Page 66 of Fake it For Good
“No,” I said. “You and I have nothing to do with her. I don’t give a shit what she thinks.”
“You should have told me she was there,” she said again.
“I should have. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t have any right to be pissed,” she said.
I knew a pissed woman. When they said fine or whatever, you were in deep shit. Because I didn’t know Noelle all that well, I wasn’t sure how she preferred things to be settled. Did I apologize? Did I change the subject? Did I just keep my mouth shut? Being single the last couple of years wasn’t the worst thing. I started for her apartment, choosing to remain silent.
“Take a left here,” she said after a good fifteen minutes of silence.
It wasn’t the way to her place, but I did as she asked. It wasn’t long before the street got darker. Men congregated in groups at every street corner. “Uh, can I ask where we’re going?” I asked.
“Just a little farther,” she said.
“I know you’re pissed, but is this really necessary?”
“Is what necessary?” she asked. “And I’m not pissed.”
“I don’t know if you’ve looked out the window, but this is a pretty sketchy neighborhood,” I pointed out. “I mean look at the place.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“It isn’t that good,” I corrected. “Do you plan on mugging me and taking my car?”
“Very funny,” she said. “Quit being so dramatic. If I wanted to mug you, I could have done it several times already. I didn’t. Stop right up there.”
I looked up at the building that looked like it might fall down at any minute. “What are we doing?”
“Come on,” she said. “Don’t be a pussy.”
“I’m not a pussy, but I also don’t want to get shanked.”
“You’re not getting shanked,” she said, laughing. “That’s only in prison. Out here, it’s just a regular stabbing.”
She climbed through a window that had been boarded up at one point, but someone had removed the plywood. “Is this breaking and entering?” I asked.
“Did you break anything?”
“No, but I would think we could use the front door if we were welcome,” I pointed out.
“The building is closed,” she said. “It’s been sitting empty for ten years. Just follow me.”
“You’re in a dress,” I reminded her.
“And heels,” she called out with a laugh.
I followed her up six flights of stairs. By the time we reached the top, I was out of breath. She grabbed a brick from the corner and pushed open a door. Cold air immediately hit me. She stepped onto the roof and gestured for me to join her.
She put the brick down to keep the door from closing. The fact the brick was there and that she knew about it told me she’d been up here a time or two before.
“What are we doing up here?” I asked.
She was rubbing her naked arms with her hands. “Look at the sky,” she said. “There are actual stars.”
I shrugged out of my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. I looked up, and sure enough, there were stars. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve been to your house, and I know you get to see stars all the time, but for those of us stuck in the city, this is one of the few places we can actually see them.”
