𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚢 𝙱𝚡𝙱)

Track 48 | 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗰 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗲

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Waking up in Ari's bed the third time wasn't as pleasant as the first two. 

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Eden, sound asleep, directly across from me on the mattress. A younger Harvey probably would've swooned at the sight of her like this, or maybe even dreamed of the opportunity to be in this certain predicament with her, but as of now, all I could think about was Arizona.

He was missing, yet again. There was an empty space lying between Eden and me. My hand softly grazed the imprint in the sheets where his body once was, feeling the warmth radiating from the blankets. He was here a minute ago. If he'd gone somewhere, he wasn't far.

I shot straight up out of bed, groaning from the emerging pains in my back. I yawned and stretched my limbs, trying my best to keep quiet and make little movement so that Eden could sleep undisturbed. After all, she deserved to rest.

"Oh, fuck," I muttered to myself, realizing something urgent. I never texted Rosie or Mom about where I'd be spending the night.

I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out my phone, noticing the 10+ missed calls from Rosie and the 30+ text message notifications from Mom. Knowing Hayley, she was probably pissed—or better yet—worried out of her mind.

"Fffffuucckkk..."

I glanced over at Eden, entirely unconscious, her clothes loose and her hair a mess—an elegant mess, at that. My attention moved back over to the phone. I opened the text thread with my Mom and read all her frantic messages, my heart beating faster with every word bubble.

I felt a breeze hit the back of my neck, making my already shivering body shiver again. I spun my head around to see that the window had been left wide open. I specifically remember it being closed when we'd all fallen asleep last night.

Quickly, I drafted a frankly weak response to my Mom's worried texts, just enough to let her know I was alive and safe, sent it, and pocketed the phone. Then I planted my feet on the window sill (I was still wearing my shoes since I had fallen asleep with them on) and climbed out onto the ladder. The dewy morning atmosphere wasn't as chilly as previous mornings, thankfully.

I stared at the half-concrete and half-dirt ground of Ari's backyard, pondering to myself where he might've gone. I stood there for about a minute or so, unmoving, just brainstorming ideas while suspended midair on the steel rung ladder, which was still cold and damp to the touch.

I turned my head to the left, staring out at the horizon, watching the sun just barely peeking through the cracks between buildings, chimneys, air-conditioners, and other mechanical utilities attached to resident housing. It was a gorgeous sight. It almost made me want to climb higher to get a better view.

Then, it hit me. I looked straight up. The ladder extended all the way up to the roof. It was like a lightbulb had gone off in my head.

I decided to give it a shot. 

I reached with my arms and began to ascend the ladder, climbing upwards. Once my head was able to peek over the rooftop, I saw him. He was sitting all the way at the other end of the roof, the front of the building; the same way he was last night at the abandoned office complex. His back was facing me, prohibiting me from seeing his face.