I'll See You Soon [COMPLETED]

The Rooftop After Party

The city stretched itself out before her, an endless sea of lights weaving its way along the boulevards visible beneath her feet and taking residency upon every surface visible. Even the ocean only a few blocks to her left was shining in the dark, the bright moon hovering over its dark expanse and forcing a warm glow from the cold dark depths.

There was light coming from behind her. It shone just out of the corner of her eyes. The endless strings of lights darting back and forth above her head took some of the blame. But it seemed the room behind her was trying its best to be the brightest star shining that night. It felt as though the room itself and all its occupants knew they deserved such a title.

Mia's eyes couldn't stand to even dare a glance back in its direction and give it any of the recognition it was craving. The lights all around were bright enough for her tired eyes and they were slowly burning out and turning in for the night as time ticked on.

Her body felt heavy as it leaned against the glass railing. She could feel the metal top dig into her arms as her feet did little to try and prop up her body. Her head hung the heaviest out of all her extremities and when a particular realization kept trying to force itself upon her, Mia shifted her eyes and took to absorbing one more breathtaking aspect of the view as a distraction.

It had been the cars winding their way through the city streets for a while, visible through the glass-floored patio she found herself standing upon at three in the morning. Now it was a particularly tall building across the way that still held occupants in several of its offices.

She wasn't in the city that had never slept. She almost longed for the genuine energy of New York instead of the facade she always found herself in when on this side of the country. Los Angeles wasn't known for its endless energy and constant movement, but the office across the way seemed to be evidence that it was at least attempting to fight for the title.

Mia stood watching a particular businessman stand at his window, a phone pressed to his ear as he ran his hand, once again, through his thinning hairline. He looked older than she was sure he was and her mind's eye zoomed in on him and positioned her mental lens.

At any other time of the day and after any other week, her hands would have moved to form a square in front of her one opened eye and done it manually. She was too comfortable with her chin resting in her hand and she felt she better not move a muscle in case the wrong person inside took notice of movement out on the patio. She was relishing in the quiet and would have only allowed one particular party member to disrupt her bubble.

And so he did. And Mia felt an instant smile move to her lips as his voice ran her way, accompanied by the ambient sounds of the party still very much raging on inside. She was almost laughing at the sound of a familiar song pounding through the speakers, the few notes that slipped out in the two seconds it took him to exit the penthouse apartment racing her way. It was more the feeling of the drums and their familiar prominence and strength that sparked recognition more than the melody itself. It was years of reveling in those particular beats and soaking up every minute she could hear them live that had fine-tuned her ear.

Her feet took more responsibility for her weight when the door finally shut and a familiar footfall made its way to her side. She heard his sigh before she could even see him. Within a moment, she had only to turn her head to the right and look up to find her favorite sight.

His eyes looked out to the city first, letting it act as a palate cleanser to the mass of over-stimulation they had both been able to find a secret haven from. Mia enjoyed the quiet moment as she watched him catch his breath and he watched the city beyond. She enjoyed it even more when he finally looked her way and pulled out a smile she knew he had been saving just for her. It wasn't his brightest and it barely made a dent in his cheeks but she loved it still because it was genuine, the most genuine she had seen all week.