Striptease

Kiss

[Everleigh]

I remained frozen in place for the longest of time, my eyes as wide as saucer platters as I slowly stepped forward out of the elevator, my sneakers softly crunching on the gravel floor covering the rooftop that the steel metal elevator delivered us to.

I had no clue that this building had a rooftop that was completely covered in twinkling fairy lights along the railing that protected its viewers from falling to their deaths while gazing out at the majestic city landscape before them, my eyes lighting up like fireworks as I spun in a slow circle to take in the whole view.

And believe me, there was a lot to take in.

It wasn't just the fairy lights that caught my eye and attention at first, it was the gorgeous cityscape that lay before us, the towering buildings that were still partially illuminated on several different floors shining almost as bright as the stars in the sky.

Up there, there wasn't any fear of the unknown or what lay below us because I could see it all from up here, I could see the entire world from up here and my gosh, was it glorious in all mighty, semi natural beauty.

The stars shone brightly from the darkened sky, not a single cloud in sight that could pour rain down on our blissful evening and the air felt lighter up here, it was almost like I could breathe easier just from taking in this magnificent view.

Sure, I've seen the lights from the nightlit city before but up close before, it was either from far away or in the movies.

Nothing could ever compare to how beautiful this view from the rooftop was.

"Wow….This….This is…."

I was stunned speechless at the sight and Charlie seemed to be amused at my rare reaction as he let out a chuckle, the soft clicking of his wheels filling the otherwise silent atmosphere around us as we were standing side by side next to each other, his eyes remaining on my face as he watched my facial features seamlessly switch between amazement and childlike wonder.

"It's quite beautiful, I must say, but I am not only talking about the view here."

Glancing over to where he was, relaxed in his wheelchair beside me with his gaze burning into mine, I blushed from head-to-toe at the subtle compliment.

If he was going to keep complimenting me, I was either going to melt into a puddle of mush or jump his bones at the next available opportunity.

And since I wasn't exactly in the mood to be cleaned up from the floor by the janitor after my body dissolved into nothingness, I wrung my nervously shaky hands together as I turned my attention back to the scenery around us.

"It is rather amazing up here, I can only imagine what it looks like when the sun is coming up…."

Charlie smiled softly as we strolled to the edge of the rooftop, the emptiness of the roof not giving off an off-putting vibe at all.

If anything, the amount of space this place had was incredible, it made me feel free.

Freer than I've ever felt for the longest time.

It made me feel like a kid again, where I just wanted to run for miles and miles across empty streets, through fields and meadows, just to feel the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.

It made me feel carefree again and even if it was just for the briefest of moments, I would revel in the joy of the once lost but still familiar sensation.

Turning to the side to face Charlie, I was curiously examining his facial profile, wondering if I could read his facial expressions as well as he read mine to see if they corresponded to his next words with my next question.