I continue across the courtyard and up the stairs, arriving at my place.
Claire follows along, her brown hair swishing behind her with each step.
I unlock my door but only open it enough to toss my backpack inside before shutting it again. Once I’m baggage free, I grab her hand and take her down the hall.
She lets me guide her but says, “Is this where you lead me to my untimely death?”
“You know me too well.” I wink at her and keep going past all of the units on this side of the building until we reach a door she’s probably never noticed.
We go through it and climb the dimly lit stairs to reach another entryway.
I push it and fresh air comes whooshing in.
She grips my hand tighter. “Is this the rooftop access?”
I reassuringly squeeze her back. “You’ll see.”
The moon casts a golden glow against the night sky, and from up here, the stars are decently visible.
I turn to her. “Do you trust me?”
Without hesitating, she nods, a mixture of fear and excitement dancing across her delicate features.
I walk her to the edge of the building, where another roof is just a few feet away. I leave her there for a second and rush over to grab what we need. I come back with a thick plank of wood, long enough to lay across the two buildings.
“You’re not serious?” Her eyes go wide.
I grin. “Deadly.” I place it in the same spot I’ve done numerous times in the past. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
And for whatever reason, she decides to believe me.
“I’ll go first.” I make quick work of crossing over, wanting to show her how simple it is despite seeming super dangerous. I hold out my hand and wait for her to follow.
She adjusts the hem of her jean shorts while peering over the edge. “You’ve done this before?”
“Yep. You got this.” For a second, I doubt whether or not she’s going to take the leap of faith, but my suspicions are quickly erased when the fierce version of Claire shines through.
She steps onto the board and wastes no time meeting me on the other side.
I grab onto her waist to steady her when she jumps off. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I stare into her eyes, and although it’s dark out, the intense blue melts right through me.
She swallows. “Nope.”
A car alarm goes off in the distance, and we let go of each other.
“Anyway, um—” I point ahead, toward the section of this other building that is taller than ours. “This way.”
We climb up a ladder that’s fixed to the side of the structure and end up on a rooftop that provides a much better vantage point of the night sky; it also has plenty of privacy from the prying outside world.
“Wow.” Claire slowly spins in a circle to take in the landscape, tilting her head upward. “It’s…beautiful.”
“Yeah.” Except my eyes are trained on her, not the sky above. I lean against the stairwell access and allow her to bask in this hidden-in-plain-sight paradise.
“How did you find this place?” She finally turns toward me.
I think back to that night when I felt I couldn’t breathe, like I needed to escape, to truly be alone. Not in my house, but where no one else would think to find me. “I kind of got lucky, really. I had to get away, you know? From everything. But in a town like this, that’s not the easiest thing to do. I found the rooftop door and wandered over here. I was about to try a running jump when this big gust of wind had blown in, and I heard that plank rattle against the building.
“It was like a gift from the universe. A totally stupid one, because I didn’t know if it would hold my weight or not, but I said screw it and tried. Had to be safer than jumping.”