaty mess of raven black hair that immediately came to hang down over his ears; bangs falling onto his forehead.

'This man is hot,' thought Lia as she looked at him, watching as he placed all the removed articles onto his lap. He looked as pale as a ghost.

"Well, you're certainly not disfigured or anything close to that," Lia said with a small smirk.

She watched his lips quirk into a smirk as he forced himself to lock eyes with her. There was something else stirring within his eyes that Lia couldn't quite place. Whatever it was made her feel sad though.

"Jungkook, you're safe here, okay?"

"Safe..." he repeated as he looked at her. "Why do you think I need somewhere to feel safe?"

"You look lost like me," she said. "Besides, no offense, you don't seem to have friends and neither do I. Maybe we could be that for each other. No one should be alone."

His lips curved into a smile then as he nodded his head. His eyes looked past her at the television that was currently off and the game system attached underneath.

"You play?" he asked, pointing at the hooked up Nintendo Switch as Lia turned to look at it.

"I do, but I'm not very good."

"I doubt that."

She chuckled as she moved to turn her television on. She grabbed the controllers, coming to sit down beside him.

"You are challenged to Mario Kart then," said Lia.

"Mario Kart?" Jungkook chuckled. "You're on, Lia."

That had been the first time he had said her name, and Lia didn't know what it was about it - aided by the chuckle - that had her feeling a shiver shoot through her body. She smiled back at him as she leaned back in her seat on the couch. They played and visited for the next hour or so before Jungkook told her that he had to take his leave.

"Maybe we could do this again tomorrow," suggested Lia, hoping she didn't sound desperate as she watched Jungkook put his hat, mask, and sunglasses back on by the front door.

"I'm sorry. I would, but I'm busy tomorrow," said Jungkook. "How about next Thursday? I'm free then. I'll bring pizza."

She smiled, nodding her head.

"Next Thursday it is."

Lia stood in her apartment doorway as she watched Jungkook walk back across the landing to his side, unlocking the apartment door and disappearing inside. Lia felt that this was just the beginning for her and Jungkook. If only she realized what kind of beginning it really was.