Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
EVIE
The Edge was exactly as the name suggested: all sharp, angular lines with acres of clear glass, and the statement-making Observation Deck that sliced dramatically into thin air, thousands of feet above the city.
The whole place epitomised sleek and modern, along with being an absolute engineering triumph.
Not that I knew anything about the latter, but you didn’t need to, to marvel at the construction.
While the view was exceptional, I could almost hear my mum’s voice in my ear. ‘But it’s not the Empire State Building, is it?’ I had to go there for her, that was why I was here. For Mum. This was just a detour on the way.
‘This is cool,’ said Noah, standing next to me, and I watched as the big broad grin spread across his face, his eyes sparkling, reminding me of a small excited boy.
‘Yeah, although I’m not sure what everything is.’
‘That’s the Empire State Building.’
I nudged him with my elbow. ‘Wow! You really know your New York.’
‘Very funny. The Chrysler Building, Lower Manhattan.’ He leaned into me, his warm breath on my cheek, and his hand touched the small of my back as he steered me to a different angle and pointed. ‘Over there, that’s New Jersey – and there, you can see the Statue of Liberty.’
My gaze followed the direction he indicated. I could just make out the iconic landmark.
‘And back that way, you can see Central Park.’ He turned his face in profile and I took a quick glance at his strong jawline, lightly stubbled with tiny, glistening bristles. It was tempting to brush my fingers over them, to feel the texture of him, as if it might help me to get to know him.
‘I still want to go to the Empire State Building.’
‘Absolutely.’ Noah’s face softened and he smiled. ‘You should.’ He leaned down and whispered, his eyes brimming with amusement. ‘And don’t tell our host but it’s my favourite place. I promise you, there’s something special about it. The romance, the history – it’s magical.’
My heart almost missed a beat at the unexpected confidence. It felt as if Noah was actually opening up a little to me and wasn’t quite the arrogant, pain in the arse I’d first thought.
‘Good to know,’ I whispered back. ‘It’s actually top of my list.
‘Now, it’s selfie time.’ I held up my phone as Noah groaned.
‘Smile,’ I urged, my finger hovering over the button.
‘I’ve got a mouthful of your freaking hair,’ he said and lifted his hand to push it back over my shoulder as I took the selfie.
I swallowed as I looked at the first picture, with his thumb brushing my cheekbone and the intense focus in his eyes as he did so.
A few minutes later, we headed inside to meet up with our guide for the next part of the tour. ‘Hi, Chad,’ I said.
‘Hey, guys, welcome to City Climb – the highest open-air ascent in the world,’ he added a verbal flourish to the final words.
‘Sorry?’ I sounded very English. ‘Open-air ascent. Like Everest?’ Now that sounded interesting, if terrifying.
He grinned at me. ‘Without the snow and ice. Don’t worry. It’s awesome. We just need to get you all suited up.’
‘Cool,’ I said, as a little tremor of excitement rippled in the pit of my stomach. Who didn’t love an adventure?
‘City Climb?’ said Noah, clearly refusing to be bowled over by Chad’s encouraging smirk and pleased-with-himself attitude.
‘What does that mean?’ Noah’s jaw was locked and he folded his arms in a classic defensive, no-way-on-Earth pose.
‘Climbing? Up there?’ He asked and peered up the narrow corridor to the glass wall beyond.
‘You scared of heights?’ I asked.
‘Scared, no, it’s healthy self-preservation,’ said Noah.
‘It’s all perfectly safe.’ Chad cocked his head.
‘We’re gonna take a walk on the wild side.
You’re going to scale the outside of the skyscraper.
Twelve-hundred feet up. It’s the highest platform in New York.
And perfectly safe, you’re all harnessed and tethered the whole time.
I’ve never lost anyone yet.’ He winked at me.
‘Seriously, you’re safer up here than down on the street where you’re more likely to get hit by a cab. ’
‘That’s good to hear,’ I said grinning back at him as little bubbles of excitement started to dance under the surface of my skin. ‘So, we just walk up the side of a skyscraper?’ That sounded pretty amazing.
Happy as the proverbial lamb, I followed Chad into the changing room, where he handed us matching blue overalls. ‘Pop these on, grab a helmet and I’ll see you outside for the safety briefing.’
Noah in overalls was pretty hot. They outlined his broad shoulders and height and could have been custom-made for him, especially around the bum.
‘This is going to be fun,’ I said, zipping up and wedging the helmet on my head.
