Renton shifted uncomfortably in the tree. He hadn’t been looking forward to this one, but it wasn’t like he could object. Henry wasn’t exactly running a fucking democracy. And it was somewhat of a compliment to be given the day shift; although, his only competition for the assignment had been Jeremy, but even so, they were the only two Henry trusted when it came to Maya.

The first few days had been the easiest. She had stayed with another girl in an apartment downtown. He sat in the caf?cross the street, drinking cup after cup of black coffee, and kept a laptop open in front of him, typing sporadically to give the impression that he was working. It was decent; no one bothered him, and since there were always eight or nine others doing the same thing, no one was suspicious. He sat by the window and waited for her to leave. Since she had just run away, she was overly paranoid and so she cloistered herself away in the one bedroom postage stamp. He often saw her leaning out of the window to have a cigarette. Her arm looked like a disembodied swan’s neck.

It was a cushy few weeks, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Eventually she moved in with her brother Warren, that jealous piece of shit. Renton always got the feeling that he dug Maya a little too much, was too protective of her and too overbearing. He sensed something almost incestuous there, and he didn’t like it. He wouldn’t be surprised if Warren had tried some shit with her. But there was more to his reluctance, something he would never tell Henry or Jeremy. Warren was fucking huge. Renton wasn’t sure if he could take him. The last thing he wanted was to be spotted lurking around the dude’s house, even if worst came to worse, he was pretty certain he could outrun him. And the goddamn dog. It was almost a deal-breaker when Renton first saw it, but it turned out the thing was on its last legs, half-blind and completely deaf.

But despite the awkwardness of perching in the tree and the underlying threat of a vicious beating, he loved the fact that he was able to see almost everything she did, and it was ironically more intimate than when she’d been living with them. In the morning she made breakfast for Warren and saw him off to work. He’d lean over and kiss her forehead before leaving. Then she sat on the back porch with her coffee and a cigarette. He watched her closely, as if seeing her for the first time. She wasn’t any different than she’d ever been; a part of him had wondered how her newly found freedom would affect her, but everything seemed the same. The sunlight glinted off her golden hair, a messy and ethereal waterfall.

She spent her time as she always had—reading, taking baths, cooking. But his new perspective allowed him to see her in a different light. He smiled at how severely she contorted her body while she lounged on the couch. She started simply sitting with her legs curled underneath her, then she’d sprawl out on her back, extend a leg or two straight up in the air, and somehow after a few hours she’d be completely upside down, her head resting on the carpet, knees bent and feet flat against the wall. And he knew she liked to take a long bath every day, but he never realized the inordinate amount of bubbles that she used. He assumed she read while she was in there, but in actuality she would… play. She dug tunnels through the bubbles or colored on the tile with fat, washable markers.

She was so uninhibited the minute she was alone. Renton had never seen her like that. When she was done bathing, she’d rinse off without closing the shower curtain; he loved that. It was his favorite part of the day. Henry would explode if he knew Renton had that perfect view, right through the gap between the curtain and the right side of the window, but he didn’t plan on telling him. The water splashed against her honey skin.

For three months he sat in the tree on the east side of the house, with a perfect view to her bedroom and the bathroom. Watching her had become more than a job, it had become his own private fantasy. Warren lived deep in the woods in a secluded house, and he worked a lot, so Renton had her all to himself during the day. Jeremy took the night shift and all he had to do was park down the road and wait to see if anyone came or went. He said sometimes he’d sneak down to the house just to see what they were up to, but it would only be the two of them, watching TV or talking. Renton was glad he didn’t have to see that.