Claire

He shrugged at me! That fucking asshole shrugged at me! My nostrils started flaring, and I fought to relax my body. Straightening my back, my fists clenched. It was no big deal, he saw me in an intimate moment with myself. I could let that go.

But then remembering the abuse from my boss during the day, I knew I needed to vent. I needed to win at something and prove myself I was better. I was worth it. Not to mention Samantha stood me up and now there was no dinner in a club, no food at home either. No fun. A smirk pulled at my lips as I stared at my neighbor. He could be my fun.

My eyes traveled up his body, and I saw him still in tension. My feet were finally free from the heels they had been stuck in for the whole day, and I felt like dancing. I would've been if I were at the club with my friend. I swung around and grabbed the remote control from the island. It was lying next to the empty cup of morning coffee I had abandoned there. Ugh, I had to fix that.

I turned the TV on and put it on a random music channel. This was it. This was what I needed. I started to dance, raising my hands and sliding them up my torso. They went through my hair, lifting it in the air and then dropped it to fly around my shoulders. At the same time, I moved around with my legs, twisting them and helping them ease up the tension. I whirled around and approached the window, tugging at the buttons of my shirt.

My eyes found my neighbor and remained on him for a moment longer. He was as still as a statue. Grabbing the curtains, I pulled them close and giggled. That's what he deserved. Creep! My sneaky laughter disappeared when darkness veiled my room. I hated having to pull my curtains. This was one of the main reasons I loved this apartment. Or used to. The privacy. My nostrils flared again, and I glared at the closed curtains.

This wasn't going to work! I pulled them open and saw the man was sitting on his desk and staring at his monitors. He noticed my presence and looked at me, a slightly surprised expression etched on his face.

I lifted my finger, pointing for him to wait for a bit. Stomping to my bedroom, I grabbed a few white sheets of paper and took a pen out of the desk. My eyes froze on the desk for a second. I never used it. It had to go.

Returning to the window, I noticed the man was now sitting turned towards me. Usually, I was far from a shy person or one that got easily intimidated. I could still use some of the karate moves I had learned as a kid. I could very well handle him.

Writing on the sheets of paper, I turned them over and plastered my hands over them, holding them on the windows.

My neighbor's eyes squinted, and he leaned forward. I could see his eyes moving as he read my message. And now I could tell they were a beautiful hazel color. His throat bobbed, and he leaned back, opening his mouth and laughing out loud.

I know my words 'you also do it' could have too many meanings and could sound a bit too... funny, but I didn't care. I just wanted to have something on him and not feel so intimidated by his presence all the time. He had been here for a bit over a week, and I couldn't relax, thinking he could be watching me. I wondered if I'd feel the same if it was an old lady, watching me, not such a hot dude. But this was the current situation, and I didn't care about anything else. I wanted to get even with him.

I ground my teeth and pounded my fist on the glass. My neighbor noticed me because he stopped laughing and folded his arms over his chest. A lazy smile colored his face, and he gave me a once over. I hit the window once more and bared my teeth. He didn't seem fazed by it. He just shrugged and tilted his head a bit. Just like a puppy. No! A stupid dog, not a puppy!

I shook my head and wrote something on the other side of the papers. Turning them around, I waited for him to read. He squinted, and when I realized, he couldn't see my words this time, I turned around and stared at my TV.

Briskly walking to it, I pulled it out of the plug and slid the small TV cabinet it was on. My neighbor's eyes widened and his body leaned forward with curiosity. When I reached the window, I took my lamp out of the electrical contact and plugged the TV in. I grinned and pushed the on button of my laptop behind it. My laptop's screen flashed on the fifty inches.

My neighbor looked astounded. His lips parted, and he said something that I couldn't read. I wasn't good at stuff like that. I pulled a chair and dropped it next to the cabinet, sitting on it. Then I started writing. My manicured nails were clicking on the keyboard with speed many would envy.

When I finished putting my thought on the screen, I edited a bit and made the font big enough that he would be able to see it. A smirk took over my face, and I waited. I was sure he read my words as his brows knitted.

He shook his head and turned on his chair, writing something on his keyboard. He turned one of the monitors to the window, and I stared.

“You're crazy!” was the first thing I read. Well, that didn't correspond to anything I wrote to him! I had given him three options. One—move out, two—apologize and show me his dick (which I doubted would ever happen), or three—keep his curtains closed while I was home. It might've sounded selfish from me, but I really hated staying in the dark. It reminded me of the lonely nights I spent in my childhood house without my parents while they were on business trips or just away, fighting. And that happened a lot. I wondered how they were still even married.

The next thing I read made my jaw fall open and almost hit the floor.

“I have to admit, I hadn't seen anybody else masturbate in person before. Though, gagging is not my thing.”

That douchebag!

Typing on the keyboard again, I growled and pointed at the screen when I finished my lecture.

“That's invading my privacy! You should've pulled your fucking curtains, not touch your disgusting dick and look at me!”

He lifted an eyebrow, a bit annoyed.

“YOU should pull your curtains. Your privacy is wide open and on display.”

He pointed at me, and I gasped as I realized I had opened my legs wider than necessary and was sitting right across from him. Damn him and the small distance between our houses!

I snarled and typed again.

“You fucking prick! You owe me a show!”

That bastard smirked.

“You want a show or a touch?” he teased, and I blushed so deeply I probably looked like a tomato.

“Dream on, asshole!” I showed him my middle finger and stood up from my seat, heading to the bedroom.

...

I spent the next hour staring at my phone on the bed. My contact list was almost empty. The few friends I had in college stopped talking to me and the friends I had in high school... Well... They were gone now. Probably somewhere living their happy lives without me. Everybody in my life cut me off. My friends, ex-boyfriends, Samantha... my parents. I didn't even know where they were now. All of my messages or calls were just 'seen'. Including those on all social media sites they had.

So I wasn't going to give up now. I was going to win this fight just to prove myself I was still worth it. I could handle it.