Chapter 65
sixty-five
The sun has just started to sink beyond the horizon when the elevator dings behind me.
On the roof, New York shows off its first warm spring evening of the year. Humid air whips overhead, slightly cooling the heat that’s soaked into the floor during the course of the day.
Before I heard the lift, I was standing at the Lucite wall framing the rooftop, staring at the brilliant colors of the sunset and wondering who the hell Grayson paid to make sure they had such perfect weather for their party.
My insides lurch when the chime reaches my ears. I do one last check to make sure everything is where it needs to be and stride toward the elevator. The doors glide open, revealing the single most welcome sight I’ve ever seen.
Alice.
God, she looks so beautiful. More beautiful than yesterday, somehow. Her light pink dress sets off the creamy rose of her skin. Her blue, blue eyes.
The riotous blonde curls I love to bury my fists in are growing long, looking looser and lighter from more time spent outside in the spring sunshine.
In addition to being gorgeous, she just looks good. Happier and more comfortable in her skin. Pride swells through me at the way she holds herself, the gentle, confident sway to her hips as she steps out of the cab and onto the roof.
She has her phone in her hands, typing furiously for a moment before she slides the screen into a hidden pocket along the skirt of her sundress and swings her face up, stopping short when she sees me.
“Oh!”
Her wide-eyed shock and the perfect little circle of her lips are just so Alice; joy erupts in my aching chest. My breathing goes ragged. All the words I prepared evaporate as our gazes mesh.
She blinks, clearly startled. I wait for her surprise to ebb, staring at the violet blue I adore. Eventually, her bewilderment fades. Our connection snaps into place.
Hi, I say silently.
Another sweet, owlish blink. Hi.
She floats forward a step. And I let my racing heart take that as a good sign. “W-what are you doing here?” she asks. “Ella told me—”
Her words die as realization dawns. I wince.
I do feel bad about the white lie. It was the only part of the plan that worried me. But Ella practically insisted we use her as bait when I told her I needed a way to get Alice up to the roof.
Instead of slinking back in embarrassment, my sweet girl draws herself upright and folds her arms under her chest. I don’t dare let myself glance at the way her breasts push up.
“Marco Amir,” she snaps, voice shrill with indignation. “Did you trick me into coming up here?”
For the first time all day, I actually want to laugh. A chuckle rumbles out of me as I take a cautious step, closing some of the space between us, and shrug.
“I thought you might remember the view.”
She can’t see the whole roof from just outside the elevator. I was counting on that. But she still turns her head in either direction, looking around before sliding her eyes back to mine. Hers are a bit brighter with a sheen of tears glossing them.
“O-oh,” she stammers. “Is this… this is our rooftop? But how did you…” More wetness gathers on her lashes as she puts it all together. “You asked them to choose this place?”
I take another step. Hoping to cover as much ground as I can before she tells me to stop. “Yes. I have something to show you.” With one last breath, I offer my hand, palm up. “Will you come with me?”
Alice raises her arm and freezes, halfway to stretching it out. “I… I don’t know.” She sounds smaller when she adds, “I want to come with you. But Marco, listen, about this rooftop… Did you see a picture of something like this under my bed? Did you go through my box?”