Night of Secrets (Night of Secrets #1)

Chapter 6 - Behind the Facades

Jax pushes open a door towards the back of the kitchen that I've never really taken note of, revealing a flight of stairs. We climb all the way to the top where Jax opens another door. I have to glance away from the sudden brightness. Once my eyes adjust, I look back. Jax is still holding the door open for me, a smile on his face.

I walk through the threshold onto gravel and fill my lungs with fresh air. There's a ledge all around the perimeter of the roof that goes up to my mid-thigh. Other than that, there's not much else up here. But when I walk across the roof towards the edge and look over the side, I take in all the people milling around below. Some are alone. Others are with family and friends. No one glances up. Not even at the fairy lights crisscrossing from building to building above them which look strangely prettier from this angle.

The sun is still up and casts everything in a pinkish-gold glow. Despite this, the fairy lights blink on, and that's when people spare a glance up. I step back before they can see me and look over my shoulder at Jax. He's putting a brick between the door and threshold, so we don't get locked out. He picks up the plate of onion rings and joins me at the ledge.

"So..." I draw out, "you just come up to the roof, and no one says anything to you about it?"

He nods. "Pretty much."

He sits on the ledge, propping one leg up on the wall and placing the onion rings in front of him. I sit across from him, tucking one foot beneath me and placing the fries between us. I cradle the milkshake in my arms and look back down. No one's looking up anymore.

"Who knows that you come up here?" I ask.

"Just Mira." He looks up and off to the side. "Well... you do now. But that's it."

"You never take the guys up here?"

"Nope." Jax takes a fry. "It's just mine. I came to the diner once after a rough day, and Mira knew I just needed a place to myself, so she let me up here."

I smile around my straw. "That sounds like something Mira would do." I take a sip before holding the glass close to my chest. "So what was the rough day?"

Jax rests his elbow on his knee as he looks down at the street. "Honestly, I couldn't tell you now. But this is just one of the places I go to a lot now when I'm upset."

"One of the places? There are more?"

He smiles at me. "I'll show them to you later tonight. If you want to keep doing the Night of Secrets."

Interesting. "So you became the brooding type in high school...? Good to know."

He makes a face at me. "I wouldn't say that--"

"No. Of course not. You just come up to roofs all the time when you're upset and sit and think about your rough days like any other normal person." Jax rolls his eyes, but he cracks a smile. I cover my mouth with my sleeve as a laugh escapes me. Jax glances over, and his smile widens as he starts to laugh. When we're both calmer, I drop my hand, smiling at him. "No, but seriously. What do you do up here? Just think?"

"No. I people-watch."

"Really?" I lift the milkshake to my lips. "And no one notices you?"

"You never have." The milkshake goes down the wrong pipe, and I start coughing. I guess this is what I get for eating or drinking right now. Jax's eyes widen, and he laughs, covering his mouth with his fist. "Sorry. But to be fair, you should really look up more."

"It's okay." I clear my throat, setting the glass down in front of me. "So just me in particular? Not the other people I usually come with?"

"I have zero interest in the people you come here with." He throws in an eye roll to emphasize his point. "You know I hate Dean. Faye makes me uncomfortable - and I especially hate her now. And Cyril seems like an okay guy, but I feel like if I got to know him, we wouldn't get along."