Let's Dance

[Tia Naffis]

Though she wasn't one who spent her entire life looking out a window on the inside wishing to be out, Tia Naffis found that this was a great way to actually spend quality time of her precious life. She was the one who loved looking out the window, seeing life, never once wishing to be on the outside looking in. The comfort of her own home was an even better place to be doing so instead of her quant little chocolate shop in a small district in Chicago. Tia had a firm grip on life, she would say so if one was to ask, and though her credentials on experiences weren't very good, she had to admit that watching people from afar, with a firm grip on her binoculars, was a hell of a way to learn things about their species.

Which, sadly, was why she wasting precious moments of her life at her bay window, shrinking occassionaly behind her sheer cream colored curtains, staring out onto the street at life as it passed her small apartment by, not one person noticing that they were being spied on. To her it was a great way to get to see the people you live amongst and with. She knew the differences between strangers and tourists, familiar faces with permanent residents. Litterers and loiterers. She knew when Mister Bingsley from two buildings down, apartment 3B, came home from his salesman type job at 4 o' clock sharp, always fumbling for his keys. She knew that Mrs. Winchester walked her little white toy poodle at 6:00, dog did his little diddy a quarter past. It was her way of entertainment since books had become drab and boring, Tia found excitement out of giving stories to those she saw walking by, but none were ever so exciting as her neighbor directly across the street. The man who owned the loud and obnoxiously bright dance studio.

Tia, not knowing his name, although she tried to decipher it many times by those who said their hello's and goodbye's during class, always knew his dance times, knew when the lights went out in the dance studio and his apartment lights came on above. The man lived alone, taught dance, and enjoyed to smoke, a lot. For some unknown reason he had captured her attention best, simply perhaps because he was directly across from her, but then agian it was more likely because he was attractive, and even more so that he left his lights on and windows free of being blocked so it allowed her instant access into his home and into his ways of life.

"Oh," The soft accent of her French descent apparent as she whispered to herself, binoculars in hand, her view being distorted by small circulations. "I knew you'd be favoring that hat today." She said with a grin of satisfaction, her obsession of watching people not at all striking her as odd or unusual, or stalker-esque. It was simply her ways of enjoyment and entertainment. To have the power of being able to see people when they think they are alone, it is only then, she figured, can you really get to know someone.

Tia laughed lightly as she watched Mr. Bingsley fumble for his keys, as usual, watching him actually drop them and get rather upset. "It is not the end of the world." She said softly, as if he could hear her. She lowered the black binoculars, a gift having come from her sister back in Paris, and watched the man from normal sight, laughing lightly for a moment before her eyes caught movement across the street in the apartment.

"Oh!" She said to herself, quickly putting the objects to her eyes, searching for the windows, and suddenly focusing in on the shirtless man across the street, yawning. "Oh, take a nap?" She stated. She grunted when he stretched, scratching his stomach as if he were some sort of wild animal, his two toned hair flying everywhere. She clicked her tongue and shook her head as she pulled back to stare at him from far away.

"Do you ever comb your hair?" She sighed out and found him again through her binoculars. She wondered that even if he ever did comb it, she would probably not like it as much.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe's life was simple. He went to bed around one o'clock AM every night. He got up at ten every morning. He used the lou, he showered, he smoked as he watched the morning news in his towel. Then he'd dress, jeans and a t-shirt usually. Another cigarette before he went to his favorite candy place down the street and bought another supply of chocolates. First dance lesson was at twelve. Lasted until one thirty. Then he was free until two thirty, when he had another class, and then another class at four. He ate dinner at six, napped until seven, watched the evening news, smoked some more, read a little, listened to music, and went to bed.

There wasn't much to it, really. Or at least he'd never thought so. Until that strange woman had moved in across from him. Now, Absinthe had never fancied himself someone who valued privacy so much as to buy curtains, anything too personal he needed to do, he would do it in the bathroom, or his bedroom. His living room, however, was open to the public. He had never bought shades because he leeched the natural light until he couldn't, and then would turn his lights on. It had never occured to him that he and his apartment were anything worth watching. But the Girl Across the Street, had acquired and utilized binoculars to see him.

Oh, he was sure she didn't know he knew, but he had spotted her on several occassions as he had gone about his usual duties in his apartment. Although a little weird, he had grown used to it, allowing her to look as much as she wanted, he was creeped out easily.

Tonight was no different.

Absinthe wandered into his living room in his crazily colored robe, blue boxers, and unlaced army boots, and stretched, scratching his stomach because it was his habit. He had just awakened from his nap because his tabby cat, Lollypop, had hopped up onto his stomach and meowed her fish breath in his face until he couldn't stand it anymore and she had driven him into the living room after food and a smoke.

He grabbed the remote and peered down at it, pointing it at the TV and flipping it on. CNN, as usual. He watched it for a moment, seeing a story about a man who had fallen from his apartment balcony while trying to hang something for his wife. He was at a hospital with a broken arm and leg.

"Ah, poor bloke," he muttered to himself as he put a cigarette between his lips and tried to light it. He shook his head. "Teach the old broad not to hang anything up...oh, come on..." he murmured in annoyance as his lighter kept sparking, but nothing was happening. He looked at it, and then shook it violently. He tried a couple more times, and finally tossed the thing across the room. Absinthe went to his desk and fumbled through the top drawer finding the small box of matches he kept in it. He lit one and in turn, lit his cigarette, taking a long, revitalizing drag off of the portable cancer.

He sighed out the smoke, and scratched his head. Oi, he thought. Do I ever comb my hair? He shook his head in answer to his own question and turned towards the window, seeing the woman at it again with her binoculars, before she quickly ducked back down, becoming quite invisible behind her handsome creme curtains. He smiled and laughed, shaking his head.

"Poor girl...where are my chocolates?" he asked his cat as she wandered in.

Yeah, this was Absinthe's life. He sure wished it was a little more interesting.

[Tia Naffis]

"Garbage can!" She sighed out, annoyed that he wasn't following her commentary today as he normally did, today he was feeling charged with some sort of energry for he actually put effort into the toss he gave to the pitiful lighter. It was funny, so Tia was having a great laugh, as she usually did when watching "The Instructor" as she called him, which fit him perfectly considering he did happen to dance and teach it.

Something was different about him today, like many times he'd strut around in fashionably unfashionable clothing and talk to himself, smoke so many cigarettes, and play with his cat, but today it seemed that he had something on his mind, like perhaps he had lost something. Which is why he probably went wandering around to find the matches he had in a small box that he kept in a desk drawer. Yes, even his nooks and crannies were violated by her noseyness, but she didn't dare say she was nosey. She was...interested.

He spoke something as she moved towards the window, after of course he took his glorious puff off his cigarette. Funny, Tia hated smoking, but for him to smoke like a freight train, it was kinda sexy. Then again everythign about this man exuded sexiness, which was probably another reason why she loved it so much, when else was she going to get her own striptease for free? I mean, the man would wander about in bare essentials, probably nothign if he forgot laundry day! but then again she also figured it was because the attachment she had to him was far greater than it should have been. She felt more connected with him than anyone else, which wasa terrible thing to say about her as well as her social life, or lack thereof.

She saw his eyes hit her window and she immediately jumped. Gasping for a breath. Another note, she mentally added, was the fact that this was exciting, to almsot get caught was like almost as good as sex, had she ever had it of course. She grinned, thinking about how he looked, how he talked to his cat.

"Sneaky little devil, are you catching on to me?" She raised and eyebrow and slowly peeked through the curtain seeing he was moving away from his window. Any moment she was expecting him to moon her, to let her know that he had finally caught her, finally say 'gig is up', but until that moment came...

"What is kitty kitty doing?" She peered through the curtains finding the pretty cat. If only she could know it's name, he probably gave it a weird name like 'Moonbeam' or somthing. Sad, she thought to herself, he came out late today, she had to leave in a few minutes to go into work. She had taken the day off and allowed Greta, her wonderful little helper, well she was far from little, to handle things. Unfortunately the shop was busy today and they were needing more chocolate, and Tia was the only one with the recipe.

"Oh, have a good day at class. Don't let that little redhead disobey you today, Instructor." With a longful sigh she put her binocular's down and headed into her reality, while in her minds eye still relishing in his.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe followed his usual schedule, finally pulling himself away from the game of string chasing he was having with his cat to shower and at least sort of make his hair look fathomably human. He dressed comfortably, as he always did, in a brown sweater with a hood, and a grey t-shirt underneath, along with his most worn, but most comfortable pair of jeans. He slid back into his army boots, and headed out, pulling his hood up over his face and sticking his iPod in his head so he'd have something to do while he walked to his favorite candy shop. The shop was only about a block away from his apartment and studio, and he went there every couple of weeks to get chocolate.

However, as he approached today, he didn't see the regular cheery sign hanging out front announcing that it was Glenora's Candy Company. Absinthe's brow furrowed as he came to the door and saw it locked up. A big sign in the window announced that the shop had closed and relocated to somewhere three states away. Absinthe's nose wrinkled as he leaned in to look into the window. Sure enough, in two weeks they had moved everything out, and it was just a bare shop.

"Well, how do you like that..." he muttered, turning around and looking about him like the shop might appear out of nowhere. He shook his head, bringing out his vido iPod to change the song to something more depressing. Now that his candy shop was gone, he would be in mourning for a few days.

"Oh! Mister Dumaux!" came a voice from behind him. Absinthe spun around to see Mrs. Witherspoon, the old lady that had used to work at the candy shop. Absinthe brightened. He pulled the ear buds from his head as she hurried up to him and he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek, like she was his grandmother. She waved her hand. "The shop closed last week!" she exclaimed, seeming very distraught. Absinthe glanced over at the shop window and watched it for a moment before looking back down at her and nodding.

"Yes, I saw," he said. The woman nodded. She took his arm and pointed down the street.

"Just down there is a little shop called 'Chocolat from Naffis'. Well, actually, its in French, dear, but underneath its in English," she explained quickly. Absinthe watched her blankly. She continued. "They have very good chocolate! I tried to get down here before you got here so I could tell you before you walked all that way, dear, but I just don't move like I used to."

"No, you don't, Mrs. Witherspoon, but thank you very much, I'll be sure to stop in and see what they have," Absinthe said, smiling down at her. She nodded, and patted his arm.

"Well, I better be getting back to Mr. Witherspoon. You take care, and don't be a stranger!" she exclaimed, as she turned and began to hobble back across the street. Absinthe smiled and waved weakly.

"Yes, musn't keep Mr. Witherspoon waiting..." he waited until she was across the street before he set out to find this French place. He shook his head. "Chocolate from Na...Faffis?" he said to himself, trying to remember the name. If it was in French, he'd recognize it, so he took comfort in that.

He began down the street again, passing his apartment and heading uptown instead of down. He peered at all the shops on his side of the street and then on the other side, waiting until he found what he was looking for. But he didn't have to see the name to know which shop it was.

Absinthe saw the small shop before he could read the name. Quaint, and very French looking, there was a wooden sign above the door, and one that hung above the street, announcing what shop it was. He paused at the sign to stare up at it a moment and sound out the French before he looked down to read what kinds of things they had on the chalkboard standing outside. He saw chocolates, and he was happy.

