It is just an ordinary street with rows of identical houses punctuated with the occasional alley or driveway. I first noticed that the house across the alley was vacant again as I arrived home one afternoon some months back. A "To Let" sign had been put up earlier in the day.
As usual when I get in from work, I went straight upstairs to my bedroom and stripped off for a shower.
My bedroom door faces the window at the top of the stairs, and I thought about drawing the curtain across the window. Remembering there was no-one living in the house across the alley to see me though, I didn't bother.
As I showered it amused me to think that although the alley was always busy with people going to and fro, it was just wide enough for two people to pass, so that even with the light on, no-one could see into the window at the top of the stairs.
With this and the house across the alley being un-inhabited, I became quite lazy about my privacy. I wandered around upstairs when getting up, showering or getting ready for bed without much concern for either clothing or the risk of being seen at the window.
It all came to an abrupt end as I strolled out of the bathroom one day. Something made me look through the window, and I noticed someone staring back from the house across the alley. It was a young woman.
She appeared not to immediately realise that she was looking at a naked male.
I'm not what you would describe as athletic, tall dark and handsome or anything else outstanding, but nonetheless this young woman saw most of me that appeared over the low window sill. In a few seconds her inquisitiveness turned to a look of horror and she quickly drew the curtain.
I really enjoyed wandering around with nothing on but decided that I should at least wear a towel when curtain was open.
For her part, the woman across the alley kept her curtain very firmly closed.
I saw her a few days later, leaving the house as I was coming home. She was a similar age to me – late twenties I'd say, about 5ft 6in with a very nice figure a pleasantly round face and almost shoulder length ginger hair. She managed a smile (or was it a smirk?) as we passed. I saw her again occasionally over the next few weeks. Later, I also noticed that the curtain over her stair window was open quite a lot.
I continued with my usual routine of showering straight after work. I sometimes glanced across the alley out of curiosity. Once I thought I saw her quickly pull back from her window as I looked. It was difficult to tell by now as it was late Autumn and there was less of the afternoon sun to light the alley.
A few days later she was there, but this time she lingered at the window. I didn't want to give her another excuse to draw the curtain so I went into my room and dressed.
