over the following days syd had been enlivened. the week following her first encounter with her neighbor, the pair found themselves in a new routine.
she would get home from work nearing five pm, then would wait for the man to appear in the window across from her, and she would undress for him.
each day the time they spent together grew, and she was secretly stretching their 'sessions' as long as possible. she had introduced more accessories into her work uniform, and she also started brushing her hair after she had undressed.
although their new meetings had become much more sensual than before, the man's actions rarely changed. he would always sit and watch her, captivated in her movements.
he never touched himself, and he never strayed his attention from her. every evening she had his full attention and everything was on her terms. it started and ended according to her.
this was something she found euphoric, she was ecstatic to know she had his full regard. she loved to watch his eyes watch her. every move she made, he laid his infatuation on a platter.
today however, was her day off, and she woke to debate staying home and scouting for the man or to find something to occupy herself with until the evening.
she began by reading a book that she'd left on her bedside table
after a few chapters, interrupting her thoughts, she received a knock at her door. startled and in nothing but night shorts and a small tee, she ran to peek through the peephole of her front door— only to find a bare hallway
she peered out the door to find nothing but a small, flat, white box with a green ribbon tied bow around it.
bringing it inside and rushing to her bedroom like a child on christmas morning, she plopped on her bed and untied the ribbon with anticipation flooding her.
the box revealed a sage green lingerie set with a note folded atop:
" i'd like to thank you for your time— can i meet you?
p.s. i tried to guess your size, sorry if i'm off. "
syd felt her cheeks burn and she smiled, flustered.
bringing the box and a polaroid camera to her bathroom, she dressed into the set and posed for a number of pictures to include in her letter back:
" dinner at Three Kings?
see the fit for yourself ! "
she discretely left the folded letter and polaroids package at his door and hurried away back to her own apartment.
syd sat at her desk, continuing her book. she eventually noticed he was in view of his window and she waited until he noticed her
he immediately smiled, sat on the couch and gave her a nod, indicating their plans for the night were set. he appeared to have the polaroids and letter in his hand.
she tucked her hair behind her ear and bit her lip, looking at him with a hand under her chin.
she reached to the box on her bed and pulled the green ribbon that was used as a tie. she took the ribbon and began using it as a bow in her low pigtails, the green complimenting her dark hair.
he watched her as he did in previous nights, close and carefully.
she left his view and began to prepare for their outing at Three Kings, a restaurant about a block away from them.
