Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!
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Rooftops. One of the best places to go to just get away. At least, that was Josh's opinion. He loved roof tops. He loved the feeling of getting away and taking time for himself to just think. To just breath. He loved the feeling of being alone and having time to get all his thoughts together of everything that's happening in their lives.
When he was younger and still living at home, he would climb out his window and climb to the roof of his house. He would sometimes sit there for hours with his elbows propped up on his knees until his mother called him in for dinner.
When he got to NYU, one of the first things he did was find a way to get to the roof of the building of his dorm. Where sometimes he would go and do his homework or even just to look at the night sky whenever he needed some space from his roommates entertaining that he would do in their room.
His favorite rooftop however was his brothers apartment building. Cory had one of the best roof tops that Josh had ever been on. The view was beautiful, the air was refreshing. And it was nice to go out during night when you could see the skyline lit up. That was his favorite part.
Rooftops were something sacred for Joshua Matthews. He never invited just anyone on a rooftop with him, because that was his thing. His getaway place. The only thing that he felt nobody could ever take away from him.
"Oh!" A surprised shout came from behind his shoulder. Josh turned around and saw Maya standing there in her PJ's. Bunny slippers on her feet, her leather jacket wrapped around the old AC/DC t-shirt she wore. In her hands a sketchpad and a pack of variety different art pencils and pens. Josh had learned early not to refer to them as regular colored pencils.
"I'm sorry," he snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice. "I didnt realize you were up here. I'll just go back." She turned around to head back down.
"Wait." Josh called out to her. Maya stopped and turned back around. "It's okay. You can stay. I dont own the building." He joked lightly. She hesitated for a moment.
"No, its fine. I really should be in bed anyway-"
"Maya." He spoke softly. Maya stopped talking and bit her lip as the faint red flushed up to her face. He motioned his head over to where he was standing. And Maya slowly started to make her way towards him. "Why are you still up?" He asked her as she came to stand beside him.
"Sometimes I cant sleep. And when I cant sleep I usually draw." She told him as she held up the sketchpad, pencils and pens.
"You come up here often?" He asked. Maya shrugged her shoulders.
"Sometimes. The view up here is better than my apartment building." She admitted.
"You like rooftops?" He asked her as he looked over at her.
"Well, they're good spots for drawing." She said. "I'm always looking for a good place to draw, and this just happens to have an incredible view." Josh looked back over towards the view. "Do you like rooftops?" She asked. Josh smiled.
"Can you keep a secret?" He asked her. Maya seemed a bit shocked as he looked over at her.
"Of course." She licked her lips. Josh smiled.
"I love rooftops." He said. "Whenever I have a problem, or I just need time to think, I always stop what I'm doing and go to a rooftop." Maya smiled slightly.
"That's not much of a secret." She said. Josh shrugged his shoulders.
"I've never told anyone that before. Nobody knows my love for rooftops. Except you. Maybe that isn't much of a secret, but its the biggest one I have." He admitted. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. Maya stared at him. "Well, that and I'm crazy about this particular blond girl I know."
Maya chuckled lightly as she mimicked his movements and shoved her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket.
"Why rooftops?" She asked him. He took a deep breath and his shoulders slaked, as though he were thinking about his answer.
"The fresh air, the isolation, the privacy. If you find a tall enough building, sometimes you feel like you're on top of the world. Like you're the only person in the world. And sometimes that's the best feeling." He explained.
"So why did you tell me?" She asked. Josh looked over at her and smiled.
"Because the only thing that beats that feeling for me, is sharing it with someone I love." He whispered. Maya stared at him for a moment, before slowly a smile appeared on her face. He grinned at her.
Josh walked over to a bench that was in the corner of the rooftop, there for people who would sometimes come and sight see.
"I'm going to sit here for a while and just think. You're welcome to join me." He sat down and closed his eyes for a moment. Maya bit her lip and slowly made her way over. She sat down beside him and opened up her sketch pad.
"Do you mind if I draw a little?" She asked him. He opened one eye and looked over at her.
"Do I get to see it once your done?" He asked. Maya grinned at him before opening her packet and taking out one of the pencils. Josh smiled and closed his eyes again, letting his head come to rest on the back of the building wall that the bench was leaned across.
The wind around them rustled through their hair, the faint noises of sirens and cars driving below them. The skyline lighting up the rooftop for them. They both fell in comfortable silence beside each other.
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Hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading!