Chapter 2 Rooftop Dates
Chapter two
Rooftop Dates
Jade
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, revealing a rooftop paradise that screamed "expensive first date.
" I stepped out onto terracotta tiles, my heels clicking against them as I took in the scene, city lights glittering below like fallen stars, ambient music floating from hidden speakers, and enough greenery to make a botanical garden jealous.
Even the air felt expensive, warm and perfumed with night-blooming flowers.
I pressed my phone closer to my ear. "Ziggy, I think I've just walked into a rom-com setup. There are actual fairy lights."
"Good," Ziggy's voice crackled through the speaker, confident as always. "You deserve the fairy lights, babe. Now, shoulders back. Tits out. Fate is watching, don't embarrass me."
I rolled my eyes but still straightened my posture. "How exactly does one embarrass Fate? Pretty sure they've seen it all."
"By chickening out after I spent three weeks convincing you to go see those weird sisters in the first place." His voice softened slightly. "You look hot, right? Tell me you wore the blue dress."
"Yes, I wore the blue dress." I smoothed my hand over the fabric that hugged my curves in all the right places. "And the good underwear, even though there's like a ninety percent chance no one's seeing it tonight."
"That's my girl. Always prepared." He made a kissing sound into the phone. "Babe, if anyone can find you a monster who'll eat you up properly and praise you for it, it's those three weird aunties."
I moved to the edge of the rooftop where a glass barrier provided safety without blocking the view.
The city sprawled out beneath me, alive with light and movement.
Somewhere down there, people were living their normal Tuesday lives, not standing on fancy rooftops waiting to meet their supposedly fated mate.
"Why haven't you used them?" I asked, genuinely curious. Ziggy was always the one pushing boundaries, trying new experiences. "The sisters, I mean. If they're so magical and effective."
His laugh burst through the speaker. "Because I like getting my back blown out by different monsters whenever I want, no mate for me. Some of us are built for variety, sweetheart."
"That's...actually fair." I stepped back towards the elevator. My stomach did a weird flippy thing. "You know, I should probably hang up and—"
"Nope, not until you're ready and I've done my job as your emotional support gay. You're stalling."
He knew me too well. "I'm not stalling. I'm...acclimating."
"Acclimating to what? The possibility of actually getting dicked down properly for once in your life?"
"Jesus, Ziggy!" I laughed despite myself, then quickly covered my mouth, glancing around to make sure I was still alone. "You can't just say things like that."
"Why not? It's true. That asshole Trevor—"
"We don't say his name," I interrupted, my voice going flat automatically.
"Right, sorry. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named left you with such bullshit hang-ups about your body and worth. And now the universe is literally serving you up a fated mate. On a silver platter. With candles."
I sighed. "What if he's awful? What if the Moirai got it wrong?"
"Then you call me, and I'll come get you, and we'll go get drunk and talk shit about them.
But they're not wrong." His voice dropped to that rare serious tone he reserved for when he really meant something.
"You saw how that thread thing yanked on you the moment you left their shop.
I was there, remember? You looked like someone had hooked you through the chest."
The memory of that sensation, the warm, insistent pull just below my sternum, made my breath catch. It had been three days of that gentle but persistent tugging, leading me southeast across the city. Three days of wondering who was on the other end.
"I'm just..." I swallowed hard.
"Scared. I know. After what you've been through, you're allowed to be."
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the warm night air. From where I stood, I could see the edge of table clearly, but not who might already be sitting there. My heart thumped so loudly I was sure Ziggy could hear it through the phone.
"Last check-in," Ziggy said softly. "You can bail if you want. I'll come get you right now and we can go get tacos. No judgment."
The fact that he offered made my decision easier.
"Nope," I said firmly. "I'm done letting fear pick for me."
"That's my girl!" His voice rose with pride. "Now go get your monster. And I want all the filthy details tomorrow. Especially if he has tentacles."
I snorted. "Pretty sure he doesn't have tentacles, Zig."
"A boy can dream. Get it, babe. You deserve every inch—and I hope there are many inches."