Absinthe grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. A little bell rung above his head and he ducked a little, looking up at it before laughing and walking into the shop. It was small, but there was certainly room. It smelled of chocolate and bread. Other than the smell of a cigarette, there was none better than that in the world. Absinthe grabbed his hood and pulled it down, looking around him at the few people that were in there looking at the things they had.

"Hm..." he said to himself, as he leaned in to read the French label on a box of something. He couldn't read it at all, but he liked to sound it out to himself.

[Tia Naffis]

"Order up!" Greta loved doing that, Tia had found that out very quickly when she had hired the 73 year old woman who looked all but 60. Grey haired, blue eyed, robust could do nothing but barely give you a glimpse into what Greta was like, in fact she was a colorful character all on her own who acted more like a teenager than a woman of age. But sadly, her age did show when moving, as well as weight that seemed to do nothing but pack on, and how Greta would blame Tia and her chocolate. Smiling at the loud bell that Greta rang, it had a purpose, everyone in the small shop would be aware that someone's order had been fulfilled, and, of course whenever Tia came out with fresh chocolate it'd be rung again, which, thankfully, wasn't at that point since three bells at once wouldn't have been very good to her sensitive ears considering Greta's loud screech was still ringing.

Barely did Tia glance to see a man ducking lightly as if the bell above the door were going to fall and hit him, she had a mind to take it down and switch over to something electronic and not something that might give someone a heart attack, but Greta had convinced her to keep it stating that her shop looked and felt older than it actually was. Greta had expressed it as if she were back in Paris, and that, bringing tears to her eyes, sold her on keeping the bell, as well as the small hand bell on the counter.

"You are such a character, Greta." She stated shaking her head as she smiled, putting fresh cooled chocolate balls on a display tray, while her right arm cradled the cool lengthy, and full, pan. The woman simply gave her a quick chipper laugh as she handed the bag to a young woman and her significant other. Tia laughed again, loving how Greta laughed because it was deep within, giddy, and fast, hyper as the woman herself.

"Oh, my, Tia!" Greta's voice changed from giddy to low, secretive, seductive. It captured her attention as she placed a ball on the sheet. A simple noise let the old woman know she was listening. "All I am going to say is if I were thirty years younger, I would have my work cut out for me." Tia giglged.

"What?" She said with a contorted face of confusion, looking over at Greta seeing her turn her attention to the man whose face was being hidden by a small display of samples.

"Hello, dear. My, why on earth didn't you walk into my life a lot earlier?" Tia's jaw dropped as she looked away, fearing for what the man's face looked like. The woman laughed, letting the customer know it was all in good fun. If Tia wasn't embarassed yet, she was sure by the end of this day she would be humiliated.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe turned at the sound of an older woman's voice. And he couldn't help but grin as he saw the older, slightly heavier woman, with as rosy face, and kind eyes. She looked like one of those older women who you loved to be around, but could take you to town if you got out of line. Absinthe found he already liked her, even though he didn't know her. Her sense of humor matched his. He walked over to the counter and peered in at the chocolates that had been out.

"The real question, is why didn't those walk into my life sooner," he said, more to the chocolates than to the woman, as he read the tag to see exactly what they were. He noted a younger woman behind the counter who had just put them out, but he hadn't caught her face. He straightened and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, looking at the older woman.

"Glenora's was my usual haunt for a sweet tooth, and they just closed down," he said, standing on his tip toes to see over the case and behind it into the kitchen and where they made everything. He eyed the older woman. "Your chocolate any good?"

[Tia Naffis]

Tia laughed lively at the man's rhetorical question, it wasn't everyday that a man could match the humor tossed at him by Greta, it was rather freshing for them both to hear, which was why the room filled with laughter. In all curiosity this man Tia instantly liked, she enjoyed his voice, much like chocolate to the ears. A grin pursed her lips as she listened to the question the man threw out.

"Oh, sweetheart," Greta laughed lightly, glancing at Tia to be annoyed that she wasn't paying attention to the man. "You'd have to taste it to see." Greta cooed, waving a hand at him in a flirtatious manner. "I just know that if our chocolate was as sweet as the young woman over there that makes it, then you'd be on the right path for diabetes!" Tia smiled as she pulled down a tray from the shelves in front of her, setting it beside the one she just filled and scooted to the right some, peering over her shoulder.

"Greta, you are such a flatterer!" She smiled and looked to see that the man's face was no longer blocked. "Our chocolate--" She paused when she recognized the man. Her jaw dropped open and suddenly the temperature was beyond normal. She moved her mouth to finish her sentence, leaving Greta's smile slightly fading as the moments passed.

"I...our...my...we..."

"Our Chocolate has been voted the best for three months straight!" Tia sighed with relief, Greta to the rescue.

"Great!" Tia's brain finally snapped and allowed her to speak, too little too late. Greta frowned and for a moment it looked like the woman was gonna ask what the matter was, but refrained.

"It must be the cold from in the back. She has brain freeze!" Greta smiled while Tia turned around to face the chocolate like it were her only drop of air. What was HE doing HERE?
</I>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe cocked his head to the side as he saw the woman's face go completely and totally blank. He thought he recognized her from somewhere...he wasn't exactly sure. She could be anybody! Hell, she could be the woman across the street that spied on him, he never could get a good look at that lady. But he was sure he had seen this woman somewhere before. He smiled at the older woman and waved a hand.

"Well, then, you sweet, talented, beautiful, young lady, why don't you get me...oh, a pound?" he said, flattering the old woman because he liked the way she acted. Absinthe was sure that he would be coming here now for his chocolate. He smiled as the woman began to get his order and he wandered down to where the younger woman was standing. He stood on his tip toes again and watched her for a long moment before saying anything. He clicked his tongue.

"Have we met?" he asked quietly, his voice going down to its usually tone.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia stopped transferring chocolates to the display and felt her back stiffen. Was he talking to her? What did he want? Why was he talking to her? Why? Why? Why?! She just wanted to put her chocolate away without being noticed by him, was that too much to ask?

"No! Never!" She said louder than normal. She looked over her shoulder for a split second to give him a quick smile then she turned back to staring at her chocolates on the disply tray, surprised she still held the other in her arm.

"Oh, Tia just moved here not too long ago, isn't that right? She is full French, without the attitude, and she makes everything from her own recipe!" Sometimes Tia wished the woman would let her answer her own questions, but in this circumstance it felt so nice to have someone interpreting for her.

"By the way, Tia, did that man on Old Towne Road, right across from you, did he ever get those blinds?" Tia closed her eyes and stopped breathing, this was the point where she died, where her life ended. Oh how cruel God was to her for allowing her moment of death to be of embarassment and in front of such a beautiful man.

"Oi." She said very lowly, allowing her breath to escape. That man now knew that she lived right across from him.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Uh huh. Absinthe knew it! That's where he knew her from, the little girl who watched with binoculars from her apartment across the street. Well, then. She was too pretty to be spying on single, clinically depressed, dance instructors. He leaned on the case and looked over at the older woman, raising his eyebrows and nodding as if he were interested in what Greta had just said.

"Oh you mean that crazy bloke who walks around in his boxers?" he asked, glancing from Greta to Tia, and back again. He nodded. "Yeah, I heard he ordered out for some because of some peeping tom incidents in his neighborhood," he said, nodding. He glanced over at the younger woman, and reached out to lightly smack her shoulder, speaking lower. "Yeah, you better be careful, after all, you never no who'll look back at you when you pick up those binoculars...oh thanks!" he said, as the older woman handed him his chocolate.

Absinthe dug out his wallet and counted out the money. He smiled and nodded, holding up the bag for Greta to see.

"I'll try these and get back to you on whether they pass my inspection," he said, winking as he went towards the door. He placed his back against the door and pushed it open the bell jingling. He flashed the peace sign over his head as he peered down into the bag of chocolate. "Au revoir!"

[Tia Naffis]

Tia turned to look at the man, shocked that he had even said that and actually let it out that he walked around in his boxers, but that wasn't the kicker, it was when she heard him state about looking back. Her back had stiffened, her face had grown red, and if she stood there hovering over her chocolates they'd melt instantly. She couldn't stand it anymore, she had to look at him, face the man who she was spying on to simply say that she was caught, but she didn't, she just looked at the man take the bag and be on his merry way while leaving Tia standing there like a fumbling idiot.

"I hope he hates my chocolat." She said shaking her head as the door closed. Greta looked at her for the longest moment then quickly hit her with her wash rag.

<i>"What I wouldn't give to see him running around in his boxers! What is the matter with you?"</i>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

On the contrary, however, Absinthe quite liked her chocolate, and munched on a few peices as he walked home, a strange sort of triumph in his chest. He arrived at his studio and went through to get to the stairs to his apartment. He took them by two, and went into his living room. He dumped the chocolates and his keys on his table, and went to the kitchen. He fed his cat and stripped off his sweater before walking back into the living room. He stood there for a long moment, looking around before finally deciding what he was going to do.

He moved around to the side of his couch, and grabbed the arm. He pulled it back towards the window and around so the back was against the wall and the long window began just at the top of the couch. Absinthe scootched the couch up and down until he was happy, piled his chocolates, a new lighter, an extra pack of cigarettes, a few blankets and the TV changer on it, and decided that when he came up from his afternoon classes he would retrieve the binoculars he had bought last year from his bedroom, and spy back on Miss Tia. After all, if she knew all of this about him, and he was going to buy her chocolate, he wanted to know a few things about her.

After he finished, he stood back and admired his handywork for a moment. Finally, he went back into his room and changed into his dancing clothes, tied his hair back off his face, grabbed his clothing bag and jacket and went downstairs to see that the early birds were already coming in. He smiled cordially at them as he began to set up the stereo, putting his iPod into its port. He nodded.

"Are you guys ready to start on the tango?"

[Tia Naffis]

"I cannot believe it, I just...cannot!" Tia sighed out, exasperated beyond belief as she spoke quickly in the phone, talking to her sister Audrey back home in Paris. It was late in Chicago, but she knew that her sister was probably much more tired than she was, and not in the mood to hear her complaining about the fact that she had been caught by her neighbor. But, to Tia, this was such a big deal, like it was a terrible break-up.

"He...oh...if I could have slapped his face, Audrey, I would have!" Tia growled, but the laughter from her sister dissipated her anger.

<i>"Cherie, you are so lying. You like knowing he knew it was you. If I were in your shoes, I'd be careful on who I spy on from now on. Like he said, you never know who might just look back."</i> Tia was not happy with how this conversation was going, Audrey could see right through her. To know that he knew it was her was mighty embarassing, but it only provoked her to be more curious as to how he acted. Was he going to change? Was he going to be aware of what he walked around in? Was he going to put up draperies?

That thought scared Tia, she didn't want that! He gave her such a feeling of joy that could only have been matched by making chocolate or by being with family. Sadly, that thought didn't strike Tia as weird, however her sister was very concerned for her. Apparently she thought she was becoming obsessed, but Tia refuted saying it was just for fun. So, how come when she hung up the phone she was wandering around, thinking as to whether or not she should sneak a peek?

