Rooftop Summer | EN- Jake

15

The rooftop was colder than usual. Jake sat on the edge, his legs dangling over the side as he stared blankly at the city below.the breeze carried a sharp bite that seemed to cut through his jacket, but he hardly felt it. All his focus was on the empty space beside him, the place where Hanna should have been.

It had been days since he'd last seen her—days spent coming to this rooftop, waiting for her, hoping that tonight would be the night she returned. But each time he climbed the stairs, pushed open the heavy door, and stepped into the cool night air, he was met with the same emptiness, the same aching silence that stretched between him and the city lights below.

Jake ran a hand through his hair, frustration and worry growing at him. He couldn't stop thinking about their last conversation, the laughter they'd shared over the sour lemon candy, the way she had looked at him when the fireworks painted the sky. He had been so close to telling her everything that night— to finally opening up, to letting her know just how much she had come to mean to him.

But she hadn't shown up since then. He had tried to rationalise it at first, telling himself that she must have had something come up, that she would explain everything when she returned. But the longer he waited, the more doubt kept in. What if something had happened to her? What if she was in trouble, and he had no way to help her?

The thought made his chest tighten painfully. He wanted to be there for her, to repay the kindness and understanding she had shown him in their brief time together. She had become his reason to keep going, to keep fighting against the darkness that constantly threatened to pull him under.

But now, with her absence stretching on, the old despair was creeping back in, seeping through the cracks she had filled. Jake closed his eyes, trying to block out the overwhelming sense of loneliness that threatened to consume him. It was a feeling he knew all too well, one that had been his constant companion before she had appeared in his life.

His thoughts drifted back to that first night—the night everything had almost ended.

He had been sitting in the exact same spot, his feet hanging over the edge, his heart heavy with a despair he couldn't shake. The city below had seemed distant, unreal, like a scene from a movie he wasn't part of. He had felt so alone, so utterly and completely alone.

It had only been a few weeks since he'd lost his father—the last family he had left. The memories of that night were still vivid, etched into his mind like a brand. The fight with the debt collectors, the shouting, the threats. His father had tried to protect him, had stood up to them even as they demanded money he didn't have.

Jake remembered the look on his father's face—anger and fear and something else, something that looked a lot like resignation. The fight had escalated quickly, too quickly, and before Jake knew what was happening, his father was on the ground, blood pooling beneath him, his eyes wide with shock and pain.

Jake had tried to help, had screamed for help, but by the time the police and ambulance arrived, it was too late. His father was gone, and the debt collectors had vanished into the night, leaving him alone with the unbearable weight of guilt and loss.

Since then, everything had fallen apart. The debt collectors had started coming after him, demanding payment for debts he couldn't hope to repay. He had run, tried to hide, but they always seemed to find him. Desperate and scared, he had finally come to the rooftop that night, his mind filled with thoughts of escape, of ending it all before they caught up to him.

He had been sitting there, staring down at the city below, contemplating the drop, when she had appeared—like an angel, a ghost, a miracle. He remembered the surprise, the shock of her presence, the way she had simply sat down beside him without a word, her quiet companionship pulling him back from the brink.

That night had changed everything. Hanna had given him something he hadn't known he was missing—a reason to keep going, a reason to hope. She had become his lifeline, his anchor in a world that had seemed too chaotic, too painful to bear. And now, with her gone, he felt like he was slipping back into that darkness, that despair that had almost claimed him once before.

Jake opened his eyes, staring at the empty space beside him. The city lights blurred and shimmered, his vision swimming with unshed tears. He hated how weak he felt, how powerless. He hated that he didn't know where she was, that he couldn't protect her, couldn't help her. It was like losing his father all over again, the same crushing helplessness, the same choking guilt.

He rubbed his hands over his face, his thoughts spiraling into darker and darker places. What if she never came back? What if she had left, moved on, decided that their rooftop meetings weren't worth her time anymore? What if something had happened to her, something he couldn't stop or change?

The doubts gnawed at him, each one a fresh wound, reopening the scars he thought he had begun to heal. He thought about the debt collectors, about the way they had looked at him the last time he'd seen them—like he was nothing, like he was just a problem to be dealt with. He thought about the fear he had felt, the overwhelming urge to run, to hide, to disappear.

Maybe he should have let go that night. Maybe it would have been easier, simpler. But then, he remembered her face, the way she had looked at him with those eyes that seemed to see right through him, to the parts of himself he had tried so hard to hide.

He couldn't leave her now, couldn't disappear into the darkness without knowing what had happened to her, without telling her how much she had come to mean to him.

Jake glanced at his phone, the screen lighting up with the time. It was late, almost dawn again, and still, she hadn't come. He felt a fresh wave of despair wash over him, the kind that left him feeling hollow and empty. But he couldn't leave, couldn't walk away, not yet.

He would wait. He would wait as long as it took, because she had given him a reason to live, a reason to hope. And he couldn't let go of that, couldn't let go of her, not without a fight.

As the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, painting the sky in soft hues of pink and gold, Jake made a silent promise to himself. He would keep coming back, keep waiting, until he knew for sure what had happened to her. He couldn't go back to that darkness, couldn't let the despair win. Not when she had saved him once before.

And so, with the city awakening around him, Jake stood up, his legs stiff from sitting for so long. He turned away from the edge of the rooftop, his heart heavy but his resolve firm. He would come back tomorrow night, and the night after that, and as many nights as it took.

Because Hanna had shown him that there was still something worth living for, something worth fighting for. And he wasn't ready to give up on her, not yet.