The Things She Liked (Short Fiction)

She liked shades, not blinds. Not curtains. She didn’t want the temptation of sheers or their provocative swishing. She craved the simplicity that pull-down shades provided. Not simplicity, really, so much as their polarity. The neighborhood was either on or off with shades. Not those half-turns or incremental shifting that provoked voyeurism. Too many thrillers started off with creeps at windows. Shades though. No one would ever accuse her of lurking. They knew when she was available for a friendly chat. You can still be neighborly with boundaries, after all.