[Marginus]

In a previous apartment, I had a clear view into numerous apartments across from my kitchen window. The distance was about 20 m (20 yards) which was too close for my taste, since I value privacy. But if you get a flat in a city where most landlords have 10+ years of waiting lists (probably more like 20 years...), you can't be too choosy.

Right across from me and one floor down, there was this woman about 40 years old, who rarely bothered with putting on a bathrobe. I could see her moving around naked in her flat several times a week. This wasn't during a short period, but for the better part of a decade. I could probably have seen her almost every day if I had checked at regular times, but I didn't bother.

The reason I didn't is the boner downer of the story: her shape. She had the body positive look, i.e. what we used to call obese. I love a nice hour glass shape but this neighbour was shaped like Jabba the Hut and was roughly the same size. I know that "plus size" is a turn-on for some people and I don't judge that, as we all have different tastes, but obesity is a turn-off for me. Also, her body language was a turn-off with sluggishness and inertia, showing that this was a very low energy person.

If I needed to get out of bed to go to the bathroom in the night, I never turned on the lights so I didn't need to cover up. I just stayed naked. The bathroom was beyond the kitchen and on some occasions on my way there, I saw the large woman sitting and smoking naked by her window. Her lights were out too, but everything close to a window was dimly lit by the lights of the city. On one such occasion I went over to the kitchen window, where the outside light bled in, and looked at her for a short while because I was curious to see if she'd notice and what her reaction would be. She seemed not to notice.

A while later, must have been several months, I saw her again in the night, having a smoke naked. I poured myself a glass of water and started sipping it standing by the kitchen window while looking at her. This time, she turned her head slightly and looked at me. There was no reaction in her face. No surprise at seeing a naked guy looking her way, no angry look, no smile. Nothing. Only an expressionless look. I kept on sipping my glass and looking her way. She kept on smoking her cigarette and looking my way. It was so neutral that it was almost as if we were both just looking at the horizon.

I didn't note the time, but she finished her cigarette before I went back to bed, so we must have been looking at each other naked for a full 5 minutes.

It was strange. Not awkward-strange, but "what the hell kind of situation is this"-strange. It would have been awkward if I was clothed and she wasn't. It would have been awkward if she was clothed and I wasn't. But none of us were clothed and it wasn't awkward, but it was strange.

That's it for the unattractive neighbour. I have an older memory of an attractive one, which I'm saving for later.