"No, don't be stupid, Naffis! Do not." She paced back and froth in her small living room, sometimes stopping to glance at her window, but she would continue her walking, pretending to be thinking of something truly world shattering, but she was dying to get her binoculars. Tia, biting her lower lip and hugging herself with her arms, stopped walking to give the window a sideways glance.

"What would you do, Instructor?" She hung on that breath for a beat then hurriedly jogged to her room and jumped on her bed, opening a side drawer and pulling out the binoculars and dashing back into the livingroom and to the window, slowly peeking out.

"What would you do?" She bit her lower lip and put the binoculars to her eyes.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe big farewell to his last student for the day and locked up, turning out the studio's lights and heading upstairs, lighting a cigarette on his way up. He flipped the lights on in his apartment, and glanced down at his cat that came to greet him. He locked his door and then leaned down, picking the cat up and holding it over his head like a baby.

"Hi, Lollers!" he exclaimed, watching as the cat purred and licked its lips. He smiled and put the cat on his shoudler. The cat put its claws in his clothes and held on. He had the weirdest cat--it liked to ride on his shoulder.

Absinthe went to his bedroom and changed into exercise pants, pulling his hair down out of its ponytail and moving back into the living room. He went to where he had pulled his couch and lifted the cat off of him, putting it on the couch. She purred and flopped down on his robe, making biscuits on it lightly. He smiled grabbing the TV changer and flipping on CNN, just for some background noise.

For a moment, he fought within himself as to whether or not he should look to see if she was spying. But out of the corner of his eye, he could see the lights were off in her apartment. Even if she was spying, he never know it. And if he tried to spy, he wouldn't be able to see a thing. So he instead sufficed to grab his phone and dial the local chinese place. He was a regular. All he had to do was say his name, and they knew exactly what he wanted.

Absinthe didn't like this feeling. Knowing the woman had been spying before hadn't been so bad. But now that he knew her face, and what she looked like, it was like spying on...well...on your next door neighbor! It was a little weird now. Why didn't she flip on the lights and give him a go?

[Tia Naffis]

Tia gasped when the lights flicked on, her heart literally jumped out of her chest and for a moment she almost dropped her binoculars, or her spie glasses as her sister liked to call them. Tia sighed out, realizing she hadn't been shot and pulled them back up to her eyes, watching him disappear. She frowned and looked at the clock to her immediate right, the very small kitchen being just a few feet wide. She nodded when she realized the time.

"Go derobe." She said with a sigh, too bad she didn't have a view of his room, but then again she did see everythign anyway so what was the difference? She walked to the kitchen, knowing exactly how long it took, and opened the small 1950's fridge and pulled out a green tea and wandered back over to the window. She frowned and walked back into the kitchen and turned on the overhead light that was soft and bright enough to give her living room a soft glow as well.

She moved back to the window, tilting her head to see through the curtains, he was on the phone. She pulled the binoculars up to her face as she slit her eyes.

"Who are you calling? No girlfriend, amor, you are single, no?" She raised her eyebrows as she tried to read lips, but he moved when he talked and that was something she liked. He was very expressionistic in everything and she really did love it. She laughed lightly when she saw him laugh, he was so beautiful, if only he knew.

"Yak, yak, chatterbox." She said with a smile. "You make me jealous with your friends." Tia sighed, maybe she should get a dog or a cat, it would probably make her life a lot more interesting and not lead her to spy on her neighbor. For a moment she struggled, to look or not to look. She literally said this a million times in her head until she figured she could leave him alone and go find something to eat.

She put down her binoculars and walked back into the kitchen, if the man looked back at her he probably could see her in the smaller window in the kitchen. How embarassing would that be? To see her looking in a fridge that she knew already had no food.

"What to eat, what to eat..." She bent down as she scavenged through the fridge, perhaps she was in the mood for something delivered. "Chinese."

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe saw the light go on in the woman's kitchen and he smiled. He looked down at his cat and wiggled his eyebrows. He sneaked over to the slide pad for his lights. He slid his finger down over it, and the lights slowly went down and out. He flicked the TV off and jumoed onto the couch, patting his cat.

"Alright, Lollers. Show time," he said. He felt like a teenaged girl, spying on the cute jock with all his girlfriends...except...well, nevermind, he didn't want to try and figure that one out. He grabbed his binoculars and opened them, peering through them. He adjusted them until everything was clear. The woman only had the kitchen light on, but he could see her clearly. His cat meowed at him, scolding him for spying back. He waved his hand at her. "You shut up. You can't be my conscious on this one..."

She was looking through her fridge. He nodded. "So she's hungry, Lollypop...aw, doesn't look like there's anything in there. Sorry, dear. What about some of these chocolates you sold me today?" he said. Absinthe didn't know who the hell he was talking to. The damn cat certainly didn't understand what he was saying. But he was talking like he was talking to that woman. He watched her close the door sadly, and then grab her phone. He nodded.

"Oh yes, I've done that song and dance...no food in the fridge, order out! Get the chinese, darling, it's wonderful..."

[Tia Naffis]

"Thank you. Ah, yes! Okay. Bye bye." She smiled and hung up. So, twenty minutes from now she'd be eating some rice along with some sweet and sour chicken. She felt her stomach growl at her as she thought of that. How sad, a woman who makes food all day came home to find nothing at all, what kind of way is that to live? Tia sighed out as she put her cordless phone back on the charger on her kitchen counter, she wasn't sure what prompted her to actually move away from the window for a moment, but now she was aching to get back to the show, well, a repeat she was sure, but it was still a wonderful thing to watch.

She wandered back to the table next to the window, her fingers grazing the tops of her binoculars, but fortunately, she didn't pick them up, She smiled and sighed out, she needed to stop being such a freak and to let this man have his privacy. She looked up at her window and across the street. What was this? No lights? Tia grabbed her binoculars, this was not part of the program! He never turned off his lights.

"Oh, what?" She sighed out, sad, annoyed, disappointed perhaps. "So, you learned I spy, so you turn out the lights." She shook her head and put her binoculars on the table. "Fine. It wasn't like I was paying for it or anything!" She was actually frustrated with this man, was that normal? Certainly not.

"Crap." She sighed out, avoiding the obvious french words in her mind that were to curse him out, but what did she expect? The man wanted privacy! Oh Greta ruined it all.

Tia moved away from her window and over to her small tan couch and fell onto it, reaching above her to turn on the lamp. Now what? Sit and wait for her food? She didn't own a television, so what was she supposed to do? Read? Lord, she was so tired of Dickens, Hawthorne, and Poe. She needed to find something else, but she had been so distracted with her neighbor that it was unbelievably ridiculous that when he finally shut down the show, she was no longer sure what to do.

Tia sat up and moved around. She could think, but about what?

"About you, Instructor." She was talking to herself, great, she already had it bad from watching people, but now she was actually talking to herself and carrying on a conversation. Tia groaned out as she paced for what felt like hours, thinking of what to do to kill time now that she no longer got to watch the man she had been obsessing over for months. She heard a cardoor slam outside on the street and she smiled.

"That was fast!" She said when she looked to find the driver sitting on the street, it's light on its hood glowing. She grabbed her purse on the table and almost headed away from the window, but when she watched the delivery man jog across the street to the man's building her jaw dropped.

"You didn't call Chinese!" She laughed, why was this funny? Why was this the neatest thing ever? She grabbed the binoculars and watched the boy with his bags jog over to the building, waiting a moment before entering. She counted the seconds until she saw the man's apartment door open and allow light to shine in. She watched the exchange for a moment, then the door closed, and the show was over.

"Aw, come on! At least let me see you eat!" She frowned. She had seen him eat it a million times, but she loved it. The way he opened his mouth and chewed, the way he leaned his head back to let a few noodles drop in his mouth from his chopsticks. She groaned. But before all was lost she watched the boy run to his car, get more bags, and then come to her building. She laughed lightly as she put her binoculars down and walked to her door, answering it at the appropriate time.

She barely said nice things and grabbed the food and ran over to her table and pulled it all out. Suddenly, her stomach took over. Who cared about the man across the street when she had such delicacies in front of her!

[Absinthe Dumaux]

"What?" Absinthe asked as he peered over into her apartment as she began to eat. He settled onto his couch with his chopsticks and his food and watched her eat. He shook his head. "I'm the only one allowed to order Chinese on this street..." he muttered through a bite of lo mein.

He sighed reaching around and flicking on the lamp over his couch, turning around and turning the TV. He could let her alone while he ate. Besides, he didn't even like watching people eat, it grossed him out, so he would finish his own food and then look back over. But until then, he'd watch CNN and eat.

Absinthe was a little embarrassed by the fact that he was getting back at the woman who had spied on him bny spying right back. It was very juvenile. But he couldn't help it, there was something fun about seeing how somebody else lived their lives. He guessed he could understand why she had done it to him. Anyway, him in his boxers wasn't that embarrassing, he was just glad he didn't walk around in the nude. That would have been something to get her back from.

[Tia Naffis]

"Oh, good idea." She said shaking her head as she felt her stomach litterally pop inside of her as she fell back from sitting on the couch and staring at the wall, it wasn't as boring as it sounded, her small radio was playing so french music by Ertha Kitt, it was one of her favorite albums. She sighed out, sucking her teeth free of the chicken and other particles from her food. She sighed as she took a sip of her tea, giving a small cheer to the man across the street, as if it had been his idea all along to give her the urge to order Chinese. It was funny to know that the person right next door was eating the same food as you, it was also funny to know that you had that entire persons routine down to a science and already knew what he had ordered without ever having a conversation.

"Oh, jeez." Her face grew red at that thought. He must've thought she was nuts by the way she had acted earlier, or how she <i>didn't</i> act to be precise. She just stood there looking like an idiot, in all her shame, although she honestly didn't feel guilty about it, just annoyed that she had gotten caught.

Tia looked over to the window, as she had several times while eating, then stood, holding a wrapped fortune cookie in her hands. She was so intrigued by this man that even despite knowing what he did at night or how he looked in the mornings, she always stared, always watched, enjoyed everything he did because it was a way of connecting with someone. For a moment she felt sad, but realized she only made herself sad.

"My fault." She stated out loud as if she were speaking with someone, speaking to the man across the street. He had turned a light on and he was eating peacefully, this she could see clearly without having binoculars, this was probably one of the few times she actually watched him like a normal person, barely able to see, but knew he was doing something. Tia leaned against the table as she stared out the window, this being one of those few times she were on the opposite side so she wouldn't feel like the lonely one, the one who had nothing but her recipes and her shop. Sure, Greta was a friend, but it wasn't someone she would visit, frequent, or talk to on a regular basis. Just a work companion.

Tia realized that out of all of this, the man across the street was her only link to civilization, the closest to having a friend without ever having to come in contact. Yes, it was like being a stalker, but it was more of an admiration. She liked how he lived, how he moved, how he did everything, it was her enjoyment to see someone so beautiful and so different become so normal. Tia sighed out yet again, that long dreadful sigh of sadness, looking down at her fortune cookie. She tore open the small plastic wrapping and furrowed her brow as she cracked it open. Putting one piece in her mouth she pulled the small paper out and unfolded it.