‘Fun?’ Noah laughed. ‘I’m not so sure about that.
Dangling off the side of a skyscraper, thousands of feet above the city, is not most people’s idea of fun.
I think you might be unique there. Adventure, I’d say, and not for the faint-hearted.
’ He smiled at me. ‘Do you ever stop to think things through, or do you always jump into shark-infested waters with both feet?’
‘Don’t be such a baby.’ I grinned back at him. ‘Life’s too short.’
‘I’m not being a baby. And exactly, although this might shorten it further.
Sometimes, it’s worth slowing down and taking the time to weigh up the risks.
’ For a moment his face looked sombre. He swallowed and spoke quietly, and I knew he was remembering the accident with the other player.
‘Sometimes we ought to take a step back before we commit to something … dangerous.’
I stared at him with sympathy. ‘True, but we might never get to do this again. We could die tomorrow.’
‘We could die today and then you’d miss out on the Empire State Building, and I’d hate you to miss that.’ He smiled at me, his eyes meeting mine and holding my gaze for a moment. ‘I know it’s important to you.’
The words made an unexpected warmth bloom in my chest. I was sure it didn’t mean anything but it was sweet that he understood.
To cover my sudden emotion, I said quickly, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on. Like he said. We’re in more danger on the street.’
Once we were cleared to start, Chad led us out onto a small platform, several scary floors above the Observation Deck, which now we were out there, looked a disconcertingly long way down.
I gulped, suddenly not quite so confident.
Being out in the elements made everything very real.
The brilliant blue sky and the protection of the glass barriers down on the deck had lulled me into a false sense of security.
My adrenaline spiked. Although the view was breathtaking; so, too, was the sharp icy wind that stole my voice.
Fierce gusts swirled around us, tugging and pulling at our overalls with vicious fingers.
I grabbed the handrail feeling a little wobbly.
‘You okay, Green?’ asked Noah, immediately noticing.
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Just a bit windier than I was expecting.’
‘We’ll get used to it, but I’m right here, if you want to stop or hold onto something.’
I nodded, wondering how he’d feel if I clung to him like a monkey.
Now that we were a very, very, very long way up, with no protection from the strong air streams whipping around us, I felt out of my depth, barraged by the unfamiliar sensations of noise and chaos.
My hair streamed around my face, flapping against my helmet like Medusa’s corona of snakes around my helmet. But I couldn’t back down now, could I?
Noah covered my hand gripping the rail and gave my white knuckles a gentle pat.
‘Ready?’
With the wind buffeting our bodies, it was quite a struggle to round the corner to the first metal-latticed step.
I glanced up at the intimidating steep flight of steps hugging the angle of the building.
The gusts hitting my face were so strong that my cheeks vibrated, and my eyes streamed as the cold temperature kissed my skin with icy needles.
It really did feel like this might be like the final assault on Everest and I regretted my earlier gung-ho attitude. Maybe Noah had a point about jumping in with both feet. I’d honestly thought that this would be a breeze, and now I wasn’t so sure.
We battled our way up into the headwind, taking one step up at a time. My legs had turned to jelly, and I was struggling to keep up.
Noah looked back, and much to my disgust, his eyes were alight and his mouth curved into a big smile. He was bloody enjoying himself. ‘You okay?’ he yelled.
My eyes locked on his and I think he could see the uncertainty in them. Taking a step backwards – he couldn’t turn around because of the safety measures – he slowly backed down the stairs until he stood in front of me.
‘Why don’t you come right up behind me and I can shelter you from some of the wind. Hold on to my waist,’ he said. ‘Take it slowly. We’re not in any hurry to get to the top.’ He grinned at me then, his eyes shining and his face full of mischief. ‘I’m sure you said this was going to be fun.’
‘Very funny,’ I muttered before adding, ‘the quicker we get to the top, the quicker we can get back down,’ I ground out under my breath, more to myself than him. I don’t think he heard over the wind, which whistled through and around the metal staircase.
‘Remember what you said. We might never get to do this again. Just stop and take in the view for a moment. It’s awesome.’
I lifted my gaze, which had been fixed on my feet, and cautiously looked around. We were far above all the other nearby buildings. I tried to respond to Noah’s enthusiasm and gave him a faux smile and a thumbs-up.
The climb seemed interminable and my legs were starting to wobble, but as we neared the top, Noah held out a hand and said, ‘You can do this.’
‘Mmm…’ I nodded and took his hand, grateful for his strong grasp and his reassuring confidence in my ability.