again.
* * *
As they walked out of the final shop, Lily heaved a sigh. The darkness had drawn in, and she was glad to be done with getting everything for her new apartment.
Cain rolled his shoulders and looked up at the scene in front of him. The deep blue sky was scattered with small clouds and bright blue lights reflected off the top of the Empire State Building. He took a deep breath and told himself it was one more night. In a few hours, she’d have to go to work and he probably wouldn’t see her for a while after tomorrow. Instead of his desired reaction of coldness to that thought, he seemed to feel the need to push against it, to tell himself that he would see her again.
Lily cocked her head to one side as she looked at Cain. He was staring up at the buildings in front of them, and she couldn’t stop her eyes from moving to see what he was looking at so pensively.
Turning her head, she smiled at the sight of the Empire State Building.
“Fate.” She smiled.
Cain felt the word hit him hard in the chest and make his heart ache. Fate was certainly having fun now that she had him. Not content to stop at playing with his feelings, she was playing with his world, too, changing his routines and his patterns. Before meeting Lily, he never would’ve openly walked the streets, shopping and doing things that regular people did. His profession meant that he had to keep a low profile, and there was nothing low about spending five hours shopping, five hours in which his competition could have been watching him, could’ve seen her with him. She seemed to have some hold over him, bending him to her will with the slightest of smiles and the tiniest of motions. He was powerless to resist her, and what was worse, he didn’t want to.
He brought his eyes down to meet hers.
“Think we’ve got time.” He tapped his watch and she looked at hers. There were still three hours before she had to go to work.
He crossed the street with her and smiled broadly when he saw her struggling with her bags. He took some of them off her and she gave him a wide smile of gratitude.
He heaved a long sigh, feeling strangely normal as he shared her load and she walked beside him.
* * *
The city stretched out below him, its lights twinkling like a blanket of stars and the noises dim in the clear air. Cain watched his breath turning white like fog.
Lily leaned against the wall beside him, her eyes flitting about the scene as she tried to take it all in. The entirety of Manhattan was laid out below her, and she’d never seen anything like it. It was just like he’d said—she was on top of the world and nothing bad could get her. She felt as though she could reach out and touch the heavens if she wanted to.
Raising her eyes to the sky, she frowned at the sight of the clouds lingering there, fluffy mounds that were tinted yellow by the city lights.
“Sorry. I guess the weather is against us tonight.” Cain lightly touched her shoulder, and she shrugged.
“It just means we have to come up here another night.”
He smiled at her. She wondered if it was because she was being so positive. She would relish the chance to come up here again and watch the world drift by below her feet.
“So, do you think when you come up here or is this the place you come to clear your head?” She stared at the blocks of buildings stretching out in all directions. She’d never gone up any of the tall buildings in Los Angeles. Would it look like this? The view was amazing.
“Clear my head,” Cain said in a flat tone, his eyes trained on the people around them as he turned his back on the city and leaned against the wall.
Lily got the feeling that he wasn’t up for talking and fell silent. She frowned as the downtown district started to disappear from view, the lights becoming obscured.
“Cain?” She turned to look at him and he looked over his shoulder and then smiled down at her. “What is... snow?”
Her eyes went wide when the
* * *
As they walked out of the final shop, Lily heaved a sigh. The darkness had drawn in, and she was glad to be done with getting everything for her new apartment.
Cain rolled his shoulders and looked up at the scene in front of him. The deep blue sky was scattered with small clouds and bright blue lights reflected off the top of the Empire State Building. He took a deep breath and told himself it was one more night. In a few hours, she’d have to go to work and he probably wouldn’t see her for a while after tomorrow. Instead of his desired reaction of coldness to that thought, he seemed to feel the need to push against it, to tell himself that he would see her again.
Lily cocked her head to one side as she looked at Cain. He was staring up at the buildings in front of them, and she couldn’t stop her eyes from moving to see what he was looking at so pensively.
Turning her head, she smiled at the sight of the Empire State Building.
“Fate.” She smiled.
Cain felt the word hit him hard in the chest and make his heart ache. Fate was certainly having fun now that she had him. Not content to stop at playing with his feelings, she was playing with his world, too, changing his routines and his patterns. Before meeting Lily, he never would’ve openly walked the streets, shopping and doing things that regular people did. His profession meant that he had to keep a low profile, and there was nothing low about spending five hours shopping, five hours in which his competition could have been watching him, could’ve seen her with him. She seemed to have some hold over him, bending him to her will with the slightest of smiles and the tiniest of motions. He was powerless to resist her, and what was worse, he didn’t want to.
He brought his eyes down to meet hers.
“Think we’ve got time.” He tapped his watch and she looked at hers. There were still three hours before she had to go to work.
He crossed the street with her and smiled broadly when he saw her struggling with her bags. He took some of them off her and she gave him a wide smile of gratitude.
He heaved a long sigh, feeling strangely normal as he shared her load and she walked beside him.
* * *
The city stretched out below him, its lights twinkling like a blanket of stars and the noises dim in the clear air. Cain watched his breath turning white like fog.
Lily leaned against the wall beside him, her eyes flitting about the scene as she tried to take it all in. The entirety of Manhattan was laid out below her, and she’d never seen anything like it. It was just like he’d said—she was on top of the world and nothing bad could get her. She felt as though she could reach out and touch the heavens if she wanted to.
Raising her eyes to the sky, she frowned at the sight of the clouds lingering there, fluffy mounds that were tinted yellow by the city lights.
“Sorry. I guess the weather is against us tonight.” Cain lightly touched her shoulder, and she shrugged.
“It just means we have to come up here another night.”
He smiled at her. She wondered if it was because she was being so positive. She would relish the chance to come up here again and watch the world drift by below her feet.
“So, do you think when you come up here or is this the place you come to clear your head?” She stared at the blocks of buildings stretching out in all directions. She’d never gone up any of the tall buildings in Los Angeles. Would it look like this? The view was amazing.
“Clear my head,” Cain said in a flat tone, his eyes trained on the people around them as he turned his back on the city and leaned against the wall.
Lily got the feeling that he wasn’t up for talking and fell silent. She frowned as the downtown district started to disappear from view, the lights becoming obscured.
“Cain?” She turned to look at him and he looked over his shoulder and then smiled down at her. “What is... snow?”
Her eyes went wide when the
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