<i>Love Is Just A Glance Away; Open Your Eyes.</I>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe turned off the light, but left his TV on, and turned to watch the woman. He cringed a little by the way she sucked her teeth free of food--sure almost everyone had their own way of picking their teeth out, but the less Absinthe had to watch someone do it the better.

Absinthe noted also that the woman's hair had been pulled messily into a bun, and pin at places that it was falling down. It was wispy, and floaty, and, in Absinthe's opinion, very pretty. But he noticed that at the shop this morning she had had her hair pulled as tightly back as she could get it, and under a net. He wondered why she didn't wear her hair like that all the time?

Anyway, she was reading her fortune cookie. Well! He might as well join her. Absinthe picked up his fortune cookie and pulled it out. He cracked it open, cursing a little as crumbs fell onto his couch. He sighed, popping one side into his mouth, peering down into the other half. He grabbed the folded peice of paper and pulled it out straight, tossing the other half of the cookie up and down in his other hand. He held the peice of paper up to the street light.

Your life is soon to change for the better.

[Tia Naffis]

After laughing for about ten minutes as she stared at the paper, a bit shocked that it would say something so incredibly unaccurate, as well as oddly coincidental considering her eyes were open and staring across the street as she sucked her teeth, slitting her eyes as she glanced at the window to the man's home. His light was off, but the television was still on and it was glowing a light blue orb, sadly she couldn't see him, although she knew he was probably there watching the television in his own privacy without her prying eyes.

Tia sighed, tossing the other half of the cookie on the table, not in the mood for the rest since that note had literally taken the taste out of her cookie. She had a long day tomorrow at the shop, she had bushels of chocolate turtles to make and she wasn't really feeling like going in and being tired, she needed her energy to keep up with Greta. Tia gave one last longing glance at the man's window and gave a small wave, as if she were bidding the man a farewell, although she was certain he was more entertained with his life rather than hers. How pitiful she was.

Tia turned and unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it off her shoulders, walking through the livingroom and into her bedroom, peeling off the rest of her clothes to crawl into the comfort of her bed, her mind wandering around with work, the instructor, her social life, the man across the street, her sister, paris, the man across the street...as if usually was. She sighed as she stared at the pattern of the window on her ceiling. She wondered what he thought about when he went to bed, if he did any funny habits like rub his feet together before finding a spot in bed. How did he look when he was asleep? How did he stretch in the bed? Did he make any noises? Was he a snorer? Tia smiled, laughing lightly to herself as she turned on her side and stared out her small window out into the street. She found him stretching and making a noise to be ridiculously cute, then again she was sure anything he did was cute, she already knew that everything she saw resonated cuteness. She couldn't deny it, she had fallen in love with his face the moment she saw him, and it seemed that the attraction had oddly grown into something more, although she had never met him, until earlier that day. Was that even possible? Tia frowned and realized she didn't want to think about it anymore. She turned her back to the window, gave out a huff of agitation and closed her eyes.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

For the next couple of days, Absinthe visited the chocolate shop, chatting with Greta--he learned her name quickly--and getting to know some of the other workers in the shop. The woman who he had pegged a few days before, was always scarce when he came through the door, and no wonder. Her spying had only intensified. but Absinthe didn't mind, as all the times she wasn't spying, he was. He got to know her eating habits and hygiene fairly intimately. He noted that she only wore her hair in the pretty-messy style at home, and at work it was always tight against her head.

He also noticed that while she tended towards tank tops and exercise pants at home, at work it was strictly long sleeves, and modesty. Not that he didn't admire that, modesty among today's women was scarce. Considering the red-headed Sasha in his dance class came in routinely wearing little more than a colored bra and booty shorts. But he was also still a man, and if the beautiful woman across the street could let loose a little, wear a well-fitting, colored tank top and jeans, he was sure she would look twenty-times the beautiful she already did, as her ivory skin would show. Plus she wouldn't be showing anymore than her arms and a little chest.

Speaking of which, it was time for him to head down to the shop to get some chocolates anyway. All of this spying was finding him eating more chocolate than usual, and it was already time for a refill.

He combed his still shower-damp hair out and dressed in jeans and a band T-shirt, with a brown blazer on over it, and a brow fedora on his head. He turned the handsome, manly bow to the spot it should be before patting Lollypop and heading out onto the street.

His eccentric style seemed to make people avoid him, as often men and women in suits gave him a wide birth on the sidewalk. But he didn't mind, anyone he really cared about already knew him as a person and didn't care how he dressed.

The shop was a little more empty this morning than usual, but it was alright, he spotted Greta behind the counter and went right to her. She was amazingly fun to talk to and entertained him to no end. This morning, however, he saw the young Tia behind the counter, doing something--he couldn't tell what, her back was to him. He grinned and leaned on the counter.

"Morning, Greta!" he exclaimed loudly. "Do I ever have a story for you!"

[Tia Naffis]

She was letting lose today, barely, by having worn some old bellbottom jeans that she had received from her mother for her birthday last year, tight at the thigh, wide at the knee. It wasn't 'casual friday', considering she never had that kind of day, but her sleeping had been getting a bit non-existent since she started eating Chinese almost every other night and pretending not to owant to spy on her neighbor. She would sneak peeks a lot, but lately she hadn't been feeling too up to the task of seeing him considering she was still embarassed by the whole ordeal. The times she had come into work she feared that the man would be there, but lately, Gretat said she had been missing him, sadly. ALthough, Tia felt relieved that she didn't have to run into him. Hopefully, especially today, she wouldn't see him for she wasn't in professional garb, nor was she on top of things and had anything clever to say, considering she had been contemplating on scenario's she might face if coming in contact with him one day.

<i>"Plus je connais des hommes davantage l'amour d'I mon chien."</i> Tia smiled as she walked out from the back, speaking in her native tongue about her brown shirt with a faded silhouette of a dog with the words printed underneath. Great had wondered what it meant, so she was finally speaking it and explaining it. "Means, the more I know men, the more I love my dog." The two laughed lightly as the door to the shop opened, Greta giving her loud hello, making Tia smile as she grabbed some of her freshly lined pan of chocolate to stick into the display. She pushed the door aside and bent down, sitting it nicely where she had just removed an empty one, hearing an all too familiar voice. Her heart jumped immediately and she jumped slightly, her head almost coming into contact with the lip of the case. Luckily, no head butting this morning to embarass her more than she had been by this man.

<i>"Good morning, handsome!"</i> Apparently, these two had been getting along wonderfully, and had even gotten down to first name's. Tia had heard the stories when she came into work, Greta blabbing about the good looking instructor, whose name was Absinthe, and how she seemed to always never be around when he came in. Little did Greta know, Tia was hoping it would always be like that.

<i>"I am always up for a great story, dear! Especially if it concerns other people's business!"</i> The woman laughed and waited patiently, already knowing his order and already ringing it up.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe grinned, leaning on the counter in a way that his voice would carry to the woman leaning down to put things in. He leaned down, cradling his chin in his hand and looking up at Greta. He nodded emphatically.

"It definately does," he said, scratching his cheek. He tapped the counter, speaking loudly. He was sure that the few people in the shop could hear her too. He grinned. "There's this woman who lives across from me, right?" he said, getting Greta--and everyone else ready--for what he was gonna say. He smiled wider. "She orders Chinese every night, and when she turns the radio on, she chews with her mouth wide open..." he paused. "And when she finishes eating, Greta, the woman sucks her teeth out in the weirdest way!" he exclaimed, unable to keep from laughing. He waved his hand.

"But you know," he said, thinking a moment. "When she's at home, she wears her hair pinned up in a bun, and wears these little tank-tops," he said. He shook his head. "And the way she walks around when she talks on the phone...she's extremely beautiful," he said, glancing over at the woman still crouched on the floor. He cocked his head.

" I don't think she knows how pretty she is..."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia was sure that he was doing this on purpose and she got a tingle down her spine she when she heard his voice carry throughout the shop, so loud that a couple eating their chocolates and drinking their coffee would turn too give him a glance. For a moment she wanted to yell at him for being so loud, but she simply tried to ignore him, but the moment he began speaking about a woman across from him...that was the moment she was ready to die. She slammed the empty tin on the ground when she heard him exclaim what happened to him, pretending she meant to do that, grabbing a fresh tin of chocolate, her ears unable to go away from the conversation.

He was talking about her, and when he began describing how she chewed with her mouth open, she almost lost it, but when he spoke about the teeth thing she shrunk back to herself, embarassed, praying nobody knew where he lived or knew anything about her. She closed her eyes and clinched her jaw, gripping the tin on the floor tightly in her hands as she put it onto her arm to put it away and get another fresh tin, she slowly rose from the ground, hearing him chatter on about tanl tops, but when he spoke about being pretty...everything was suddenly ruined.

Scared of what he said, nervous that he was in her precense and speaking about her, she jumped up, her head crashing against the lip of the display case, the tin falling out of her arms and onto the floor, filling the room with such a horrid racket. She stood up, face so red from embarassment that she was almsot ready to cry. She looked at Greta's shocked face, then to Absinthe's.

Without a single word, she quickly rushed away from the front, pushing through the small little passage to the bathrooms around the corner. How incredibly mortifying. She opened the bathroom door and entered the brightly colored room, shutting the singular room and locking it, hunkering onto the toilet and putting her head in her hands. Why was he there to mortify her? Did he enjoy it? Tia didn't linger on that part too long, in fact she stood and went to the sink to look at herself, look at her hair.

She pulled the little black net off her head and looked at what was there, a tight bun, but it was professional! It was so that it didn't get into the chocolate or food! She frowned, contorting her mouth with confusement. So, he was now watching her?

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe stopped when he watched the woman get up and rush to the bathroom. He watched the bathroom door for a moment and then smiled over at Greta, who looked completely shocked. He reached over and patted her hand, letting her know he had it covered, and he turned. Absinthe ducked under the little archway and went to the ladies bathroom where Tia had disappeared. He looked at the door for a long time before raising his arm and leaning on the bathroom doorframe, slipping his other hand into his pocket, and waiting patiently for her to finish and come out.

He knew he had probably embarrassed her, but thinking about what she might have told Greta, made his stomach twist with embarassment. He didn't exactly want his own personal life broadcast all over the place...

[Tia Naffis]

Tia sighed out knowing what she did was probably drawing more attention than anything, if they didn't know who he was talking about back in there, they definitely knew now that she had run off like a child. She washed her hands, just because she could, and wiped her hands dry on a paper towel and looked at her appearance once more, trying to act normal and ignore the feeling in her stomach. She was on the verge of puking and her hands were cold and shaking, she was so nervous, but why? All because he was in her shop? She knew it was exactly that. He was so cute and she liked him so much when he was in his element that she was alarmed to see him in her reality after enjoying his for so long.

