I stood on the edge of a tall building that was several stories high. There was a soft breeze on this beautiful autumn day. The clouds covered the sun, but not enough to where it was dark. The air was crisp and the streets were busy.
What a beautiful day to kill myself.
I took a deep breath, stepping up onto the ledge. Here I go. This was the end. Angels can fly too, right? So why can't I.
Just as I was about to step off of the roof and into the air to me imminent death, I heard a loud voice shout.
"No!"
I took in a sharp, surprised breath and whipped around. There stood a boy around the same age with brown hair and brown eyes, about five feet away from me.
"Don't do it. I know life is hard but... Don't do it. I can help you. Well, as much as I can. Please. Just step off of the ledge."
Something about this guy... He had a good vibe about him. A... Hopeful vibe. There was a certain thing about him that made me want to get off of this ledge. And you know what? I was going to.
I turned, ready to back up off of the ledge just as a sharp wind blew and made me stumble. My feet nearly slipped over the edge until a hand forcefully grabbed me and yanked me back, causing us both to fall back onto the concrete of the roof.
"Did I not just tell you don't jump?" the boy let out in annoyance. "That's the fastest I've ever gone in my life. "
I looked at the boy, a shocked look on my face. "Thank you. "
"You're welcome." He got up, brushing off his dark jeans before lending me a hand up. "What's your name?"
I stood up straight, holding his hand only a fraction of a second after before letting go. "Phil. I'm Phil. "
"I'd say it's nice to meet you, Phil, but there could always be better circumstances to meet under. But I guess disregarding the situation, it's nice to meet you. I'm Dan."
Dan. That was the name of my rescuer.
"Seeing that you shouldn't be alone," Dan continued, "you can stay at my place. With me. So you don't nearly die after deciding not to die. Come on, let's go."
Dan gestured for me to follow him, and walked off towards the door that lead to the stairs of the building.
How did he even find me? Why was he up here at all? When I got here, there was nobody, not even anyone near the top. But hey, I was grateful.
~~~
A few weeks passed, and Dan seemed to really want to help me not feel like suicide was the answer. Honestly, I was already feeling so much more hope with this help.
It was about two AM and I was watching some Deathnote, eating some cereal and staring intently at the television.
"Phil? What are you still doing up? And why are you eating my cereal?" He sat next to me on the couch, concern furrowing his brow.
" I couldn't sleep. "
Dan slowly lifted the blanket I was under, cuddling in next to me. "Me either."
I didn't know what to do. Did I move away? Did I lay with him? Did I just sit here stiffly like the awkward person I was?
After a moment, I loosened my stiffness and rested my head on his shoulder. The feeling of this was... nice. It gave me a warm, happy feeling that I couldn't describe.
~~~
It's been months since the day Dan saved my life. We were closer than ever. We waited for each other to wake up so we could watch Netflix together, talked to one another about everything, and even sat on Dan's bed for hours just having conversations about life.
This was the happiest I've ever been in... Ever. And I'd like to think the same for Dan.
"Phil, I'm home!" Dan called out, shutting the door behind him. "I brought pizza!"
"I heard the sound of my lover! Bring it to me!" I yelled back, and in response heard the loud, cheerful laughter of the one I really loved.
Dan set the pizza down on the table, giving me a huge smile. "I brought this for a little bit of a celebration. "
"A celebration for what?"
"Our friendship, silly!"
Ugh, friendship. How I hated the sound of that escaping Dan's lips towards me. Instead of looking disappointed about it, I smiled brightly.
"Well then, let's celebrate!"
~~~
It was the day after our little "celebration," and I decided to tell Dan how I felt. I had no idea how I was going to word it, but I'd manage.
"Dan?" I said, walking out into the lounge.
"In here!" I heard him respond from the kitchen.
Deep breaths, Phil. Deep breaths. I walked into the kitchen, looking at the boy I loved and giving him a smile. "I need to tell you something. "
Dan was making pancakes. He had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up as he flipped it, looking over at me. "Good morning sunshine! What is it?"
"So I've been thinking about this for a while, but I didn't know how to say it. I need you to know something important. Well, important to me. See, I told myself when I was going to jump that angels can fly, right? That I could go right off that ledge and fly my way to happiness. Well I was wrong. You-"
"Phil. Stop. Stop right there. I think you need to know something more than I do, and I'm pretty sure I already know what you're going to say. " He turned off the burner of the stove, turning around fully to look at me.
"I was up on that roof to do the exact same thing you were about to do. When I saw you, I knew that I had changed my mind. It broke my heart to see you standing there. You think that I saved you, but Phil, you saved me.
"I knew that I didn't need to jump off to fly," Dan continued.
"Because you were my wings," we both said at the same time, only to be surprised by our unison.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Dan. I'm really, really glad that you feel the same. "
"Well, why wouldn't I? You're my sunshine, you fork!"
We hugged, and I felt the happiest I've ever been.
I had found my wings, and I had been someone else's.
