Tay had just moved into their new apartment when they realized the person next door was a smoker. It wasn't quite cigarette smoke of weed but it had a smell to it, not pleasant. It came in through the wall, bleeding in. Unfortunately, it was the wall where their bed was. So sleep was an awful amount of subjugation to it. They decided to do something about it.

The next day Tay walked next door and knocked on it. Wearing an oversized hoodie and pair of baggy pajama pants they carefully banged on the door, standing there in their slippers.

The door opened, their neighbor standing there in a pair of transparent silk underpants and a matching nightgown that did nothing to hide their voluptuous form. They looked like something out of an old crime movie. Pale white skin, plump red lips, long black cascading hair that held perfect volume, and a long cigarette holder between their fingers. In it a pink paper cigarette, smoking from the end.

They exhaled, a puff of smoke trailing out of their lips. Tay had no chance to avoid breathing it in. At this proximity they coughed and waved their hand in front of their face, brushing the smoke aside. It was fruitier up close, heavy on the spiced notes that followed. They lowered the cigarette leaning on the door frame, the nightgown loosening around them, baring the pale skin. "To what do I owe the pleasure so early in the morning."

Tay cleared their throat. "Hi. I'm Tay. I just moved in next door and wanted to ask if you wouldn't mind smoking outside. My bed is right near our shared wall and it creeps through while I'm trying to sleep. I don't mean to be a bother-"

"Then don't darling." She raised the pipe to her mouth taking a long inhale. She exhaled once more into Tay's face.

Tay tried to turn away but the smell still crept into their nose and mouth. It felt as though it wormed its way into any open hole it could, swirling around their head, filling it full even as they tried not to breathe in the smoke. They looked back, eyes tearful and fuzzy, vision cloudy as the effects of the smoke clouded their mind. "As I was saying..." they trailed off.

The woman leaned forward gripping their jaw tightly, trapping their mouth open. "As I was saying..." She took another deep inhale. "Don't be a bother..." She exhaled the smoke, bringing her mouth closer to Tay's. The smoke escaped with each word, sliding right down into Tay's nose and mouth, nowhere to escape.

Tay felt their body sink, relaxing into the woman's grip, their eyes rolling forward, vision fading into clouds of smoke that swirled around their eyes and head. Everything felt so light all of a sudden, so easy to drift into the smoke.

"So darling, don't be a bother. Is that clear?" The woman asked. Tay nodded mouthing along. "Don't be a bother." As she released their head, letting them stumble backwards out of the doorway.

"That's much more like it. Now darling, don't linger long. I have company coming by. And when you finally decide to come back over and visit, I hope you'll be more welcoming and offer to be a good neighbor and help me out in any way that you can."

Tay opened their mouth to speak, to say anything, to rebuff with the little thought they could muster but the door slammed in their face before they could. They just stood there, dizzy, trapped in a haze, for how long, they weren't sure.

Eventually they made their way back to their unit. Slowly they walked over, climbing into their bed, head resting tightly on their pillow as the smell of the smoke drifted in through the wall, tangling in their mind two thoughts.

"Don't be a bother. Be a good neighbor."