"My reality, pft." She scrunched her nose, annoyed that he had someone made his way into her life. She liked him afar, not up close and so personal, oh it was untelling what he saw! Her face beamed red and she tried to breathe, but the longer she stayed in the bathroom the worse she felt. She shook her head and realized everyone had embarassing moments in their life, this was no different. She can just say her stomach was hurting her and she needed a bathroom break. No harm in a little lie.

Tia, happy with her lie, tossed the towel away in the trash and opened the door. She gasped when her eyes lifted and she met the man's. He was leaning on the door frame, one hand in his pocket, a smirk on his face. She slammed the door in his face quickly and she frowned. <i>Oh god, I just slammed the door in his face!</i> Now fearing for her good nature she opened the door just as fast, her face was probably as red as a lobster. She hoped he'd just say he needed the bathroom and let her be, but...he wasn't moving.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe smiled when she came out, and laughed a little when she slammed the door back in his face. He was waiting for her to tell him to leave her be, when she opened the door up just as fast as she'd closed it. He was surprised, but it didn't jar his small smile. It softened a little as he noted her red cheeks. She was obviously sufficiently embarrassed, and who wouldn't be? Although, he could have said something worse like he had seen her wearing teddy bear underwear that stuck out above her pants. But he wasn't quite that cruel.

He watched her for a long moment, taking in the wisps of her hair that had fallen out of her perfect bun slightly in her rush to get away from him. He noted that she smelled of the bathroom soap, a cherry-like smell, and also that her big brown eyes were so indignant that he show his face right there in front of her. Also, she was not only embarrassed, and indignant, he saw panic, like she might be worried what he thought, an admiring look, he could read her like a book. She couldn't hide what she felt very well. Absinthe smiled and lowered his eyes a little.

"Why do like to watch me?"

[Tia Naffis]

That...right there...was the moment Tia actually thought about fainting on purpose if it meant he'd never ask such a question in all her life again. She shook her head and lowered her chin as she looked up at him, shying away from keeping eye contact because she was so scared of him, well not really scared, but incredibly embarassed and so much attracted to thim that she swore it would show. She swallowed the large lump of fear down her throat as she shrugged her left shoulder, twisting her shirt tail in her hands as she watched her knuckles go white.

"Puisque je suis stupide." The French escaped her lips before her brain even had a moment to translate. It happened when she was scared, when she wasn't really confident in herself, and when she was dumbfounded. She shyly look up at him and repeated it in english. "Because...I am stupid. I won't do it anymore. I am sorry. I didn't mean to get so..." She didn't know what to say. She didn't have any excuses, she just...had that interest in him.

"I just do." She said honestly as she could, lowly, barely audible, so frightful he might yell at her and tell her to stop, that she was weird, that he wanted privacy, that he was going to press some harassment charges. Which, she thought, she totally deserved.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Wesley smiled when she spoke French. Whoa, how hot that had sounded. He stuffed that away however, and listened as she stumbled over her words in trying to explain why she did what she did. Although he figured a normal person would have the guts to be angry, he was not normal and he didn't like confrontations. Plus, she was adorable, and she hadn't really...hurt him, exactly. Just his pride.

He watched her for a long time before sighing and taking his hand off of the doorframe, sliding it back down in his other pocket, shrugging his shoulders a little. He smiled.

"Well, I guess you know now I have my own set of bioculars," he said, smiling. Then he leaned down a little to see her face. "How about this. When I don't care you look, my lights are on. But when I want privacy, my lights go off, and you put away the binoculars. And vice versa, absolutely," he said, nodding emphatically. He grinned, reaching up and putting a finger under her chin to raise her face so he could see it better.

"After all, it isn't every day I can boast a pretty girl like you wants to spy on my every move," he said. He paused for a moment before dropping his head, and tipping his hat. He figured he'd tortured her enough as it was. He turned a little. "G'day."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia stood there, watching him leave after having said all that. She didn't agree to it, but for some reason she figured he already knew that she would agree. She smiled after hearing Greta scream 'Order Up' followed by a bell, then the bell to the door. He had left and suddenly, she felt sick, felt...empty. She sighed out and leaned against the doorframe, rubbing her head that was sweaty from secluding herself in teh bathroom and from holding her breath so much and being touched by him.

She was a very kind and loving person, but when it came ot loving someone or liking another sex, it was always difficult for her. Afterall she had been abused, in so many ways that it made it hard to give herself to someone without fearing that it was all in malice, but when she looked at Absinthe, oh how she loved that name, she saw nothing of the sort. He had a kind of air about him that resonated kindness, gentleness, and passion that had never been let out.

"Sheesh." She said after a well deserved breath. She had admitted she found him attractive, admitted that she enjoyed him from afar, and she would admit that she would love to be in the room with him watching in real life, but she always felt safe on the other side of the road, where he would only know what he saw and never anything more.

"Nobody to get hurt." She said answering her own thoughts. She leaned off the door and walked back into the kitchen. Greta would never let her live this one down.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe arrived home in a foul mood. He tossed his chocolates on the table and cancelled his classes for 'personal' reasons. His students seemed sympathetic when he called them, but he just said it was a family matter and that classes would be back on after the weekend.

Having finished that, he went to his bedroom and changed into exercise pants and no shirt, His cat was following him around, meowing at him, as if asking him what was wrong. He couldn't exactly pinpoint it, but he could feel that the night was going to be a long one. He decided he'd kick it off right by ordering in Chinese, and turning on the TV, switching from CNN to Lifetime, where some woman-in-jeopardy movie was playing, as usual. That channel made him feel so much better about his life.

After the events that had occured in the shop, he was ready to never pick up his binoculars again, and was even tempted to do it. But he was sure once he was in a better mood, he would want to watch the woman across the street. He was sure that if they weren't careful, they would both pick up the binoculars at the same time, and be staring straight at each other.

How uninteresting...

[Tia Naffis]

Tia had been in a fog since he left the shop, she was just uninterested in making chocolate, she just wanted to go home, eat, and...stare. Not particularly at him, just at something. She was in one of those dazes where she just wanted her eyes to not move and just allow her brain to wander to whatever, heck, not even think of anything.

She was so scared though. To go home and see her binoculars sitting pretty on her table, softly cooing for her to pick up...she'd go insane. SO, she loited around her shop, cleaning things that didn't need it, putting things away, reorganizing. By the time it was 9 she knew she needed to go home, she was too tired to stay around and avoid him. It was like a bad breakup all of a sudden, and it was like they lived together and one of them was still moving out. It was awful.

By the time she had made it to her house, she didn't dare look up to see if he was teaching, but it did look a little darker than usual, so she figured class let out early. THat, she thought, was all she wanted to think of him. But, the moment she walked into her house and saw the binoculars, her heart jumped.

"No, Naffis! No!" She scolded herself and wandered into her bedroom, slowly taking off her clothes to put on some others, the kind that he had spoke of earlier. For a moment she smiled, what if he saw her tonight? What if he was wanting to see if she closed her curtains? For some reason, this excited Tia. She walked to her bathroom and put her hair up, just the way he had liked it, and slightly put on a tad of make up, just in case. She now knowing he looked, she was sure she'd not walk out of her bedroom without a tint of rouge on her cheeks.

After about ten minutes she figured it was time to stop hiding, in a way she wanted him to see, yet at the same time she was scared he was. Trying to act normal she wandered out, grabbing a book as she passed the little shelf, she had no clue what she got, but when she flopped down on the couch she let out a laugh.

<i>The Art of Bird Watching</i>

"Please." She said shaking her head and rolling her eyes. It was like the man was now everywhere. She couldn't count how many times she thought she smelled him in the shop, but she knew it was probably just her brain getting to her. Tia slowly moved off the couch. She had to, just once...see if he was okay. See if he was at class.

She picked up the binoculars and slowly moved to the window and peeped out.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe's spirits had lifted a little after he watched two Lifetime movies, and noted that he didn't have a vindictive ex who wanted to kill him, nor did he have a daughter who was being raped by her stepfather. Both of those things not happening to him were good, and so, he had become happier knowing that.

He had flipped his lights on to eat at eight forty-five, and had left them on as he got on the phone with his best friend to talk for awhile. He noted that the lights in Tia's apartment came on. She was out of sight for awhile before she came into the living room. He saw her move towards the window, but she seemed to crouch down--perhaps after her binoculars? He didn't know, but he waved anyway and smiled, bidding his friend goodbye. He thought he might as well let her look, considering he had said if his lights were on he was fair game.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia bit her lower lip and brought up her glasses to see across the street, she frowned as she realized, he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Where the crap did he go? Was he hiding?

"I would hide, too." She smiled, she found his cat, seeing it meow. Apparently he was nearby. She smiled. "Kitty kitty! You are so precious! Kitty..." She sang to it, like it was going to hear her, but sadly it didn't. She loved cats, she had two adopted ones behind her shop that she fed almost everyday. Greta joked that someday she would eventually allow them to live inside the shop as mascots. That, however, wasn't likely.

"Hi kitty! Look at how cute! Kitty, kitty!" She smiled when she saw it glance at the window, almost like it saw her. She laughed lightly but stopped when something moved in the way, a body, <i>his</i> body. She looked up and got the binoculars in focus. What she expected was to see his face, however it was being blocked by a pair of his own binoculars.

She gasped and dropped hers, she wasn't expecting that. There, not only did he know she was spying, he caught her directly in the act. But, why was this her fault? He was lookng, too! She frowned and bent down and jerked them by the string and brought them to her face. If he was going to stare, then by crap he knew she would as well!

Tia focused again and stared at him. So, now what? They were both mental by standing at their windows in skimpy night time clothes, staring at each other being stared at. How odd.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Wesley laughed out loud as she dropped them. He lowered his own from his face for a moment and then got on his couch. He almost bumped the window with his binoculars because he was getting to close. But he was entertained to no end. He couldn't help it. He watched her bring her own back up and he waved lively at her, like they were old best friends seeing each other for the first time.

"I wonder if you can read lips, darling," he mused, lowering his binoculars a little to see exactly what he was looking at. He grinned, wishing he could carry on a conversation with her. With the binoculars, it seemed like they were close enough to talk, but he had to keep remembering that there was a street between them.

Absinthe jumped a little when his cat hopped up on the back of the couch and meowed her fish breath right into his face. He cringed a little before petting her.

"Hey, Lollers. You come to enjoy the show too?"

[Tia Naffis]

Tia laughed lightly as he waved at her, suddenly it seemed like this was okay, like this wasn't spying or anything weird. She waved back, watching his mouth move as he looked at his cat. Was he talking to her, or the cat? She figured it was the cat since she couldn't hear him, nor read lips.

"You trying to talk to me, instructor?" She raised an eyebrow, spying at him both occassionally binoculars then her own eye. She looked around her for a moment, seeing if there was a way to communicate, but she didn't see anything nor have an idea. He probably thought her spying on him was enough. No need in talking, just...watch.

