The Balcony That Faced Hers
Two adult neighbours on facing balconies discover that the three metres between them are part of the attraction.
The balconies were three metres apart. Hers faced his across the narrow gap between the buildings. Most evenings she sat out with a book and a glass of wine. Most evenings he sat out with a laptop and headphones. They had nodded to each other for months without speaking.
On a warm Thursday she left the sliding door open and the light on. She was reading with her feet on the low table when she noticed he had stopped typing. He was looking. Not staring. Just looking. She turned a page and did not close the door.
The next night she wore a thin dress and sat with one knee drawn up. He was already outside. When she stretched he watched the hem move. She stayed like that longer than she needed to. He closed the laptop. Neither of them looked away first.
On Saturday she did not take a book. She sat on the edge of the balcony with her back to the rail and opened her legs just enough that the dress fell open. He stood. She could see the shape of him through his shorts. She slipped one hand under the dress and touched herself while he watched. He did not move. She came quietly, eyes on him, then stood and went inside without closing the door all the way.
He texted the number she had once given the building chat for a parcel.
You left the door open.
I know, she wrote back.
The next evening he was naked when she came out. He sat in the chair with his cock in his hand and waited. She stayed in the doorway, dress off, and fucked herself with two fingers while he stroked. They finished at the same time. He came across his stomach. She leaned on the frame and watched him clean it with his hand.
“Tomorrow,” she said across the gap, loud enough for him to hear.
“Same time,” he answered.
They kept the doors open. Some nights she let him see her on her knees with a toy. Some nights he stood at the rail and fucked his fist while she watched from the bed just inside her door. They never crossed the gap. The three metres stayed. The looking was the point.
On the tenth night she left a note on her table, facing him.
Come over if you want. Or stay there.
He stayed. She smiled, opened her legs, and let him watch while she came with her fingers and then with the toy she kept in the drawer by the door. He came standing, one hand on the rail, eyes never leaving her. She left the door open after. The balcony light stayed on until morning.