Fair Weather

Alex stepped through the sliding glass door onto the balcony. The moon hung pale white in the sky, and the smell of cigarette smoke drifted lazily through the air.
"Fancy seeing you here."
Alex turned, spotting Thomas seated on the railing of the balcony, his back against the side of the house. He was sporting a signature smirk and a cigarette.
"I do live here, you know." Alex shoved his hands into his pockets, raising his eyebrows at the boy on the railing.
"True." Thomas nodded, closing his eyes.
Snow began to fall softly, some landing in Thomas' eyelashes. Silence cascaded around them, and Alex began to fidget in the snow.
"What was it like?" Thomas said finally, "Growing up here?"
"It was. . . easy. My parents were fairly loving, albeit a bit distant. I had a nanny."
Thomas chuckled, making Alex smile.
"I actually used to think that ghosts lived in the attic."
Alex wandered over to the railing where Thomas was seated and leaned against it.
"Sometimes, in the middle of the night, the roof would creak and bump. After a few months of being terrified, I decided to make up a story about the ghosts, to make them less scary."
Alex glanced over to see Thomas's eyes closed again, the corners of his mouth curled up in a cat's smile.