She has a couple of complications.

Gina moved slowly down the final ladder toward the first floor, muscles tensed with every step. Her breath fogged faintly in the air, and her fingers were beginning to go numb from the chill of the metal. One level more. Just one.

Then she froze.

The moment her feet touched the lowest landing, she realized something was wrong. The soft sounds of the night were interrupted by something much closer—a voice.

And a window was open.

Just a few feet away, wide open to the breeze, sat a glowing window on the first floor. The frame was pushed up halfway, and the sheer curtain swayed gently with the evening wind.

Her heart nearly jumped out of her throat.

Gina went flat against the brick wall, her bare skin scraping slightly against its rough surface. The chill of it made her hiss through her teeth, but she didn’t move. Every curve and line of her body felt agonizingly exposed against the cold brick as she flattened her arms across her body as best she could, one drawn in tight across her front, the other guarding what little modesty she had left. Every muscle tensed as she tried to become part of the wall, part of the shadow, anything but a person caught naked just outside someone’s window.

She didn’t dare breathe.

Soft footsteps padded across hardwood floors inside, drawing closer. She heard the gentle clink of ceramic or metal, and then a faint hum—someone was coming to the window.

Please don’t look out. Please don’t look out…

-

Gina flattened herself even more against the cold brick wall, pushing her body into the cracks between the stone and the fire escape, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. Her bare skin tingled from the chill of the night air, and the rough texture of the wall seemed to press into every nerve. Her breath came slow and steady, though her heart still raced. Every little creak of the fire escape seemed like an alarm in her ears, and she did her best to keep still, almost holding her breath as she peered over her shoulder.

Susan stepped into view, humming a gentle tune as she moved to her windowsill. Her watering can gleamed in the dim light, the metallic spout tipped and releasing a steady stream of water onto the plants below. The splashing sound was faint at first, but it had a strange effect on Gina. It was soothing, like a soft lullaby, and yet, somehow, the rhythm of the splashing began to gnaw at her focus.

Gina’s eyes widened for a moment as a sudden flash of memory struck her. She had drunk two beers earlier during supper, a casual choice, nothing too heavy, but it was enough. Afterward, she’d had a couple of bottles of water, refreshing, but now it was all catching up with her.

She realized, with a vague sense of dread, that she hadn't gone to the bathroom since before supper. The memory of those drinks was like an anchor sinking in her stomach, the **** and water mixing together and steadily making their presence known. She hadn’t noticed it before, distracted by her **** need to get out of the building, but now, with the sound of water falling on the plants, it became undeniable.

A faint, quiet tug at her bladder. Nothing sharp, nothing urgent yet. But the mild discomfort was there—just enough for her to notice. Subtly, she pressed the heel of her modesty-cupped hand tighter against her lower belly, trying to placate the urge. It was the kind of feeling that could easily be ignored, the kind that would’ve slipped away if she wasn’t so focused on staying hidden.

But then the breeze brushed against her exposed skin, and the sensation seemed to double. Gina shivered involuntarily, her body trembling slightly from the cold, and that only made the need to pee creep forward, becoming an unwelcome companion.

The trickling sound of the water continued, soft but steady, and the image of Susan standing there, casually watering her plants, made Gina's stomach twist. The cold air on her skin and the feeling of her bare feet against the fire escape made it all the more real—the need was still mild, but it was persistent. Like a small weight, tugging at her.

“Of all the times…” she whispered to herself, clenching slightly, but it was still bearable. Barely.

She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to focus. No time to worry about that now. She could hold it, right? She had to. The night was still far from over, and she couldn’t let this minor inconvenience make her slip up.

Note: This chapter was originally composed with the help of ChatGPT, and then edited with the help of Gemini.