Help me piece it all together, darling

Inia sits with her back pressed to the wall. She stares off into the distance of blurry lights and tall buildings, her breath visible in the cold air. She mindlessly fiddles with a loose seam on her cloth wrap. She had recently been recovering from a harsh fall where she had broken her shoulder and was left unconscious for almost an entire week. This also revealed many secrets to the world that she hadn’t been quite ready to share. Her best friend had stood up for her privacy, though not demanding, the constant bombardment of questions left her exhausted and overwhelmed. She took a deep breath, being alone on the rooftop of a building was relaxing, the buzz of cars and people down below giving her soothing background noise.

There was one secret she had yet to tell, and although Rua assured her she was right, she hadn’t spoken to Mako. Not about how he was worried for her, not about how he stayed with her all the days and nights she had spent passed out in bed, not about the personal talk the night before they split from each other, and most definitely not about the way she felt when she thought about him. She felt very alone even with the world of people around her and supporting her. Her words got caught in her throat whenever she tried to talk to him.

She slowly lifts herself, peering over the side of the building to all the people down below who had no worries or cares, at least not to her.

‘Oh to be like that for one day, mindless and happy.’ She considers it seriously. Life was taxing, her life was taxing, always full of something weird or dangerous, and here she was unable to talk about a damn boy. She grunted, kicking a small stone into the brick fence, watching as it bounced a few times towards the door. She slowly turned around to head over to it when the rooftop door creaked open. She froze in her steps, staring into the dark crack as it slowly opened further. She couldn’t tell who was there but she felt their eyes staring a hole into her.

“Inia?” She didn’t even need to see to be able to know who was coming out. Mako’s head moved into the moonlight, followed by his body as he closed the door behind him. Rua must’ve sent him up, maybe, and she couldn’t escape now. She felt her throat tighten and her heart started to race.

“Mako…” She croaked. She cleared her throat, but it didn’t do much to help. “Mako, what are you doing up here?”

He took a step forward to reach out for her hand, and she instinctively stepped back. “Are you mad at me Inia? I feel like every time we see each other you don't wanna speak to me. You seem nervous, yet for some reason, I felt like you might be up here. Why my apartment building roof?”

She bites the inside of her cheeks, looking down towards his feet. “No, no I’m not mad. I just…” She rubs her hands together. ‘Now is the time to tell him,’ she thinks, ‘The worst he can say is no, rather than playing this stupid game-’ and her hands feel warm. He’s taken them in his own. It’s the truest warmth she’s felt in a while.

“I like you Mako," she blurts.

“Well yeah, I like you too Inia. I hope you know that when we fight I don’t mean it. You mean a lot to me-”

“I like you more than that, Mako.”

They stand in silence for what feels like an eternity.

“Oh.”

His grip on her hands loosens, and they slowly fall apart. She’s not sure what to think, a thousand thoughts running through her head, but she feels the weight fall off her shoulders and her breath composes itself.

“I’m sorry if that’s weird, I just couldn’t face you without telling you and I’m sorry for being weird about it and-”

With a swift movement, her body is pulled forward and surrounded by a fiery warmth, which she instantly melts into. She sighs a deep breath, lifting her arms to wrap around his body.

“It’s okay Inia, I like you too. More than like, too.”