The rooftop did not welcome them with warmth, for though the city lights stretched wide beneath the night sky, casting a restless glow upon distant buildings and silent streets, the air above remained sharper, colder, carrying a stillness that felt too deliberate to be peace, and Ella stood near the edge with her hands resting lightly against the railing, her posture composed though a quiet tension lingered beneath her shoulders, her gaze lowered toward the city as though distance might soften what pressed within her.
Ethan remained a few steps behind at first, his hands tucked loosely into his pockets though his stance betrayed hesitation, his breath slow yet uneven as he watched her, drawn not only by curiosity but by something far more difficult to name, something that refused to let him turn away despite every warning his mind offered.