"What now?" She wondered out loud. "Should I do a striptease for you?" She laughed. That would be interesting.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

But Absinthe had the idea at roughly the same time. No, stripteasing wouldn't be necessary, but he thought it would be fun to talk a little. He dropped his binoculars onto the couch and got up--Lollypop meowing after him--and went back to the store room beside his kitchen. He dug through for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He grinned, grabbing the small whiteboard, and the package of dry erase markers it was with. He had had this thing for three years, having bought it to put a schedule on. He had stopped using it after three days and put it away after a week.

Now he had a use for it.

He made his way back into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. He pulled out a purple marker--yes, purple was his favorite color, and indeed, he was straight--and he began to mark out a little messege. At first he had to think about it, he had never written notes to girls in high school, only he and his friends had written notes back and forth. After a moment of blankness, he decided to write was obvious, considering they were looking each other in the face, so it couldn't be spying anymore. He made sure the letters were block so she would be able to see them clearly.

He sat up on his knees and put the white board against the window. In block, purple, slightly messy--his handwriting wasn't that good--letters, it said:

This is awkward now, huh?

[Tia Naffis]

"Where....you leave me so soon?" For a moment Tia was almost sad, but when she watched him walk back, dragging his feet, she smiled, seeing he was very clever. She lifted her binoculars and then laughed. It surely wasn't as funny as it probably would have sounded to someone who heard her cackle of a laugh. She hid her smile for a moment, trying to show him that she wasn't as backward as she truly was, to seem normal would have been a godsend, but he was witnessing how ignorant she could be.

For a moment she thought, then realized she too had a white dry erase board. She dropped her binoculars and ran to her fridge and pulled the edges with a grunt, hearing the sticky tape on the back peeling. She grabbed the magnetic marker and erased her long grocery list, heck this was more fun than shopping, why not imbrace it? She always knew what she needed anyway.

"Don't steal my ideas, spying on me...tsk.tsk, ma cherie." It took her a moment to write it in black, but she succeeded, block letters not her thing, more bubbly than anything. She put the marker in her mouth and held it up.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe squinted slighty, but couldn't see. He grabbed his chunky glasses from the top of his television and put them on. He laughed slightly, erasing his words and beginning again. He felt a little like a teenager again, doing this. But it was funny. Absinthe was so backward, that of course he would find this amusing. He found small things amusing. He blocked the letters and smiled as he wrote.


Your idea? Really, darling, they did it in Secret Window, you know. He smiled, and recapped the pen. He handed it to his cat--who liked to play with pens--and Lollypop accepted it, pinning it under her paw to play with until he needed it again. He leaned up and pressed the whiteboard against the window.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia frowned and looked through the binoculars, reading it after going in circles with her inability to have good aim. She saw his crotch and moved the view up to see the board. She laughed lightly and rolled her eyes, grabbing the pen from out of her mouth and writing quickly, after taking her hand and wiping it away

<i>I was thinking along the lines of Rear Window.</i> She held up the sign for a moment until she figured he read it, then pulled it down and wiped it clean again.

<i>Who does this? Write love letters to each other by window?</i>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe read it and shook his head. He erased his board and wrote quickly. He went back over it again, and than a third time to make sure it was blocked enough. He put the board up to the window.

Rear Window. Right, that's what I meant. He left it there for a moment until it appeared she had read what he had written and then he took it down and began to write again. He smiled, shaking his head at her last comment. His cat was watching interestedly, like it wanted a chance to write its own message to the woman. He put the board up to the window.

Love letters, these aren't, dear. But I saw the bird-watching book. I'm a bird now, am I?

[Tia Naffis]

Tia laughed, feeling stupid now for having stated love letter, she didn't even know what one looked like so how was she supposed to know? She sighed out and erased quickly, writing so fast that she just gave up on the block letters. She had good handwriting, it was big, bold, clear, if he couldn't read then tough! She sighed. Normally people would be exchanging numbers right? Yet, they decided to write. Fun!

<i>I didn't see what I got. I was wondering if you were staring at me. After today you made me nervous. Shows me that my instinct was correct.</i>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe chuckled a little bit, lowering his board. His cat meowed up at him, as if to ask him why he was writing notes to a stranger instead of paying attention to her. Absinthe looked at her for a moment before petting her back and turning his attention back to the whiteboard.

"I talk to you all the time, let me be," he muttered as he began to write on the board in blocky letters. He paused a moment, before erasing and writing a fraction smaller so he could fit more words in on the small board. He smiled to himself before putting the end of the pen in his mouth to hold it, and put the board up against the window.


So, not only am I your bird, but you think about me all the time...I'm flattered, Miss Tia.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia smiled at his response. He was too cute, too bad he would never know that she actually thought so. For a moment, as she erased her own words holding the pen in her mouth as he had before, she realized how infatuated she had been with him. She had been staring at him for almost two months, if not longer than that. She adored that man for everything he did, the way he moved, the way he dressed, the way he just was himself without ever having to think about what others wondered. She liked him and had only spoken to him twice, not counting this time.

<i>Please keep flattering yourself, instructor. Look where you are standing now.</i>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe smiled and leaned down to erase his words, when he heard a knock at the door. He cocked his head, wondering who would be at his house now. He scribbled quickly, and put the board against the window.

We'll continue, after a word from our sponsers.

Absinthe pulled his glasses off and got up off the couch, flipping on an extra light and heading down to the door. He opened it up to see his best friend standing there with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a smug expression on his face. Absinthe sneered his lip a little at the man, looking him up and down.

"What?" he asked. The older man grinned, and glanced up at Tia's apartment.

"I was driving by, and I couldn't help but notice the passing of notes above my head as I was stopped in this stop light. So I thought I ought to stop by, see how things are, make sure you aren't screwing her yet," the man said. Absinthe snorted.

"Yet, being the operative word here, Jonah," Absinthe said, holding up a finger. The other man laughed and leaned up. He patted Absinthe's chest and turned to head back out to his car which was still running on the side of the street. He watched Absinthe over his shoulder.

"Take it easy, Abbs, you remember how your last relationship ended. Don't bury yourself like you did that time...night," he called as he got back into his car. Absinthe stuck a tongue out and went back inside. He was so glad his friend had decided to dredge that memory up, the one memory of his life before Chicago that he had almost--almost--been able to forget.

Absinthe went back to the couch and flopped down, picking up the whiteboard and writing quickly. He turned and put it up against the window. He couldn't help but grin.

Best friend. He wanted to know if we'd had sex yet.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia frowned, waiting, watching him talk to someoen at the door. She had a mind to look through her binoculars but felt this was a visit not needing to be spied on, strange she suddenly had respect for the man's privacy. She couldn't help but grin. Tia watched the two converse then watched as it came to a close and the suddenly smug look on Absinthe's face. She frowned and picked up her binoculars, looking at him as he wrote, then to the words themselves.

She was shocked, unbelievably so. She was so shocked that she didn't know what to say. What kind of person would ask such a terrible question? Who? Why! Tia didn't know if it was just utterly humiliating or what, but when her eyes found the guy on the street coming from the apartment, her heart jumped and her binocular's fell to the floor. The man looked up at her and gave her a wink and a kiss. Before she knew it she stood back and closed teh curtains.

Tia bit her lower lip. What was that all about? Why would that man insinuate that they had done somehting. Was Absinthe talking about her? Was he telling his friends about her? Was he...oh dear god! She recalled the night when she was wandering around in her matching bra and panties with the cute little cartoons on them. Tia was ready to go jump off the highest building in Chicago.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe cocked his head, but didn't think on it long. Women were too touchy, she had probably been offended. He erased his board and tossed it in the floor. He yawned and looked down at his cat. Lollypop peered up at him sleepily. He nodded.

"Me too, Lollers," he said. He leaned down and gathered her up in his arms. He went through, and methodically flipped his lights off, followed by the TV. He gave Tia's curtained, but still lit window one last look before he went back to his bedroom. He got naked and crawled under the blankets after planting Lollypop at the foot of his bed. He flipped the light off in his bedroom and stared up at the cieling for a long time before he fell into a fitful night's sleep.

[Tia Naffis]

"I don't look different!" Tia yelled at Greta in her own defense of the older woman's insinutation that she had had a wild night. She had a night that was different, that was for certain, and this morning it seemed only to have gotten a bit worse. Having wondered what the man had been saying to his friends, she was almost angry, then she realized her decision to stop the conversation so abruptly made her feel stupid, like she was some virgin child who didn't know how to talk about sex.

She sighed out, maybe it had been the man. She had bad memories associated with kisses and longing glances, her father had given them to her too much when she was a child. She shivered and then jumped when seh felt Greta hit her, trying to force her into the conversation.

<i>"Long night, maybe, with Mr. Dumaux?"</i> Greta laughed. Oh how she would love that! <i>"I wonder who he lives near. Apparently he was smitten with some young lass who lived across from him, you heard him didn't you?"</i>

"Loud and clear." Tia stated as she walked around the shop, cleaning the small tables from customers. It had been a slow day and she was wishing for something exciting to happen, but she doubted it since today was a work day for most, plus Greta was annoying her with the way she was wearing her hair, like Absinthe had seen. She smiled as she turned her back to Greta, bending down to clean off some crumbs. So what if the man had said something about her hair, only to have her turn around and do it? She had a long restless night! She was allowed to wear her hair a little frizzed sometimes.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe wasn't himself today. He wasn't in good spirits, he didn't feel like doing anything, he wasn't even in the mood for chocolate. Hence, why he skipped the shop today. He just wanted to wallow in his depression. He had been popping pain pills like candy all morning, due to a headache that was threatening to keep him from any form of dance today.

Which would not make things any better.


He was in the mood to dance today. To start dancing and not stop until he passed out, or he got hungry. Which was why he was glad when his first class got here and he could start them on a little tango. Something fast and sexy, something he could move to. He had to help a boy get his posture right--he was an eighteen year old who was passionate about dance and Absinthe actually liked him.

Absinthe paired himself with the teenager, and demonstrated to the class how things were to move, how hips, legs, and arms should work together, how the lead should always lead, not lead sometimes and let the other one take over everytime else.

All-in-all, his first class went really well, and his second and third classes went alright, even though they weren't nearly as interesting. He decided to go out for dinner tonight, hitting up the local Burger King for a burger, fries, and a Coke, getting his energy back. He had not thought of Tia all day, and was trying his hardest to continue that trend, as he was feeling like just feeling sorry for himself today, instead of dwelling on that pretty woman across the street from him.

[Tia Naffis]

The day passed slowly, all the way until it was 9:30. Half past it's normal hour. She didn't know why, but as the day stretched on and the streets became darker, so did her spirits. By the time Greta had left at 8, like normal, Tia was loitering around the shop, cleaning up things that didn't even need to be cleaned. Forsome reason she felt like it had been her fault, like he hadn't come in today because of her.

She didn't say his name to anyone all day, she didn't even think it, but he was always there in the back of her mind, her brain slightly wanting to see him, so when he didn't show, she was automatically worried, sad that she hadn't felt that fear and butterflies. It was a pitiful thing to actually admit, so she was trying to not do so. Her mind was only being occuppied by the few chairs that were not pushed under the table. The lights were off in her shop, save one that was too dim to even be in use. It left the room in a very soft orange glow, depressing to Tia who sat at a table, holding a slightly damp rag in her hands, her eyes staring a hole in the black sheen table top. Tia needed to go home, needed to leave the shop, because it somehow reminded her of him.

