Page 46 of The Other Side of Apart

It’s surprisingly warm for early November. I wish it would snow. I’ve never seen snow, and now that we have an apartmentwith a working heater and fireplace, I’m ready for it. I think. Probably not, but I want to see it anyway.

My phone buzzes. I smile at the name on my screen.

Marcus: Hey—it’s Darius Bromley. So … I hope you don’t mind that I’m texting you, but I got your number from that guy you’re always with, and I’m wondering if you’re busy tonight.

Biting my lip, I set down my book and type a response.

Mei: Sorry. I already have big plans tonight.

Marcus: Do they include a meteor shower and me picking you up at 7:30?

I check the clock on my phone. 7:28. My smile widens.

Mei: Hmmm… It’s kind of late notice, but maybe I can rearrange some things.

Marcus: See what you can do. You won’t regret it. I don’t think you’ve ever met a Darius like this one.

The same rush of anticipation and cracking nerves I felt six months ago on my fire escape pulses in my veins. I set my phone in my lap, hand over my thudding heart. Exactly one and a half minutes later, Marcus is standing in front of me, a giant bag of gummy bears in his hand.

“Hey.” He smiles, and it beams through my jacket, my shirt, and straight into my heart.

“Darius?” I stand, pocketing my phone, and wrap my arms around his neck.

“Wow,” he breathes. “You don’t waste time.”

“Not when I like what I see.”

His hands circle my waist. “Can’t wait to see how the rest of this first date goes…”

I shrug and wiggle my eyebrows, then bend to pick up my book on the step. “How was work? And are those gummy bears for me, by chance…?”

“Work was long, thanks for bringing it up. Gonna be honest, refereeing indoor soccer games isn’t as exciting as playing, but it pays rent and leaves enough to splurge on the finer things in life. Like these gummy bears to seduce you with while watching a meteor shower.”

“Did you special order this meteor shower?”

“Yeah. Been waiting for ten years, but it’s finally arriving tonight. Think I’ve figured out the best place to watch it.”

He grabs my hand and pulls me up the cement steps and inside our apartment building, but instead of stopping on the third floor, he keeps going. We hit the fifth floor, and Marcus walks me to a door at the end of the hall.

“Found this last night while you were at work, and I was bored.” He pulls the door open to a dark, concrete staircase that leads to the roof.

“Good find, Bromley,” I say as he leads me to a pile of blankets and pillows on a flat section of the roof. “I wish Marcus would find cool things like this for us.” I smile and plop down on the blanket pile. “He never does anything surprising or funny or interesting. And he’s definitely not hot like you.”

Marcus drops the bag of gummy bears and flops to his back beside me. I snuggle against him, enjoying the silence as the setting sun disappears and night replaces it.

Marcus rolls to his side, looking down at me. He pulls a Sharpie from his pocket and grabs my wrist, writing on it. When he finishes, he blows on it, then holds it up so I can read his message.

365-Forever

It’s been a long time since he’s written anything on me, and I kiss the words, then grab his neck and pull him down on top of me. His hands and lips work their magic, and I wrap myself around him until all I want is to be locked inside our apartment, but the more he kisses me and the hotter his whispered thoughts get, the more I don’t care where we are. His mouth’s on my neck, hands on my back, holding me against him. I’m on his lap, sweaters and hoodies dropping to the blanket. Cold air brushes against my skin, and his mouth’s on my neck, hands on my back, holding me against him. His fingers knot in my hair, and I push him to his back just as sirens whine to life on the street below. My head snaps up. I almost forgot we’re on this rooftop—the rooftop of a large apartment complex where a lot of other people live.

“Darius and Peggy are going to get charged with indecent exposure if they don’t stop.”

He groans, his arms spread wide across the blanket beneath us, and he sighs loudly to the sky.

I laugh, propping my chin on his chest. “Pause button?”

“Think my pause button’s broken. Only rewind and fast forward.” He mimics punching a remote button, pointing it toward me.

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