Suddenly, the silence between us felt so heavy that I almost felt as though I couldn’t stand on my own feet.
What the hell did you do now, Isaac?Fuck if I knew, but this now felt like the longest elevator ride, and my chest was pounding. I needed fresh air. Why did I suddenly feel like I had been rejected by Max? Why did it matter? It’s not like anything was going to happen between us.
The elevator door opened onto the main deck on the eighty-sixth floor, and the cold air hit me immediately. I was hoping for fresh air, but I wasn’t aware that this was an open-air space. I struggled to breathe in the cold air and coughed a couple of times.
Once my lungs adjusted to the temperature, it wasn’t too bad. I was healing pretty quickly from yesterday’s smoke inhalation, and it was only when I spoke that my unrecognizable voice reminded me of what happened, even though I could hear it getting better.
There were dozens of people here, all gathering around the outer edges. Everybody had a camera in their hand. From smart cameras to big lens cameras and mobile phones, everyone was trying to capture a little bit of the magic of the Big Apple to take home. I walked around, admiring the effect that the changing light that the sun had from each side.
I looked behind to see where Max was. There weren’t a lot of people around the inside, but it still wouldn’t be hard to lose sight of him. I realized then I didn’t have his phone number, so if we were separated, I couldn’t get in touch.
I also wondered if Max would want to keep in touch once I went home. Probably not. I mean, I didn’t live in New York, so why would he want to stay in touch with me? He was probably just doing this for a bit of fun and as a favor to Dorian.
Max was just behind me, looking past me toward the horizon. I turned to where he was looking, hoping to catch what had him lost in thought when he spoke for the first time since we arrived on this floor.
“Time to go. We have to take the other elevator.” Max's voice was flat as if he wasn’t enjoying himself anymore.
I followed him feeling a little deflated. We’d had so much fun earlier. There had definitely been a connection between us. Unsure of what to say, I entered the elevator behind Max and settled against the back wall allowing some people to stand in front of me facing the door.
The top deck on the one hundred and second floor was even better than the main deck. To start with, there were fewer people around, which allowed us to go right to the front where glass panels surrounded the deck instead of metal bars. We walked around once until Max stopped me by putting a hand on my shoulder.
“Here,” he said. I settled against the glass, crossing my arms over my chest looking out toward the sun as it was setting. The outline of the buildings was becoming more visible the further down the sun went, leaving a dark rainbow of colors on the horizon.
Max settled next to me, resting his hands inside his pockets. I could feel the tension radiating from his body as he looked at the city below us.
“Isaac.” He inhaled deeply as though he was considering what to say next. “Alex,” he exhaled heavily, running his hands through his hair. This was something he seemed to do often as a physical outlet for whatever was going on inside his head.
“What about Alex?” I was confused.
“Who is he?”
“My brother,” I said, wondering why Max was asking about him.
With his body right next to mine, I could feel every movement he made, and the tension disappearing from his taller frame was as palpable as it was audible.
“Isaac,” he repeated, this time moving, but only to turn me around so I could face him. He was only a few inches taller than me, so he framed my body perfectly.
He looked from my eyes to my lips and back to my eyes again. I felt warm, both because the remaining sun was now behind me, and in anticipation, because I was hoping Max would kiss me.
He stepped closer again, putting his hands on each of my arms, our bodies touching, hard and warm. I had to look up at him. His eyes were like beacons of light trained on my lips, and I couldn’t help but lick them. I wasn’t teasing, I just didn’t know how to deal with the intensity of his gaze.
I closed my eyes, frozen in place. I couldn’t move. I didn’t dare break the moment. His forehead came to rest against mine.
“Isaac, are you—”
I didn’t let him finish. I knew what he was going to ask and knew exactly how I was going to answer.
