Hey all, I’ve posted this before on r/dpp and other subreddits. I’ve gotten no real response to it. So, I’ve beefed it up and added some more information on my character. But I’m hoping to get some advice on it. And see if anyone can offer any insight on what I may be doing wrong or if it’s just horribly written.

——

Rafael was a new tenant in the apartment building. He had moved in some few weeks ago. After having gotten a job at a nearby high school. He was fresh out of college. And eager to mold the minds of young students. He had the works of Poe, Hemingway, and Langston Hughes in his back pocket. That’s what he was going to do change the world. One student at a time.

That said he was also eager of moving here. He was ready for a new start after his breakup with his girlfriend in college. She had left him after saying she wanted space and to try new things. Last he’d checked she had moved to Italy to follow her dreams.

Still he didn’t let that stop him. And he had decided to make himself known as a positive force in the community. A good person and neighbor. And that started with getting to know them. In particular his next door neighbor. Whom he could always hear fighting. The man of the house was always gone. But the woman and he would see each other every nine if.

It had started with a wave. A harmless thing between two neighbors who were basically strangers. Nothing to be alarmed by. Certainly nothing that should have shamed the hijab wearing Muslim woman. She was being neighborly. And he was just doing the same. They were just two people on their way to work every morning. Just like millions of other people every morning.

Rafael really wasn’t planning on saying much to her. He could respect the privacy of someone if they didn’t want to. He wanted to be neighborly after all, not nosy. Somehow though he found himself exchanging words. He didn’t exactly know how it started. They’d just found themselves on the elevator and he’d asked the innocent question of, “How’s the weather.” And it moved on from there to chats in the morning. Just as the two went their separate ways. Simple normal things for them as they walked to the train stop or their cars. But Rafael always loved the smile on her face whenever she saw him after those morning talks.

One morning she’d forgotten her morning coffee. And Rafael had smiled and taken her to the corner store to buy her a coffee, “My treat,” he had said. And the next day she had bought him one. And that became routine. A walk from their door to the corner store. And they talked a little more. Sometimes they’d have a little seat while waiting for their trains. They’d talk a little longer. And he could see her sad eyes. He could see just how hard this all was for her. They reminded him of the eyes he’d seen growing up.

But he didn’t say anything. Their talks were never about her husband. They talked about anything else. About gossip from work, about her mosque and beliefs, about needing to go gym and never going. They talked their childhoods and growing up. About their favorite foods and childhood pets. About which new spots for tacos or burgers for them both.

But most of all she wanted to laugh. And Rafael couldn’t help but make her laugh. The way her eyes shined. The way her lips curled when she laughed, the crinkle in her nose, and the way her voice sounded. So, bright and full of life.

But he noticed she was always careful not to linger to long with him. Nor laugh to loudly. She was always careful not to be seen with Rafael to long. They couldn’t be seen. She never said why. But he knew the answer. She’d be judged by others. And her husband was the jealous type. Even if he was sure he was falling for his neighbor. A married woman whom He couldn’t have. A woman he never would have.

Rafael tried going out with others. He’d never had much problem with getting a date. He was a good looking man after all. Six foot two, with nice olive tan skin, and short dark curly hair. He still worked out and had that lean frame. But it was his smile, and his friendly face. That little dimple that appeared on one side of his cheeks. And that warm gaze which women loved. And he was kind and caring. But none of that mattered if his heart was in another place. And it always was on those dates. It was always on his neighbor.

Ans he heard her every night. He heard the shouting from him. From her husband. The way he belittled her. And the mix of two languages as each shouted to the other. Different insults. Some he knew and some he didn’t. He understood it all. His parents had been the same way. He understood that this relationship was clearly not meant to be. And how much Rafael wanted to go to her. To help her and say, “Let me help you.”

It was one morning. When he didn’t have to work. When he slept in. Their little morning ritual having not occurred that morning. Until he heard a knock on his door. He groaned and climbed out of bed. He was sore all over, but he managed to put on a shirt as he walked to the door. And he was then woken up by the shocking sight of her. His neighbor. A little smile on her face, that hid the hurt in her eyes, and two coffees in her hand. “Can I come in?” She asked.

He looked at her in shock. His pale green eyes on her. And he smiled, “Of course you can,” he said to her. An answer that would change both of their lives. For a romance was about to bloom today. One of forbidden nature. One that night cause heartbreak and pain. But which would make them both feel alive.

———

Thanks for reading this. I really hope you liked it. And I’m looking forward to roleplaying with you. Basically long story short is that two neighbors start an affair. The little twist here is that the woman is a devout Muslim hijab wearing woman. I envision this as long term, but we can keep it short term. Still I’d like plenty of emotion. Not just straight to the smut.

Just a little about me so you know. I’m a Hispanic guy in my late twenties who’s been roleplaying for years and has plenty of experience. I’m looking for a female partner who’s not afraid to get detailed and plan things out about how the story is gonna go.

So, if you’re interested send me a PM or Chat.