The Five Laws ✓

09

The sun had already started to set once we reached the roof of the building, meaning I had to zip my coat up all the way in order to stay warm. The sky was a dark blue and it made me think of the first time I met James. In a situation much like this one, on a different roof, in a different place. I looked over at him, the camera blocking me from seeing his whole face as he focused on the view surrounding us. His camera would click occasionally as he took his photos.

"Do you do this a lot?" I walked over to where he stood, my hair blowing behind me as wind travelled across my face.

"Yes," He replied truthfully, "I've done it since I was about seventeen."

I nodded, lifting my camera to take a quick photo of the sky as well, both of us silent for a few moments. He let out a sigh and moved forward, leaning to look out over the edge. He bit his lip before moving to sit on the flat cement separating us from about a fifty foot drop.

"Woah, be careful." I said quickly, moving forwards as panic filled my voice. He only laughed, angling his camera down to show his feet with the city below them.

"Don't worry, I do it a lot." He snapped the photo and took a few more of the skyline, resting the camera down as he stared into the distance. I took a chance and lifted my own camera once more, focusing it on him. The colors of the sky suited the dark clothes he wore nicely, and before I could really think about it, I took a few photos of him. He almost looked like he belonged right there, right on the ledge with the city in front of him. With the rest of the world right at his fingertips.

"Just don't fall." I replied, crossing my arms in front of me afterwards when the breeze blew again. His shoulders shook gently, most likely from laughing, before he patted the spot next to him, "Want to sit?"

I took a deep breath, nodding before moving towards him. I knew it wasn't the safest thing to do, but he was there too. He wouldn't have asked me to do it if it wasn't safe. Right?

I had to reposition my legs underneath me for a few moments, and James had to hold onto my hand the whole time just to keep me balanced.

"Alright, easy, easy." He said softly as I got comfortable, letting out a breath the moment I sat down. I didn't think it would look this high once I was up on the ledge, but I was starting to think that maybe I was wrong.

"So how do you like the job so far?" His question distracted me from the scene below us. Cars drove in both directions, all sorts of shapes and sizes, and I suddenly felt light headed. I looked over at him instead of down.

"It's nice," I replied, shrugging a bit, "What about you?"

He glanced over at me, the corner of his mouth lifting into a slight smirk, "It has its perks."

I felt my face heat up as I averted my gaze, my hair falling to cover up my blush. I heard him hum softly, before my hair was moved back behind my ear. I could see the dark haired boy focusing on keeping it out of my face, looking back into my eyes after.

"You shouldn't cover your face," He finally smiled at me, his eyes lighting up, "It looks much better when it's not hidden."

"I'm...uh, thank you. Thanks." I sputtered before biting my lip, hating how my words never seemed to cooperate when I need them to. His hand dropped back to his lap before he looked out towards the city again, "Don't thank me. I'm just being honest."

I nudged him slightly, making sure not too do it too harshly, his laughter filling my ears seconds later.

"This isn't some chick flick movie, this is real life." I joked, playfully rolling my eyes before looking back at him. He held his hands up in surrender, the sun shining a deep golden color onto them, "I know, don't worry, I'm not the mushy type. I mean, I am a Gemini."

It was my turn to laugh as I made a face at him, "What does that have to do with your feelings?"

James shook his head quickly, eyebrows raised, "Aren't we supposed to be, like, closed off emotionally?"

"How would I know? I'm an Aries!" Our laughter mixed but eventually died down after a minute, leaving him shaking his head. I looked over at him, smirking a bit. His eyes met mine, brows furrowed, "What is it?"

"You're James the Gemini-"

He cut me off instantly, "Oh my god, Mia, never say that again."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling, "Okay, sorry, I take it back."

Suddenly, without warning, James lifted his camera up again; only this time, it was pointed at me. I brought my hand up to cover my face, turning away quickly, "How about no."

He lifted his arm up, almost whining as he tried to pull mine away, "Come on, please?"

I shook my head at him, "Absolutely not."

He moved closer, his thigh touching mine. The warmth radiated off of it as I looked back at him and moved my arm down. He turned the camera so it was facing both of us, "How about both of us in it, would that help?"

I finally gave up and stuck my tongue out to the camera as James turned towards it as well, pulling a face just as ridiculous as mine. I looked over at him, smiling widely at him. He made the same overly happy expression before another photo was taken.

"Okay, now one that makes us look like we actually like each other."

He pressed a hand to his chest, pretending to look hurt, "And here I was thinking we were the actual definition of soulmates. Wow, who knew pain like this existed." He said overdramatically as I shook my head, getting my camera out to take the photo, "Be quiet, drama queen. Just smile."

It happened in an instant. His arm wrapping around my shoulder, and his head resting against mine. We both smiled and I noticed how the smell of his shampoo filled my nose due to how close he was. He snapped the picture just as his hair was blown around due to the wind, and he set his camera back down next to mine before running a hand through it.

"Alright, I'm freezing. Should we get down before the wind blows us away?"

I nodded at his question and watched as he turned and hopped off as if it was the easiest thing he'd ever done. Of course he was good at that.

I stood up, balancing as I moved to step forward, "Show off."

He only shrugged, "What can I say? I'm gifted."

"Yeah, a gifted idiot." I joked and made a face at him, receiving the same one back before a sudden gust of wind blew past me. Out of nowhere, I felt myself tip slightly, my balance diminishing. I felt my eyes widen and I tried to lean away from the edge quickly. James stopped grinning, and his arms were reaching foward to grab me without hesitation, pulling me back towards him. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest when my feet met the flat surface of the concrete ledge again.

"Hey, it's okay. Just don't look down, look at me. Focus on me."

I closed my eyes, not wanting to be up so high anymore. I wanted to be back in the safety of his car. I wanted to be back in the leather seats, surrounded by the smell of cologne and mint. I wanted to be anywhere but on that roof.

"Do you do this a lot?" I asked through gritted teeth, eyes still closed.

"Do I do what a lot?" Panic laced his words, and I could hear it threatening to expose itself any second. He didn't catch onto the fact that I had repeated my question from earlier.

"Coax people onto roofs, it seems like we've been in this situation before."

I could hear him moving again, not answering my question. Warm hands were pressed against my hips gently without warning, his voice closer than before, "Step down, Mia."

I ignored the feeling in my stomach and stepped forwards, his grip tightening on me, making sure I didn't slip. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I opened my eyes. James' blue ones stared into my darker ones, and he was visibly paler than earlier.

"Let's take you home, yeah?"

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat, his arm still holding onto my waist tightly. He seemed scared, like I was still going to fall even though we were both safe. We gathered our cameras and made our way back towards the stairs, hearts both pounding in our chests and arms both holding onto each other — just until we reached the ground.