fiction - What work better for the following piece of writing? Past or present tense?

I'm writing a short story but I'm not sure whether to write it in the past or the present tense.

This is the opening paragraph:

Sophia was awakened by the rattling sound of her washing machine. She groaned, rubbed her eyes, and glanced at her watch. It was just 2:00A.M. Barely conscious, she sat on the corner of her bed. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't washing her clothes. That'd been something she'd decided to do in the morning. Besides, she would never think of doing the laundry at this time of the night. Sophia started to feel a sudden panic. Maybe someone entered the apartment, she thought. But it was ridiculous; who would enter someone's apartment in the middle of the night to wash the person's clothes? She stood up from the bed and walked towards her door. Then, she stared at the knob for a moment, gave it a turn, and exited the door.

Sophia is waken up by the rattling sound of her washing machine. She groans, rubs her eyes, and glances at her watch. 2:00A.M. Barely conscious, she sits on the corner of her bed. It takes her a moment to realize that she isn't washing her clothes. That was something she'd decided to do in the morning. Besides, she would never think of doing the laundry at this time of the night. Sophia starts to feel a sudden panic. Maybe someone entered the apartment, she thinks. But it's ridiculous; who would enter someone's apartment in the middle of the night to wash the person's clothes? She stands up from the bed and walks towards her door. Then, she stares at the knob for a moment, gives it a turn, and exits the door.

I've been rewriting my stories in the present tense recently, but I can never decide which one to use.

What works better in this case? (And how do writers decide which one to use?)

(By the way, does it grab your attention?)

Answer

The second one is stronger but that will wear off as soon as the tension loosens its grip. Generally, past tense is easier to read, feels more natural for smooth storytelling. It's the default mode.

If that's a short story, you can keep it in present tense. If you want a novel with slower passages, better either pick past tense or work on smooth switching of tenses - the point of switch, to be smooth, needs some special attention. Writing whole novel in present tense? I'd give it a pass.