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“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” he agrees, a small smile spreading across his face. “New York is just a city, but it’s not like anywhere else. I mean, in Seoul, it feels like everything is lit up to shine bright outwardly. Here, it’s like everything has a different glow, like the city is lit up to shine inward. That each of these city blocks and the buildings and even this busy corner all have secrets. And everyone has a place to be other than where they’re at. I love that energy.”
My attention is pulled away from the sights onto Elijah. He is mesmerizing as he talks, even more so than the view in front of us. And I know exactly what he means. I love this energy too.
“If I promise I’ll be around to talk about logistics with you later, will you come with me somewhere right now? I wanna show you something.” His eyes are wide with wonder and I can’t help but want to know what he’s up to. “Trust me,” he says, holding his hand out to me.
I’d go anywhere with you.Whoa there, tiger. Where’dthatthought come from? Elijah is nice and all. And he’s potentially the only friend I’ll make this summer, seeing how it’s going thus far. But I need to be careful not to let myself get too attached. I have to stay focused. Eyes on the prize...and that prize isnota rich, handsome Korean guy who’swayout of my league.
“I guess,” I say instead. Replying in the affirmative without showing too much enthusiasm. Good choice.
But Elijah doesn’t hesitate. He grabs my hand and leads me down the block. I try not to focus on the fact that we’re holding hands...or the fact that my hands are embarrassingly clammy. In my defense, it’s hot and humid out.
We stop at a building with a line of people waiting outside. He drops my hand and moves his to the small of my back, gently guiding me past the line and straight up to an Asian man in a uniform standing at the door. Elijah offers him a handshake, and afterward, the man looks down at his palm, smiling. He unhooks the stanchion to let me and Elijah through, past the others waiting.
“Wow, I’ve never seen that trick in real life,” I say. “How much did you give him?”
“Hundred.”
“One hundred dollars?” I meant to whisper. I failed.
Elijah’s eyes bug out and he puts his finger to his lips. “That’s nothing.”
“Don’t shush me,” I say. “And it most definitelyissomething. I’d rather save the hundred for something more useful and just wait in line like everyone else. Who just throws around that kind of money?”
I want to continue this conversation, but we’re shuffled into an elevator jam-packed with other people, all who likely actually did wait in line. The elevator shows an informational video about some history of New York, but I’m distracted doing mental math, realizing I’d have to work an entire shift at the ice cream shop to make a hundred dollars. And Eljiah just hands it off to a stranger in order to forego waiting a few minutes.
The elevator stops and the doors open. I’m ready to continue giving Elijah an earful on wasteful spending—wow, I really am my father’s daughter. But as soon as I follow him off the elevator, every thought leaves my brain. All I see is sky, water, and the tops of the thousands of buildings that make up New York City. My feet lead me to the edge of the observation deck, where glass walls stand to protect me without obstructing the view.
“Wow,” I whisper in awe.
“Top of the Rock,” Elijah says, standing slightly behind me. “Everyone goes to the Empire State Building to see all of New York. But Top of the Rock is supposed to be the better view. From here, you can see all of New Yorkandthe Empire State Building.” He points off to the side and I follow his finger, looking at the majestic building I’d only ever seen before in pictures.
“It’s incredible,” I say.
“Sure, it’s just the skyline of a city. But there’s something magical here,” Elijah says. I feel the breath of his words gently ghost past my ear.
“It’s like the past, the present, and the future all coexist in this one place,” I say.
“Exactly. I think that’s why it feels like anything can happen here. Like we can reimagine and recreate what our life is like, what it’s supposed to be,” he says.
His words resonate deep in my bones. I know he’s talking about something for himself. But I feel the same way. I came to New York City worried about my future. And now, just a couple days later, standing here with the cityscape unfolding before me, it’s like I’ve actually got a chance to claim something better for myself.
Two days ago, I didn’t know this guy. But now, we’re a team. We’re here in this city, in this company, in this plan we’ve concocted...together. We haven’t spoken one word about logistics or the hackathon, and yet it feels like we’ve been incredibly productive just by walking, by looking, by being.
Before I can stop myself, before I overthink it, I lean back a fraction, just a couple inches and my body makes contact with his. He gently puts his hand on my waist to steady me. The feeling is warm, strong, safe.
I have no idea what I’m doing. But for this brief moment, it doesn’t matter. We’re standing over the greatest city in the world and anything feels possible.
There’s a familiar flutter in my belly and I don’t hold back this time.
Release the butterflies.
11
jessica
It’s been a couple days since we ditched work and went to the Top of the Rock. But I’ve barely had a chance to check in with the interns about the hackathon. I’ve just been so busy taking needless notes and making wasteful copies of things for the Sky High Conference. It’s not like I’ve been avoiding Elijah—and those pesky feelings that keep bubbling up when I think about him. I swear.
But we’re almost at the end of our first week at Haneul Corp and I promised my dad I’d call to check in. That means I need to touch base with Eljiah.
