He was seated on the branch of a tree when dawn approached. He was deeply shadowed by the thick boughs, but still, he could feel the horrible weight on his body as the sunlight set the world around him into a bright, happy, enlivening glow. The glow was not so happy to his perspective. he saw the creeping, growing light as a wildfire that threatened to scrub his cursed life from the face of the earth. He heard when she began to move around the house, the sounds of water in pipes, and the soft footfalls that told him she was wearing shoes. She would come out soon, he knew. It was early. Too early for him to be arriving yet.<br/><br/>Somehow, he still ached to go to her. He wanted to spend every minute he could in her presence. When she came out onto the porch, he was able to clearly make her out through the trees. He'd chosen this spot for that reason. It gave him a clear vantage of her porch and yard. He would know if anyone approached her. All of his reasoning and cool logic, however, faded away at the sight of her. Even after so many years, he was still unaccustomed to the sight of so little clothing on a woman. Her back was almost bare but for the two ties, one at the small of her back, the other at the nape of her neck. The jeans were low, hugging tightly to her frame. His attention was riveted. He could only stare at her. She settled in comfortably on the porch, clearly waiting for him, and yet he could only stare.<br/><br/>Finally, he managed to master his control. He gulped down the last of his rising need, mastering his command over himself. He hopped lightly down from the tree and moved off through the trees toward the sidewalk, out of her sight so that he could approach as she expected him to. When he set his feet on the sidewalk, he set his pace back roughly in the same direction he'd come from, following the path to her house.<br/><br/>He was expecting it this time, so the sight of her so excrutiatingly beautiful in her relaxed posture on the porch, attention riveted on her artwork, did not shatter his control. He couldn't help but increase his pace, however. Hopping up the porch to smile warmly at her.<br/><br/>"Morning... I hope you were not waiting long." He was dressed differently, as he'd rushed home to the boarding house briefly. It would alert her if he was still wearing the same clothing. Today, he wore a light cotton shirt that buttoned up the front. He'd left the top two buttons open, adding a casual air to the business shirt. His slacks were black, reaching down to a pair of soft, slightly worn leather shoes. His hair was a little long for the current trend, long enough to hang in his eyes as he smiled down at her.