PROLOGUE
Marlowe didn’t believe in fate, nor did she believe in coincidence. She hated the idea that we weren’t in control of our destiny, that we ultimately didn’t have control over what happened to us. If there’s one thing she needed to maintain, it was control.
As she burst onto that rooftop, tears streaming down her face as she thought about the friend she lost, she realized nothing would change her frame of mind.
The late-night air caused goosebumps to prickle across her skin, the soft wind whipping the loose tendrils of her blonde hair across her face.
She approached the edge of the building, gripping the metal bar that ran along its edge as she attempted to catch her breath.You need to calm down,she thought to herself, closing her eyes tightly to stop more tears from escaping down her cheeks.Deep breaths, count to five.
Inhale,one… two… three… four… five.
Exhale,one… two… three… four… five.
Destiny and death, what did they have in common besides a few lousy letters? Marlowe refused to believe that Margot’s destiny was to die in a car wreck at twenty-three.
If it was, what kind of sick joke is that?
Margot had so much life to live, so much she wanted to do and accomplish, and that was all taken away because someone ran a stop sign. A bloody stop sign.
If that man had put his phone down and had been paying attention, Margot would still be here, and Marlowe wouldn’t be standing on the rooftop of the building she worked at in New York City—and she never would’ve metthatstranger.
Marlowe was standing with her arms now folded over her chest, head tilted back as she stared up at the sky, not a single star in sight, when the metal door flew open.
Startled, she jumped slightly but only cast a quick glance over her shoulder, wanting to remain invisible yet too curious about who had joined her.
She didn’t immediately recognize the stranger, but she could tell he was furious. What could make someone that angry, she couldn’t even begin to fathom.
He walked towards the lounge area that rested in the center of the roof, grabbing one of the chairs and slamming it into the ground. Five swift swings and all that was left in his hand was one of the wooden legs.
Marlowe watched him with curiosity as he threw the leg into the metal door before hastily stripping out of his suit jacket. He gripped his hands roughly in his brown hair as he rested his back against the wall and sunk down so he was sitting.
“I’m sorry about that,” the stranger said, and it took Marlowe a moment to realize he was talking to her.
“Trust me, I get it,” she told him, releasing a sigh as she took a small step closer to the man. “Wish I would’ve thought of that myself, honestly. Those chairs are hideous.”
To her surprise, the man in front of her chuckled, taking his hands out of his hair and resting his arms on his legs so he could look at her clearly. He didn’t miss how beautiful, yet sad, shelooked, and he wanted to know more about the blonde woman who stood before him.
“What’s got you all sad?” He pondered. Closing his eyes, he couldn’t help but cringe, kicking himself for how ridiculous that had sounded.
“Oh, you know, just pondering the great mystery that is life itself,” she answered, finding humor in how embarrassed he was at himself.
He raised a brow as he tilted his head slightly. “Oh, so nothing that important.”
“Not at all.” Marlowe couldn’t help it as she laughed, enjoying the ease with which he brought her, making it easier to joke about the misery she was feeling. I mean, he was just a stranger, after all. “What’s got you acting like the Hulk?”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment, means you see a resemblance,” he told her, bringing an arm up and flexing, which made Marlowe roll her eyes before he sighed. “But I’m just sitting here wondering how some people can be so greedy, cruel, and selfish and ruin the lives of others.”
“Seems like we both have a lot on our minds,” Marlowe commented as she walked towards the lounge area. She turned around so she was walking backwards, her eyes on the man still resting against the wall. “Care to join me and tackle these life altering issues together?”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
He hastily climbed to his feet just as she turned back around and approached the sitting area. As she perched on one of the anti-gravity chairs and leaned back, he couldn’t stop himself from admiring her while she stretched out.I am a man, after all, and she’s beautiful, he thought to himself, justifying away his wandering eye.
Even though they had spoken little, he could tell she had a poise and commanding presence to her; she was strongand well-rounded, for sure. Blue eyes that could take anyone’s breath away on top of the aura she gave off was a dangerous combination, one that would stop any man in their tracks.
Jesus, he thought to himself as he huffed.You sound like some love-struck creep. Keep it in your pants, Romeo.
“You’re making me anxious,” Marlowe told the man, her head turning to see him still staring at her. “You can still admire me from a sitting position.”
