Tap, tap, tap.

“Please let me in, I won’t do it again. I promise.”

Rowan lifted her eyes from her paperback book and peered across the room. She had finally began to fully immerse in a novel she had been trying to read for months when she heard the knock on the window.

“Please let me in, I’ll be quiet. You won’t hear a peep out of me!”

She had heard that before, she always fell for it. Promises of having a quiet evening were replaced with lying awake at night, waiting for her uninvited guest to leave. She was reading after all, now was not the time. With an exasperated sigh, she arose from her bed and unlocked the nearby window.

“See, I’ll just sit here quietly.” The room was peaceful. Maybe this time will be different, Rowan thought to herself. After a few short moments, the silence was disrupted. “Now, I don’t want to worry you, but did you notice that Carol only nodded her head and did not actually say you did a good job. I thought I would let you know. If you were to ask me, I would say she does not like you. Could you blame her? Are you really good at anything? Sorry, I will not say anything more. No, ma’am, not one more sound.” She tried to concentrate harder. “Wait! Did you see that? I think I just saw someone walk past your window. It was probably nothing. It could have only been a cat, but you should really be concerned. There is still that possibility that it could be nothing, but you don’t know for sure. It may be a mugger or a rapist. What if they come in? You should check if you locked it.”

She slammed her book shut and massaged her temples. “Fucking anxiety” she sighed, exasperated, as she proceed to entertain her intrusive company.