"Goodbye, Ziggy," I laughed, my nervousness transforming into something lighter, more manageable.
"Bye, bitch. Go be Fate's favorite hoe."
I ended the call, still smiling. Shoulders back.
Tits out. Ziggy's voice echoed in my head, making me smile despite the lingering nervousness.
My phone buzzed in my hand just as I started to put in my purse.
Unknown number. My stomach dropped before I even read the message, because I knew who it would be.
Another burner phone in an attempt to slither back into my life.
My thumb hovered over the notification for a second before I tapped it open.
Might as well see what fresh hell Trevor had conjured up this time.
"He'll leave when he sees what you're really like. I won't."
My stomach clenched, a reflexive response I hated, how did he know I was on a date?
Three months since I'd changed my number and two weeks since the last message.
Each time I thought maybe, just maybe, he'd finally gotten the message, he found another way to reach me.
The words themselves were familiar, the same toxic blend of false concern and thinly veiled threat that had been his specialty during our relationship.
But something had changed in me. The fear that once would have gripped me, sent me spiraling into self-doubt, now merely brushed against me before transforming into a dull, tired anger.
Like dealing with a persistent mosquito rather than a venomous snake.
I deleted the message, blocked the number, and slipped my phone into my clutch.
"Tonight is not about him," I whispered to myself, straightening my spine. "Tonight is about me."
I smoothed my hands down the front of my dress one last time, then stepped fully onto the rooftop. My attention shifted immediately from the city vista to the table clearly set for two. And the man already seated there.
Oh.
Oh, he was huge. I know I said I wanted a big boy but damn.
My steps faltered slightly as I took him in.
Even sitting, I could tell he towered over most humans.
Wide shoulders stretched the fabric of a dark suit jacket, the material tailored perfectly to contain his powerful chest and arms. His legs seemed to go on forever, one ankle resting casually on the opposite knee.
And stupidly handsome. Like, unfairly so.
His skin was pale, making the dark curtain of his straight black hair seem even more dramatic where it fell past his shoulders.
The collar of his shirt was open, revealing a glimpse of what looked like raised scars tracing along his neck before disappearing beneath the fabric.
But it was his eyes that made my breath catch.
Black with pupils that glowed red like embers in a dying fire.
Demon eyes. Beautiful, terrifying, utterly captivating.
And they were locked directly on me.
The moment our eyes locked, I felt it, a hot, tight tug low in my chest, like an invisible thread wrapping around my ribs and yanking me forward.
My breath caught as the sensation bloomed outward, magic blending with raw, animal attraction until I couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.
The Moirai hadn't been kidding about the whole "fate thread" thing.
I had to fight a very real urge to skip the whole polite approach and simply cross the lounge to slide straight into his lap, straddling him like I belonged there.
The image flashed through my mind with such startling clarity that heat rushed to my face.
Jesus. Get it together, Jade. This is still a first meeting, no matter what magical thread is yanking at your libido.
I pulled myself together, barely, as I began walking toward the table.
He stood as I approached, and holy shit, I was not prepared.
The thread-pull intensified with proximity, connecting directly to my libido like someone had hooked jumper cables to my most sensitive nerves.
My thighs pressed together involuntarily, a futile attempt to ease the sudden ache between them.
His gaze dropped, following the movement, and when he looked back up, it was clear he knew exactly what I was feeling. And he was feeling it too.
"I'm Jade," I finally said, breaking the silence.
"Pleased to finally meet you Jade, I'm Magnur," he replied with a small smile.
As he said my name, the thread between us tightened further, as if fate itself confirming: Yes, this one. This is yours. I had to lock my knees to keep from swaying toward him.
He gestured to the table. "Please."
I nodded and moved to take my seat, aware of how he waited for me to sit first before lowering his body into the chair opposite mine.
The table between us wasn't small, but his presence made it feel intimate, as if we were sitting much closer than we actually were.
Candles flickered between us, casting golden light across his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his cheekbones and jaw.
I realized with a start that there was already food and drinks arranged on the table, the sisters had thought of everything. But food was the absolute last thing on my mind right now.