It was after the office building on the opposite side of my street had been renovated. The street is a very small and narrow one, so it's easy to see what's going on behind the windows. I've spent lots of hours in the evenings sitting in my little flat, studying economy hour after hour and the best evenings have been when they've been working late on getting that building ready in time. I've really appreciated taking a break from my books every and now and then to see what's going on. I've been able to follow the progres in detail; from the first inner walls to the wall papers and the furniture.
The offices renting the new, fresh premises started to move in and, to my surprise, I soon understood the room behind the two windows exactly opposite the street from my window was a smoker's room. That house that had meant such a splendid relaxation for my brain had now turned into something that I feared would ruin my university studies! As I mentioned, I'm mostly studying in the evenings. This means it's dark outside, at least this time of the year, which means that one, two, three, four or even sometimes five women sitting smoking in a room with the light turned on only about ten to twelve metres from me are like if it was a TV. It's no way I can make my eyes look in any other direction. And what a show. Fortunately, at about seven o'clock they leave office... I realized that it's actually sufficient if I start studying AFTER seven o'clock, so OK then.

Week after week, the same procedure. I came home, sat down behind my desk behind the window. Always the same five women, the youngest one probably about 25 years, the oldest one over 50 I guessed, sitting there for about five minutes. Exactly how many of them who would be there when I came home, about six o'clock PM, and which of them was unpredictable, which made it even better, because the scene was varying from day to day. It happened the someone of them had a look out through the window and our eyes met. The older ones didn't seem to bother or so, but that youngest one, a blonde by the way, used to keep her eyes on me for a short while.

After about two and a half month, I was working with a kind of "lab" on my PC, I think it was around half past eight in the evening. I had to think and stared out through my window. The lights were turned off, except for in one window at the floor below the one opposite to mine.
Suddenly, I noticed a small, orange light in that smoker's room, then it was gone again. I must have dreamt, I thought. After a minute, I had a look again. Yes, there IS someone there, smoking! Now I could see the shape of a body, probably a quite tall person. Yes, if I looked carefully, I could see the smoke from the exhale, too. Suddenly, the light from the corridor in the house came into the smoker's room because the person had opened the door to leave, and, yes, now I could catch the sight of her. Because even if I only saw the person for a second or maybe two, there was no doubt - a tall woman with long, dark blonde hair. I was quite sure I had never seen her before; must be employed quite recently, I assumed.

Since I knew she wasn't there, in that room, anymore, I got back to my PC and worked for a couple of minutes when something crossed my mind. That room with the lights turned on, one floor below - perhaps it's hers? I HAD to try to find out so I stood up and looked down. There she was. Beautiful, long face with a long, curved nose and big blue eyes. Age probably 30-35. She was wearing a black and low-cut dress. I could see a pack of red Marlboros just beside her mouse pad. Wait a second... Quickly, I turned off the lights to see better. She was working with her PC, apparently.
I now realized my desk was making my "studying" uncomfortable, so I quickly moved it away a little so I could stand between it and the window, or even, sit on it while looking out. Mmmmm... She started to cough. Of course, I couldn't hear anything, but I could see how she hacked a few times. Then, after a few seconds, some new hacks and she cupped a long hand with some rings on the fingers over her mouth and I could see her frown a little while coughing. I just stared and stared, I must have looked like an owl in the dark...
After about half a minute, a new and a bit more intense coughing fit. She didn't stop using her mouse and her keyboard, so she coughed right out and I studied how her mouth moved, how her face expression changed from moment to moment, and I tried to imagine the sound. Suddenly, her coughing fit ended by her coughing so hard so she bent her body slightly forward. She moved her mouse hand to her chest and massaged it slightly with her finger tips only. She massaged and massaged and... and... took a cigarette from her pack, grabbed a lighter and left her place. I understood she would soon appear in that window right opposite! I quickly moved away from my place in the middle of the window since she could easily see me despite the fact that I had turned off the lights. This time she turned on the lights in the smoker's room, which gave me a great opportunity to study her carefully. She lit up and took a cheek-hollowing, long drag. I could see how she kept the smoke in her mouth for a few seconds before inhaling. Just as I had started to imagine all the smoke inside that chest (which was partly visible thanks to her dress), she blew out a tight stream through her mouth, soon followed by a second, a bit "looser" one. She was moving the cigarette to her lips when she started to cough again. She inhaled deeply and coughed with three hacks. It was fantastic, how well I could learn to know her coughing without the sound!
A new, long drag followed by a real inhale and two mouth exhaled streams. Then she looked out through the window, first at the floor above mine, then at my neighbour's window, and finally at mine. She turned to the side to flick some ash of her cigarette when I saw how she started to hack a little again, before inhaling deeply and coughing once, right out.

She smoked the rest of her cigarette without any special tricks or variations, but it was good enough as it was. "Cough, please cough again... please...", I moaned, but she turned off the lights without coughing and I got back to my place just behind the window. I felt so disappointed when I soon saw her start to collect her lighter, her pack of cigarettes, some pens and other stuff to put it in her purse. Then, she bent forward over her desk and dialed some number on her phone, without picking up the receiver. I assume she just made some coding on the phone, like diverting it to a mobile phone or something. She looked fantastic, leaning over her desk like that. Just as she looked like she was ready to leave, I saw her start to cough. This time it was much more intense than what I had seen before; she soon stood on the floor but with her elbows on the table and both hands cupped on each other over her mouth. She coughed and coughed for about 15 seconds. She then released one of the hands at the same time as she started to hack again. She straightened herself up and turned towards her window. The tips of the long fingers of her right hand was massaging her chest while the left hand's palm and fingers received her cough. I hoped that palm considered itself privileged... not to mention those finger tips...