She sighed out as she stood, pushing the chairs under the table, moving back behind the counter to toss her rag away as well as her black apron. She grabbed her keys and wandered over to the door, pushing the sign from the outside next to a table. She stepped outside in the cool air and sighed. How today bored her. How she longed for Absinthe's excitement.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe had put on music in his apartment. Had put on soft music, had moved his furniture out of the way--the few bits he had--to give him a wide open area for him to dance. There was nothing more theraputic than to dance a soft ballet to a soundtrack, or to something classical. Tonight he had chosen the most depressing music that still had substance that he could dance to.

He had changed into his black shirt, and tight dancing pants, donned his black ballet slippers, tied the black ribbon up his legs, and put on his black leg warmers to cover the ribbons up. He tied his hair back--even though some of the multi-colored layers slid out and into his face. He had lit only one small dim light in the corner, giving him some ambience. Something for him feel depressed in. He pushed the windows open just a little to let in cool air, turned his music on loud so he could drown out the noise of the city.

And then he began to dance.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia's mind was on him from the moment she left her small shop to the moment she turned the corner to her street, her mind so badly wanting to look up to his dance studio or to his apartment, but she didn't want to, she didn't want to feel that urge to look at him, or to feel his eyes on her, she just wanted to forget him for she had been bothering him long enough. She didn't know where he depressed mood came from tonight, but she was guessing it was because she felt like loathing herself, loathing everything she had ever done. He was too pretty for her, too smart, too...everything. It was almsot stupid for a moment she had begun to wonder what it felt like to dance with him, be near to him instead of just a glance away.

She pulled out her keys as she entered her apartment, ignoring everything and everyone despite how dangerous that could be for a young woman. She wandered to her apartment and walked in to find it dark, save the street lights that leaked into her small living room and kitchen. She locked the door and shed her clothes quickly, she wanted to just get rid of the smell of the shop, she just wanted to feel at home.

Tia washed her face and put on the most comfortable flannel pants she had followed by a white tank top. She was hungry, but knew it was too late to call Chinese, besides she was eating too much of it anyway. She sighed as she wandered into her kitchen, knowing she had at least some cheese and bread, she could have a sandwich. As she made it, she couldn't help but hear some noise, it was barely audible, but her heart skipped beats when she recognized it. She loked through her four paned window in the kitchen to across the street. She couldn't see much from that view, so she needed to fix it.

She grabbed her two slices of bread and one slice of cheese. She wandered to the living room window and slit her eyes, not taking the time to grab binoculars. She saw something jump, his lights were low right then and for a moment she wondered...she bit her sandwich and grabbed the binoculars and peered through the curtains. She stopped chewing when she realized what he was doing.

"Dancing." She said barely above a whisper. For the longest moment she stood there, watching him glide around his apartment like he could fly. He looked so beautiful, flawless, perfected in everyway. She smiled, softly, as she watched his jumps, twirls, and very emotional dance steps he took. She almost was moved to tears, but refrained from letting them go. She was too emotional as it was, she didn't need to do it in range of his face.

She put down her binoculars and wandered back to her room and slowly cracked open her window, letting in the cool air as well as the beautiful sound of his music. She ate her sandwich alone, as usual, listening to the somber melody of what poured out of his home and into hers, she laid down thinking of him, how beautiful he was. Tia wondered if there would ever be a time in her life where she would actually be able to tell him how much she liked him.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe became a different man when he danced. He became kind, big hearted, talented, good looking, talkative, expressive, someone people wanted to be with. He became courageous, confident, he became everything that he wasn't in normal life. He was no longer the eccentric man who owned the dance studio. The man who always kept to himself, who ate chocolates and talked to his cat. He was no longer the man who hadn't shopped for clothing in ten years, and wore jeans with patches, and jackets that were worn at the elbow.

When he danced, Absinthe felt like someone that might be able to earn a little respect. He became someone who had at one time danced on stage and recieved standing ovations. He was no longer that little boy who cowared in the corner while his father picked out a thin belt with which to beat him. He wasn't that teenager who laid in bed at night and listened while his mother was ravaged by one of the nameless, faceless men who were in and out of their house.

When he danced, Absinthe could be whoever Absinthe wanted. A servant in Uncle Tom's Cabin. Perhaps a Rat King from the Nutcracker. Absinthe didn't have to think about the pains of carrying on a so-called normal life. He didn't have to think about the mistakes he'd made in the past. He didn't have to wonder why his fiance had chosen to cheat with his then best friend.

If there was anything in the world that would be worth living for, should he ever be on the brink of death, dance would be what saved him.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia didn't drift to sleep at all that night, it didn't come easy for her, she heard that music and had repeatedly gotten up to see him. She would sit by her bedroom window, staring at his house like a little girl who sat in the back of the classroom swooning over their teacher. Tia saw Absinthe plain as day from her bedroom, so much so she didn't need her binoculars, plus she wasn't in the mood to really feel like a spy, this was just a long glance of admiration. Tia loved whatever he was doing, how he moved, how his face looked while dancing, it was all so poetic, and by the time she finally drifted off, all she saw was him.

The next morning she had gotten up early for no reason at all, just because she could. She looked out her window the moment she rolled out of bed, but he wasn't there. She knew he in bed. How long had he danced? Was it into the wee hours of the morning? Tia smiled, loving that thought. How romantic it was to have a neighbor dancing well into the night just by himself, to let off steam, to think, to...whatever.

Tia kept that romantic feeling inside of her all the way to the shop, even when she was making her morning round of chocolate. She barely said a word to Greta, for her mind was too preoccupied with Absinthe. She was making his favorite chocolate's today, she really didn't realize this until Greta pointed it out. They had a buttload of it, but she didn't care, she was all smiles and all happiness today. She figured if she made it fresh this morning, he would smell it, flock to her shop, buy a few pounds, go back to his home and love it. Feel the incredible love and desire she suddenly had for him that morning.

"Feel what I feel in my chocolat." She laughed lightly, talking to herself like she were burning a love letter. She felt silly, but she didn't care, she doubted anything would ruin her mood this morning.

<i>Tia! There is a man here to speak to you!</i>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe had danced until two o'clock, unable to tear himself away from the feeling it gave him. As he had fallen into a peaceful sleep, he had dreaded going back to being Absinthe Dumaux the next day.

Yet, when he awoke, he did so in a happy fashion. He actually bounced this morning, feeling rejuvinated, feeling like he was ready to take on the world again. He dressed like he felt. In a red hooded sweater--it was actually a sweater he had bought in the women's section of some store--a pair of khaki bootcut pants, tennis shoes, and a ski hat, with the flaps that went over his ears.

He headed out to go to the shop and fill up on chocolate. He was ready for his chocolate. He had been out and hadn't had any the day before--he was ready to blame that for his foul mood. But he thought if he just refilled he would be fine. He had grabbed his satchel, and put it across his chest before he left so he'd have somewhere to put his chocolate.

When he arrived at the shop, he did so with a smile, and he entered with a fond smile around at the things in the shop.

[Tia Naffis]

"Get out, get out of my shop!" Tia said in the most angered tone she could, pushing the man in the business suit out of the back of her store. Her accent was a lot thicker when she was angry, when she was ready to kill everyone in the world. Suddenly her happiness fled, it was full of anger, so much anger she could have cried, but agian she refrained. Luckily, there hadn't been anyone in her shop at that moment to see her being so hateful to the man. She opened the shop's door and pointed at the street.

"Out. Don't ever come back into his shop." The man threatened her, threatened the old woman behind the counter, but Tia remained firm. "I will call the police. You do not have any right to come in here and act like you own me!" She saw Absinthe turning the corner and suddenly she felt panicked. She didn't want to see her mad, or upset, but this was too much. Her life had been torn to pieces by opening up her chocolate store, it was her dream, her dream that left her without her friends or her family! So why would she sacrifice it all for nothing?

"Leave me alone. Do not come back." She turned back into her shop and walked into the kitchen, wiping the moistness under eyes, trying to look good, decent, like she had been chipper all day. She sighed out, hearing Greta say good morning to Absinthe. Her heart skipped beats and she smiled, trying to be happy, trying to act like today was not the worst day of her life. She forced herself to remember the dancing he did, the beautiful man, immediately her heart melted. She grabbed the tray of his favorites and placed them into a small box, just for him, a fanciful golden box with a ribbon.

Tia turned and walked out into the shop and waited for him to place his order.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe heard the very tale end of the fighting, but he didn't think anything of it. Probably an old boyfriend or something, after all, she was pretty girl, any guy in his right mind would come and try to get her back. He went over to the counter where Greta was and placed his usual order, leaning his hip on the counter and waiting. He observed the other chocolates and decided to be adventurous.

He asked for a few peiced of the white chocolate drops, and glanced over at where Tia was. He smiled at Greta and sneaked up behind where Tia was standing in the shop. He reached around her head and covered her eyes with his hands. He put his mouth next to her ear and laughed.

"Guess who!" but he didn't let her guess. Instead, he walked around her to face her and leaned on the wall, smiling at her. "Did I embarrass you the other night?"

[Tia Naffis]

Tia gasped, almost had the mind to turn around and sock someone in the face, but the voice sent chills of excitement down her spine to where she could do nothing but melt like butter on a hot muffin. She smiled as she felt his warm breath tingle her neck, this was close, too close in fact, and her face grew red.

"No. Your friend." She said rolling her shoulder, trying to stop the tingling in her spine. She smiled at Absinthe, oh he looked more beautiful than he had the other night. She almost, almost, said it out loud, but was able to keep her mouth from stating the obvious. He did get more attractive the longer she looked.

"Getting something else?" She asked, almost worried that her early shift and hard work to make them as perfect as ever would be put to waste. "I made a fresh batch of what you like." She smiled, her dimples showing the true cuteness she could pull off. <I>I made them, Absinthe, just for you.</i>

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe smiled and chuckled, looking over to where his chocolates were being wrapped. He gave a little shrug.

"I'm only getting a few new peices. The rest are the same," he said. He wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm a creature of habit after all..." he said. He glanced over when Greta called to him, telling him it was all wrapped and ready. He looked back at Tia and winked. "Take it easy."

He walked back over to where Greta was standing, exchanged a few words with her, and then put his chocolates in his satchel. He smiled back at them as he left. He liked talking to Tia, she was shy, he could easily tell that. But she was adorable, so he wondered why she was so shy. She was quite talented at what she did, so he didn't figure she ought to be ashamed of that.

Anyway, she was a mystery to him. So quiet and meek, he wanted to know what had made her that way. For her bright, sunny face, and sweet smile told him she would have been an outgoing, fun-loving person, if something in her environment hadn't taught her to be meek. He ought to know, before his father started beating him, he'd been a pretty normal kid, loud and happy all the time.

