Fiona
I wrote the words in black ink on the white cardboard and slipped the sign behind the curtain onto the windowsill facing her apartment. It read:
9-21-05
5:00pm
Apt. No 1630--->
The arrow pointed to the bottle of champagne placed next to the message. I knew she would see it well in advance of the date. I did not ask for an RSVP, intending to wait until the appointed time to learn if she would appear.
One year ago, I was in my apartment and glanced out a window at her building. By chance I noticed her watching me, her head peering around a curtain while she otherwise concealed herself from view. When caught she did not hide, she just continued to watch. I waved an unsure wave, not knowing what else to do and went about my business. Our apartment windows were not far apart- separated by the distance of two sidewalks and a single lane one way street. The view was clear and close, close enough to see and be seen.
That odd event stirred my interest and I began to randomly glance at her window wondering if I was being watched, again. From time to time I would catch her. She never shied away. This continued over a period of time. I did not know her apartment number or her name. I assumed she did not know mine either. At first it all was 'innocuous', if you could label it that.
As our encounters mounted, her behavior became more open and brazen. Her physical concealment ceased and exhibitionism began. It started with her standing at the window in a bathrobe leaning forward and watching me, her breasts barely covered, cleavage exposed and a devilish smile on her face; the next time she stood in the recesses of her room wearing a dark but see through body stocking. And it evolved, each time more enthralling than the last. At first I was not sure if she knew I saw her, if she just did not care if I was watching or if her exhibition was intentional.
One day she caught me watching her, she walked away from the window, looked over her shoulder, gave me a seductive little smile and dropped her bathrobe exposing her bare ass as she disappeared into another room. 'Playful' I thought. The next time she did more- uninhibited, she slowly disrobed in the recess of her living room, far enough away from the window that nobody else but I would see her peeling off lingerie and caressing her breasts, pinching her nipples and touching herself. She threw me a kiss and walked out of sight. Lovers would come and she would insist on being taken in plain view, unbeknownst to them, where I could view their acts.
Did she know I was watching? Yes. During the acts she subtly acknowledged my presence; a glance, a fluttered wave of her fingers or a smile were the acknowledging signals. She was generous in her exhibition but personally distant. It was not often, but occasionally we would cross paths on the street. A nod, a glance and smile, a wink or a shy quiet "hi" were the only forms of acknowledgment. Neither of us ever stopped to talk. I would always look over my shoulder to see if she had looked back at me. She never did. When I laid out my invitation, I was not sure if she would accept. The anonymous nature of our relationship was the allure of it.
When the day finally arrived, my anticipation and anxiety heightened. Just before the appointed hour, I put the fine bottle of chilled champagne in an ice bucket in the living room and sat down in an over sized chair facing the door. I waited in silence, straining to hear each little noise in the hallway, hoping for the sound of her approaching footsteps.
I sat for a while. It seemed like an eternity. I kept wondering to myself if she would come. Since the time I extended the invitation, I had pondered whether she was had reservations about joining me for a drink, whether she was reluctant to break the 'silence' and take a risk. Five minutes passed, maybe a bit more. It seemed like an eternity. Disappointment began to overcome anticipation as the appointed hour passed minute by minute. From the long strained silence, there came a polite tapping on the door. I got up and peered out the door eye hole. There she stood, just on the other side of the door, waiting to meet me. I turned the knob, wondering how that very moment was going to change the future....
"Come in. Thank you for joining me," I said as I offer to take her knee length fur coat. A coat? In late September? Quite odd for early Fall weather. She clutched at the collar indicating she would keep it on.
"Thank you," she said as she entered, and seized a seat in the over sized chair near the door and opposite mine. As she sank into it, she crossed her bare legs and looked directly at me through a pair of very dark and sexy sunglasses. Her knowing exactly where she wanted to sit should not have surprised me. Her decision was premeditated; this woman looked through a window directly into my living space and watched my life like I was in a fish bowl.
"It is a nice view from over here, yes?" she said in a serious voice as she gazed out my window towards hers. I noticed she had a slightly foreign accent, perhaps French.
"Yes, always very nice," I complimentary replied as I poured a glass of champagne and handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said accepting the drink, "I come here conditionally, and will stay, provided, we discuss nothing more than what we have seen through our windows. Agreed?"
"Agreed. What is your name?" I asked.
"That is inconsequential," she said brushing aside the inquiry, "but I now know yours from the board in the lobby."
"Then what should I call you?" I asked.
"...'Fiona' is a good name, I am partial to it, even though it is not my real name. Why did you invited me here?" she asked.