If You Run (An All Time Low Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twenty-Four

As I was walking towards the lift I passed the care taker of the building, Rick, who stopped to talk to me for a moment 

"How is she?" he asked, referring to Cris. We'd got to know Rick over the time we'd both lived in the building and we had soon learnt that he was one of the sweetest men alive

"No change," I told him. He looked sympathetic and concerned

"I hope she's okay," he said quietly.  

"Same"

"Anyway, got to get back to work. You have a nice night" he said with a smile that was almost too big. I ignored it and bid him goodnight for the evening before returning on my path to the lift which was awaiting my arrival.

I waited in the rising box, thinking about how I would explain to Jack what had happened. I was genuinely ecstatic at the thought of hearing his voice after what felt like so long. The doors slid open and I stepped out into the hallway and swiftly made my way over to the door then let myself in. 

I threw my jacket down on the table and was about to head straight to my bedroom when I noticed a bright green square on the piano. I slowly walked towards it, trying to remember how it could have got there. I peeled the post-it note off the wooden surface and read the message, the handwriting looked familiar but I couldn't quite place it

"I'm on the roof" 

My face dropped, my mind started to race, my heart started to pound. 

There was only one person who it could possibly be... Harry.

If he could get in here to leave the note then he'd know I was already back, I thought as I walked towards the door hiding the stairs that lead to the roof terrace. With a slightly shaking hand I turned the handle as quietly as I could and stepped onto the first step. Then the second. Then the third. Each time growing more and more scared of what I would find once I reached the top. 

The door was already slightly ajar, the dimming light of the fading sun peeped through the gap. I suddenly felt like I was about to throw up, the only thing stopping me was the emptiness of my stomach.

I pushed the door open enough to see the small, empty space at the top of the stair well. I took a deep breath as I walked out before turning 90° to my right so I was facing the main area on the roof.

"Jack?" I asked, confused. Sat on the floor with their back to me was a thin guy with dark brown hair sticking up in all directions. He spun around when he heard my voice, I was right. Immediately, he jumped to his feet

"Tay!" he shouted. Before I knew it, I was jumping on top of him; he lost his balance and stumbled backwards onto the ground with me still on top of him bout of us laughing hysterically as we crashed into the hard floor. 

"Oww" he managed to wine in between manly chuckles

"Sorry" I laughed moving so I was sitting opposite him on the blanket that had been laid down "What are you... how?... I don't get it" I said trying to work out what was happening. He just smiled at me, his perfect child-like grin 

"God, I've missed you" He said. I took a second to break my gaze into his deep, coffee coloured eyes and look around at what he'd done.

There were fairy lights draped over the vines of ivy growing up the walls of the building turning something that was once quite ugly into something beautiful, there were over sized plastic flowers in colourful pots filling the floor each with little faces drawn on them and In the middle of the wooden decking there was an long, low table covered in tea cups and saucers of every size, colour and shape. I smiled at the realisation of what he had created for me