*ALICE'S POV*
The Empire State Building was one of the most beautifully structured buildings I'd ever laid my eyes on. With its 102 floors of sheer elegance and perfection, it felt as if I had stepped into my version of the Queen of England's Royal Household. I walked into the building and was immediately greeted by a gust of cool air. I began to look around the lobby, as my eyes found a wall of gold that struck my interest. My mouth hung open as I lingered over the gold mural that hung on the wall. I held back a squeal as I admired the marble that covered the walls; I'd always loved architecture. I ran my hands along the walls and felt the cool marble send a tingle up my warm skin. I looked around the lobby for a few more minutes, capturing mental images of its beauty, before approaching the front desk and purchasing a ticket. I was handed the ticket and I began to draw circles on my ticket with my thumb as I began walking toward the elevator. My suede boots click-clacked against the marble floor, causing a slight echo effect to bounce off the walls. As I walked toward the elevator, I hummed a song I heard on the radio in the taxi cab on the way here; it was a song I had never heard before, but the beat was catchy.
I waited among a sea of people to get onto the elevator; it was fully packed, almost as if we were sardines being tightly packaged into a metal container. The cool air I felt in the lobby had left, and instead I faced body heat exchanging with the strangers inside the elevator. I huffed in annoyance at how close my body was to people I had never met, but I let my temper diminish as I realized there was nothing that could be done about it. I continued to hum the song quietly over the sound of conversations adults were exchanging, the wails on newborn babies in strollers, and the whining of children; I had never heard so much chaos and noise in one place.
My humming slowly faded as I heard the elevator ding, signaling we had reached the 86th floor, the Observation Deck. I stepped off the elevator and was instantly hit with the cool breeze outside. I inhaled the scent of New York, although, it wasn't very pleasant; it was filled with the scent of cigarettes, sewage, and exhaust from taxi cabs. I exhaled and slowly began walking to the edge where the railing was, and looked down. I didn't feel scared, or nervous. I didn't feel sick. I didn't feel as if I was about to fall to my death. I felt alive. I felt my blood rushing and my heart pounding with excitement as I became more and more exhilarated. I was high up, looking at the buildings that now resembled ants, and I was ecstatic. No, not ecstatic, but, instead, and indescribable feeling that made my heart burst. I was on top of the world.
I was soon pulled out of my thoughts when I felt a body stand right next to me. I sighed. Out of all the space there was on the Observation Deck, he had to stand right next to me? The person began speaking, "It's beautiful up here, isn't it?"
I wasn't sure if he was speaking to me, so I dumbly said, "Are you talking to me?"
"I am," he said. His voice was sweet, and there was a slight accent that I couldn't place my finger on. I could feel his eyes scanning me, but I didn't bother to look at him. I was still mesmerized by the liveliness of New York from a different perspective.
"I don't believe I know you," I said, finally turning to look at him. I was shocked to see his hair was bright red, like a firetruck. I held back a giggle, as I had never seen a hair color so crazy on anybody. His eyes were a warm sea foam green-like color, and a small smile crept on his face; he was beautiful to look at.
"You don't know me, and I don't believe I know you. But, hey, how are friends made without a 'Hello,' or, should I say, a 'It's beautiful up here, isn't it?'" We held eye contact, but my eyes shortly found their way to his lips, which now held a full smile.
