CLARITY

||01|| Toothpick

"What?" The word barely seeps out.

He breaths heavily through his nose as he goes against my previous demand to go away and climbs up the wall, hauling himself up in one movement with his arms. I stare at him blankly as he does so, now standing straight up and looking sideways at me.

"If you were gonna jump, you'd do it regardless of me being here or not. And given the fact that I'm now standing beside you and you're still here, you're probably just looking for a reason not to do it."

Looking away from him, tears spill from my eyes at his words.

I sniffle again just as I feel his hand brush against mine, cocooning my cold hand within his oddly warm ones. the skin of his palm is smooth, satisfying to rub my thumb across.

Usually, human contact makes me want to throw up.

People touching me in general, an ick that I've formed over the past few years.

But with this stranger that I met only several minutes ago? He's the only exception, apparently.

The breeze brushes between us again, freezing my tears and drying my eyes. I feel like crap. Just not as crappy as I did when a hand wasn't holding mine.

"What's your name?" He asks me.

My throat's dry as if I just consumed ten Popeyes biscuits with no drink. But I answer anyway, "Clarity."

"Clarity," He repeats like it's the most fascinating thing ever. "I like how that rolls off my tongue. It's pretty." He looks at me, and I notice a dimple in his cheek appear as he smiles softly.

No one had ever complimented my name before. I always found my name ironic. Clarity is clearness and lucidity. Whereas I feel as though I'm a jumbled mess of thoughts twenty-four seven. No clear path in sight.

"Yours?" I question.

"Olias."

Olias. And I'm the one with the pretty name? Pfft.

I look away from him and back down at the street that I nearly forgot was under me. In only a few minutes, this stranger has made me forget it all.

"You're risking your life being up here with a rando, y'know, Olias? I could pull you down at any second," I inform him.

He shrugs, letting out a soft cough, "It'd be a different story if I wasn't coming up here for the same reason you are." I turn my head at his words, my lips parting and eyes widening as he looks at me as well.

He was going to... jump? My thoughts about me leave and only fill with sympathy for the boy who may be around my age; eighteen.

I tighten my grip on his hand, "What? You can't."

Very hypocritical of me. But there's no way I'd let him go. Not with me here.

He squeezes my hand back, looking down the building, "Not if you don't." When he looks back at me, his lime-colored eyes are glossy with tears, and my heart softens for him. My problems begin to fall to the back of my head as this man fills every other inch of it.

What has him hurting so terribly? And how can I help?

I want to help, I need to help.

Not if you don't. He had said.

I press my lips together as I shift my feet so that my body faces him. He doesn't let go of my hand as he catches onto my movement and in one jump, he drops down onto the roof floor. He's stable within no time, dragging his fingers through his head of jet-black hair and then lifting his hands to me.

"C'mon, jump down, I got you," Olias assures me.

A smile creeps up on my lips as I crouch, putting my hands onto his shoulders and falling two inches into his arms. He stumbles back as his hands tighten around my waist to catch me. Then my feet touch the ground.

Without hesitation, I do the one thing I think he needs the most right now.

I hug him.

My arms wrap around his neck, lifting up on my toes to do so since he's quite a tall fellow. I'm above average height, however, standing beside him I might as well call myself short. I like it though, because when his arms raise to wrap around my frame, a warmth floods my once freezing body. His hands rest on the small of my back, tightening around my thin black crew neck shirt.

I'm gonna get hypothermia if I stay out for long. Especially with only a shirt and jeans on. I hadn't thought It would matter just a few minutes ago.

But my life will be prolonged. At least for a few more days.

Or until I make sure Mr stranger is okay.

His head drops to the crook of my neck, and I hear him sniffle. If he cries, I'll cry more. And then it'll just be one big crying mess.

In his ear, I whisper my next words, "Do you want to get coffee?"

It's the first thing to leave my mouth, desperate to lighten the mood a bit. And coffee always does that for me, so maybe it will for him too.

He doesn't move from his hug, so neither do I. Maybe it did help him after all.

"At three in the morning?" He asks, his breath fanning across my neck.

I shrug.

After a moment, he shrugs as well, leaning up from my neck. His eyes are red, but he doesn't seem like he was crying too hard. I want to hug him again.

"I don't see why not." He ends up saying. "My car is in front of the building."

I grin, excitement overtaking me. I never have anyone to get coffee with; My parents aren't great company, and neither is Jonah... And it's not like I want either of their companies at the moment anyway.

But I have a feeling Olias will be the perfect company.

Attempting to hide my excitement to get coffee, I bite my lip and take his hand, "Okay, come on then. I know the best 24-hour Starbucks location."

He only shakes his head and lets out a laugh through his nose, following me along down the staircase with his hand in mine.