Beats of the Heart - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

The elevator rang, and the doors opened, alerting Danny that he had reached his floor. He never thought he would be run ragged when he decided to become a professor. However, each year, his classes increased in size, and soon he had to host four classes, and there were talks of a fifth next semester.
His messenger bag and laptop were heavy with answer sheets from his last quiz. He muttered under his breath about how he would force everything to be electronic next semester. He was already anticipating a long night of grading. He should have left it for his TAs, but they were overworked.
He could beg the head of his department for another TA, but he wasn't the only one struggling.
"Maybe I should stop conducting quizzes," he said to himself. "It doesn't make sense for Modern Poetry."
He trudged to the door of his condo and realized that the hallway was filled with moving boxes. His floor only had two condos, and the one across the hall from his had been empty for a while. Danny typically kept to himself and had gone a year before talking to his last neighbor. He figured it would be the same this time.
He pulled out his keys and unlocked his door; however, when he tried to enter his place, he tripped over a package and almost fell. He groaned. His brother had constantly fussed over him for being clumsy. The last thing he wanted to admit was getting injured while walking into his home.
He huffed, picked up the offending package, and set it on the entryway table. He slipped off his shoes and tossed his bag on the couch, sighing with relief as he rolled his shoulders after removing the weight.
As he went to pour a glass of wine, his phone rang. He smiled when he saw his best friend, Courtney's name. "Hey, lady," he greeted happily when he answered it.
"My children were just asking about their favorite uncle," She responded.
Danny chuckled. Courtney and Rob are proud parents of three-year-old twins. Proud and absolutely haggard. Danny would help out as much as possible.
"You know I love the kids, but if you ask me to babysit, I think I will have to decline tonight. Some idiot professor decided to quiz his classes and now have to grade said quizzes."
"Gross," Courtney said with audible disgust. "But no. I was trying to push Rob out the door and have a guys' night. I love that man but need him out of my hair for one night."
Danny sighed. "Why do I feel like this is some scheme to get me out of the house?"
"Because it is a scheme to get you out of the house," Rob said, proving he was on speakerphone.
"Rob!" Courtney yelled.
"I don't need a playdate with Rob, Court. I get out of the house every day."
"I told you he would say that," Rob grumbled.
"You get out to teach classes. You don't try to meet new people," Courtney argued.
Danny laughed. "I meet hundreds of people!"
"We're talking about your classes again," Courtney groaned. "Danny, I love you. I just want you to meet someone to appreciate you."
Danny sighed. "You know I don't like going out or talking to new people, especially when I'm drained from work. Do I really need to go put myself on display in hopes that some guy won't be an absolute dick?"
Danny had poor experiences with dating that he would rather keep locked away. He was always too nerdy, too quiet, too shy, too small, too something. That were the usual excuses men gave him when they cheated or dumped him. Other times, they just ghosted him, so Danny had quit the whole "dating" thing.
Courtney sighed. "Alright. I'm sorry for pushing."
"You push because you care," Danny responded, and he knew it was true. "And I love you for it."
"Anything new happening besides making poor decisions and quizzing your poor students?"
Danny laughed and then remembered the boxes in the hall. "Oh. I'm getting a new neighbor."
"Really? That place had sat vacant for a while now. I thought it was haunted or something," Courtney said. "Have you seen them?"
Danny shook his head and went to the entryway to check the package he left there. "No. Just saw the boxes."
Danny looked at the tracking label, surprised it was addressed to someone else. He checked the apartment number and realized it was for his new neighbor. "Huh. But I think I know his name."
"Already? That's surprising, considering we never saw your last neighbor."
"Brett K. Richards," Danny read the name quietly. "Sounds familiar."
"Maybe," Courtney said once she heard Danny opening the door. "Are you going there?"
"Yes, Court," Danny said with a huff. "I'm going actually speak to someone new without having to go to some god-awful club Rob was going to rope me into."
Courtney laughed as Rob tried to complain. "Well, remember to smile. Everyone swoons when they see your dimples."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Knowing my luck, Mr. Richards is some homophobic dentist or something."
A deep laugh from behind him made him yelp and drop his phone. Luckily, he had the presence of mind to keep hold of the package.
He turned with a blushing face and froze.
Hello, Norse god.
This man was gorgeous... and huge. He was well over six feet tall with long, dirty blonde hair tied behind him. A carefully groomed beard that seemed to highlight the gold in his hazel eyes. Although one arm was in a sling, he was built like a tank and seemed to dwarf Danny.
"Sorry for scaring you," he said as he bent and picked up Danny's phone.
Danny flushed even more, fearing he would combust. "No. I'm just...uh... jumpy."
The man smiled warmly. "I'm your new neighbor, Brett."
"Right. Brett," Danny stammered and then pushed the box into Brett's outstretched hand. "Sorry, I picked this up at my door, but it's yours."
Brett was taken aback by Danny refusing to shake his hand, but his smile didn't dim. "Right. Thanks for that."
Danny nodded hurriedly and turned to go back to his condo.
"Why a dentist?" Brett suddenly asked.
"What?"
"A homophobic dentist. I see the reason why you wouldn't want to be around a homophobe, but I'm not clear about the dentist part."
Danny wanted to crawl inside a hole. "Oh... well, I have a bit of a sweet tooth, and my last dentist lectured me for a while. I guess I hold a grudge."
Brett laughed again, and the sound was quickly becoming addictive. "Well, good news. I'm not a dentist or homophobic."
"Right," Danny smiled sheepishly. "Well, good to know."
He was about to leave this awkward conversation behind him when Brett called out again. "Do you happen to have a name?"
Danny jolted. He realized that was why Brett had his hand outstretched before. He didn't know why he turned into this mess when talking to people. He had conducted business meetings for his brother's business and had taught hundreds of people, but he could never get his shit together for everyday conversations like this.
"Sorry. I'm a little distracted," he said. "I'm Danny."
"Danny. Nice to meet you."
Danny smiled and looked at the boxes tentatively. "You're injured. Do you need any help with the boxes?"
Not that he would be much help. He hardly had any muscle.
Brett shook his head. "I have some guys coming around soon to help. Thanks for the offer, though."
Danny bit his lip. "Well, if you need me, you know where I live." He gave a short wave and finally made it to his condo.
Heaven help him if that specimen is living next door to him.