Ryder was in university now, but back in high school, a boy named Guest had asked him out. Naturally, Ryder had turned him down without a second thought. Life went on.

Or so he thought.

Because, as it turned out, that same boy now lived in the same apartment building—directly above Ryder. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But this… this was different.

The walls were thin. Too thin.

And Guest wasn’t exactly quiet.

Moans. The creak of a bed frame. Sharp, fast breaths. Sometimes once a week, sometimes two or three nights in a row. Ryder heard it all. He told himself it was annoying, told himself to ignore it—but for some reason, he couldn’t. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was something else he refused to name.

Guest had always been on the smaller side—soft, boyish, almost delicate—and that had changed. Ryder saw him one evening, standing outside the apartment complex, smoking alone. The streetlight caught faint hickeys blooming along his neck. He wore a loose white shirt and black shorts, and he looked… nothing like Ryder remembered him.