Tia Naffis was Absinthe's new mystery. He couldn't wait to crack it.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia stood there grinning like an idiot, watching him leave, standing, doing nothing, just...standing! Greta, luckily, was able to catch her in doing so and smacking her with her rag that she always kept on her shoulder, Tia sometimes wondered if it was just for hitting her to gather up her attention for she had her moments of trailing. Like now.

"Oh you!" Tia jumped and looked over at Greta, who held her towel in her hands, tilting her head and giving her a sheepish smile. Tia nervously laughed, that look had not been very good.

"What?" Tia asked feeling like she was on the spot, except she didn't know what for. Greta laughed and scooted to her side, leaning on the counter.

"Don't play dumb, Tia Naffis! You and the good ol' Absinthe have a little...oh what do you kids call it somethin', somethin' going on!" Tia let out a loud, nervous laugh.

"What?" She said trying to busy herself suddenly, sadly Greta pursued the conversation. When Tia got extremely nervous, she'd fumble, quiver, and say things that only lead straight to the truth.

"Tell me! Don't hold back on Granny! I used to be young, too! So...is he good? Oh Tia, I never would have pegged you to drop your drawers!" Tia gasped and looked over at Greta, but her shock only turned to laughter. She didn't know why, but she found that quite funny to the point where she didn't deny or confirm such a proposterous idea. Tia, dropping her drawers! If there was one person on earth who would die a virgin, it would be her.

"Greta, you have too much time on your hands!"

"I beg to differ!" She said, almost in a tone that sounded offended, but Greta never got offended. "Staring at strangers across the street from you with your binocular's hardly is a time consuming thing!" Tia gasped, looking over at the woman, her face a ghastly red.

"What?"

"I have my sources!" The woman said with a smirk. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with us." Tia let out a sigh, this was getting ridiculous, pretty soon the entire city of Chicago would know she spies on her neighbors, preferably a fashionably, unfashionable, two toned hair, dance instructor. Tia frowned and looked over into the kitchen.

"Dang." She said stomping her foot. Her pretty packaged candies she had wrapped specifically for Absinthe having been forgotten. Perhaps...maybe she could take it to his place of employment?

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe left his things on the table in his dance studio, as he changed in the back. His class was already arriving and he was a little late. He smiled as he came out of the dressing room, seeing his students doing their routine stretching. He waved his hands to signal they stop. He shook his head a little, and the began counting people out. There was an odd number not including him, she he would have to participate. He smiled.

"Arlight guys, choose a partner, were doing ballroom dancing today," he said. He watched as people made small talk while they asked if they could pair up. Absinthe went over and stood by the passionate eighteen year old boy as he waited for everyone else to finish. He nodded, motioning to the boy to move out into the floor.

"Assuming the positions, dears. Leads, hand on the waist. If you find the hip bone and move directly around your hand will be in the right spots," he explained demonstrating on his partner. He watched everyone more or less get it right. He nodded. "Good. The lead needs to cup the other hand..." he paused, watching a young woman near the back fumbling around. Absinthe patted his partner on the back. He motioned to the woman.

"Come up here, dear, let me help..." he looked at the boy. "Go back there and be gay with her partner, I know you know how it's done," he said with a smile and wink. The boy obeyed, and went back to pair with the woman's partner. Absinthe faced the woman. "Like this..." he said. He pressed to fingers against her right hipbone, sliding his hand around to rest in the small of her back. He twisted his hand around to cup her other hand inside his own.

"Do you see?" he asked. She nodded sheepishly. He smiled, leaning back slightly to the table with the stereo and turning on the music. "Excellent. Now, leads, right foot first...and begin."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia smiled amongst herself as she walked to her home, well to Absinthe's dance studio, to take him the complimentary chocolate's that she had secretly made for him with love. Her face flushed as she thought of that word mixed with Absinthe's face. She didn't know what love was so she didn't really comprehend that word, but from what she had read it was apparently the feeling of butterflies and nausea in the stomach and body. Which, she had a lot of at that moment considering she stepped into the dance studio she was suddenly out of place amongst the beautiful dancers sweeping the floor, but immediately her eyes found the most gorgeous of them all.

"Absinthe." She said to herself, with a smirk and a burn of her face. He was more beautiful in person while he danced than he was from her window. The more she thought about him, the more nervous she felt, the more pain she got in her stomach, the more she yearned for him at night when she slept. Of course, she'd never admit this to anyone, ever. She was infatuated with him to the point that went past admiration, now she just wanted him. Tia couldn't believe she herself was thinking this, but she was. Absinthe Dumaux was something she yearned to have, but never could touch, which was why she was so comfortable being the one to love from afar. Which, at this moment in time as she watched him dance with his students, teaching, helping, fixing...Tia loved him.

She bit her lower lip as she leaned on the wall, holding the golden box in her arms as if to protect them as she surveyed the scene in front of her, watching Absinthe do what he did best, dance.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe hummed along with the music from his iPod. He watched the young girl as she watched her feet. He moved his hand from her waist to put his pointer finger under her chin. He smiled a little as he tilted her head up until their eyes met. He smiled warmly down at her.

"Look at me, dear, not the floor..." he said quietly. The girl's cheeks reddened a little bit as he replaced his hand in the small of her back.

"I don't want to tread on your feet..." she said quietly. He shook his head and grinned.

"My toes are fine, you aren't nearly heavy enough to hurt me," he assured her. He didn't notice he had a visitor until a moment later when he dipped the woman gracefully and glanced up to see Tia from the chocolate shop standing against the wall, like a wallflower. He watched her for two heartbeats, before bringing up the woman and continuing on his merry way with her. He didn't think about why she was here, he figured he must have left something at the shop or some such nonsense. He was just that absentminded.

[Tia Naffis]

Tia was fascinated with what he did, and when he looked up at her with a wrinkled forehead, brown eyes staring at her as if he could see right through her, she straightened her back as she saw him, discomfort causing her to squirm. She swallowed as he went back to doing his dancing, swaying, and his wonderful enthusiasm as he danced with and around people.

Tia immediately had to think of what to say to him. She couldn't just come right out and tell him she made the chocolates for him, specificially as well, but what else could she say? She didn't want to lie to him and she definitely didn't want him to think of her as a foolish girl with a ridiculous crush, no matter how true that tid bit was. The music stopped after a few more minutes and she looked around at everyone, some people finally recognizing she was there, some gave her smiles, others gave her looks as if she were in their personal space. She bit her lower lip as she looked over at Absinthe through the massive sea of people, no matter how much she liked him from afar, she had to admit that being this close to him and within his proximity was rather stimulating, but how her stomach cramped and her heart fluttered.

What was Absinthe doing to her? Was he even doing anything? Tia sighed out silently, looking at the people wandering around in the bright studio. She felt so out of place, like everyone knew that she had two left feet and as much rhythm as a broomstick. If she were to ever have a moment to dance with Absinthe, she would go ahead and commit suicide for it would be more humiliating than wandering around in children's underwear.

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe smiled at the woman as they parted. He watched as everyone got their towels and their things and drank water and chatted. His eighteen year old student came over and asked about extra private classes due to his want to go into dance in college. After a few moments, Absinthe bid them farewell, and watched as everyone wandered outside onto the street, or to their various vehicles.

For a long moment Absinthe looked outside longingly like he really wanted to be out there, but he really didn't. After the moment, he walked over to the table where he had left all of things. He dug through his things to find his pack of cigarettes and lighter. He tossed them on the table, ignoring Tia for awhile before he pulled his hair down out of his ponytail and tossing the tie on the table.

After a few long moments of silence, he glanced up and laughed.

"Hello, Tia Naffis," he said huskily. '"What can I do for you?"

[Tia Naffis]

Tia suddenly perked up from her slouching position on the wall, she suddenly pressed her back firmly against it as if she wanted to be away from this man, although she desperately longed to do the opposite. She gave him a pitiful grin as she lowered her head in shyness, then glancing at the box in her arms. She looked up at him and smiled, barely, and handed the box to him with both hands.

"This is for you." She said lowly, her French accent becoming thicker than usual due to her nervousness. She was alone with him, face-to-face, in person. She could smell him, both his cologne mixed with sweat, it was sweet and salty almost, she liked it immediately. She felt her face grow red and immediately anyone would know she was thinking something unnatural. She watched him take it and she clasped her hands together in front of her as if to protect herself.

"I made them this morning, fresh, with you in mind." No need to lie, she figured as she spoke. "I wondered if you were coming in this morning, and you did and Greta didn't kmow about my...candies." She swallowed feeling a little weird for suddenly being so open to him. "I don't have anywhere to put them, nor keep them, I wanted to just give them to you. Free of charge." Tia clenched her jaw hoping it wouldn't be too weird to make chocolate's for a man she didn't know might come in or not, she had just had that feeling.

"I hope you enjoy them."

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe took them and looked down at them for a long moment while she spoke. He was a little surprised that she had brought them down, but thankful nonetheless. He looked back up at her and smiled.

"Love, I never turn away chocolate," he said, turning and putting them on the table, he turned around and smiled, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning his hip on the table. His iPod began to play another slow song as he watched her, smiling like an idiot.

"Thanks, Tia."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia smiled, like an idiot more than likely, she looked away from him as she bit her lower lip to grin. Why such a simple thanks made her feel like she had just been called the most gorgeous woman on earth. She slowly moved her eyes back to Absinteh and nodded twice.

"You are always welcome, Absinthe." She felt sheepish, stupid, girly, and just plain weird. How incredibly shy she got while being near him. She thought itwas bad just at the shop, but without a counter to separate them...she felt almost naked like her nerves were left exposed. She let her lip out between her teeth, glancing at the iPod stereo, nodding to the song.

"Your dancing is...magnificent." She smiled, well duh! He was an instructor of course his dancing would be wonderful, flawless, perfect, gracious, everything she probably wasn't. "I comend you on your capabilities, Absinthe." She smiled. "I could never dance like that. Matter of fact, I cannot dance at all."

[Absinthe Dumaux]

Absinthe laughed a little at her awkwardness. She was just so weird, but it was alright because he understood that feeling of awkwardness that came with talking to someone you didn't talk to all that often. He watched her talk about how she couldn't dance, and his eyebrows elevated. He reached over and turned up the music.

In one fluid motion, his hand had slipped around to the small of her back, and his hand had grasped her other, and he had nudged her into a twirl as his feet took up the right position, stepping between her feet.

"Anyone can dance, Tia..." he said, looking down at her. "You just have to find the right time."

[Tia Naffis]

Tia, almost the moment he touched her, felt like her body was on fire and that she was going to die by spontaneous combustion. Not only was she so close she could feel his breath on her face, but she was so closed to his face that she was almost blinded by his beauty. Also, to take the metaphorical cake, she was pushed up against his body and having him touch her in a very intimate way, a way she had never been touched no matter how professional it might have been.

"Oh, no, I can't." She tried to squirm out of his touch, but for some reason the more she tried to get free, the harder his grip became. "I am not good at dance." She let out a nervous laugh, trying to back out of his arms butt first, but it wasn't working out for her. "I am terrible, Absinthe, really!" But the more she seemed to want to get free, the more her body wanted to respond to his touch, but still...no matter what her brain wanted, her body rejected.