Page 46 of No Place Like You

“And are we meeting this friend up there?”

I shake my head. “He’s in Greece with his wife. Babymoon. But he called the doorman for me.”

“That’s generous of him. What are you doing for him in return?”

I wink in her direction. “You don’t want to know.”

A bright ping announces our arrival to the rooftop, and when the doors slide open, a gust of cool air whooshes into the small space. Lucy’s steps are hesitant, an obvious distinction to my sure ones as I lead the way toward the edge of the rooftop. Metal railings and air that feels about ten degrees cooler than on the ground surround us, and I hear Lucy suck in a breath.

“This is amazing.”

The sounds of the city are muted up here. Even the headlights from the heavy city traffic and street signs lining the sidewalks look dull. It really does feel like we’ve stepped into a portal instead of an elevator to a fancy rooftop.

She turns to smile at me with a mischievous grin slicing through her face. “You’re seriously going to tell me you’ve never brought another woman up here?”

I laugh, ducking my head toward my feet. “Not on a date or anything. More like to accompany me to birthday parties and the Fourth of July.”

“Ah-ha! I knew it,” she exclaims, pointing a finger at me. “The lengths you men go to get lucky. Please tell me you didn’t challenge those poor women to a round of naked drinking games.”

“Why? I thought you liked those games?”

She responds with a deep blush.

“Is that not how you remember it?” I ask, the playful grin on my face baiting for more from her memory. “Because I distinctlyremember?—”

“Okay! Yes!” she cuts me off, the redness traveling all the way to the tips of her ears. “I mean, it took a few servings of tequila to get there, but I guess…that’s how things went.”

We stay silent, the breeze blowing Lucy’s hair away from her face like a curtain drawn open to let the sunlight in. With the summer heat feeling like a heavy down comforter instead of just humid air, we’re both dressed in our summer best. A short sleeve shirt and bare arms. A flowy skirt and exposed legs. So when Lucy’s knee brushes against my leg and my knuckles trail her arm from elbow to shoulder, it feels warmer than just a simple touch of skin against skin. It feels more like a syrupy, saccharine warmth that travels all the way down low in my belly.

“So these other women…” she says, avoiding my eyes. “Anyone…special?”

“No.” My voice has gone deep, my eyes matching the somber cadence in the single, two-letter word. “I haven’t really been with anyone since…you know.” I gesture a hand between me and her.

“Since me?” Her voice squeaks, and her eyes round. Her body pulls away from me. Like she’s scared this simple admission has more meaning behind it. And maybe it does.

“I mean, I’ve dated people, I guess, if that’s what you call it. And I’ve fooled around or whatever, but…I haven’t reallybeenwith anyone since we…”

She nods like she’s agreeing with me. “Oh…”

It seems every one of our sentences ends in an ellipsis, filling the unsaid words with questions. Ones we don’t know how to ask.

“Lucy, it isn’t on purpose,” I start to explain. “I guess I just really haven’t met anyone I want to spend time with like you.”

“Oh,” she says again in a quiet whisper. Her eyes avoid mine, focusing on the metal railing in front of us instead. I see her jaw set and her lips twist to one side.

Maybe what I said was too personal, a little too intimate, and something that should’ve been reserved for a time after we’ve discussed things. But I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to discuss suchthings. Until right now, when she slyly asked if there was anyone special in my life, I thought she’d set a pretty clear boundary. Now, that boundary she’d drawn in front of her like a brittle twig dragged across sand is becoming faint and confusing.

“I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable,” I add. “Just know, it wasn’t ‘just sex’ for me.”

Her entire face shifts into a scared and worried pout. “But…”

“Hey,” I say softly into the wind, making my voice drift and sound hesitant. “Forget I said anything. It’s really not a big deal.” My phone buzzes in my pocket, and it cuts into the moment, letting the words we’re both holding back stay lodged in our throats. “Hello?”

“Hey.” I hear Charles’s low voice through the phone. He sounds tired and worried, making me worry just the same. “Dex, I had to take Janet to the hospital.”

“What?!” I nearly shout. “Why?”

“She’s had a low-grade fever since yesterday, and it spiked,” he explains. “She called her doctor, and they told us to come in. Just as a precaution.”

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