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Now that Dylan's an FBC contractor, she was no longer required to keep tabs on his location. But he hadn't checked in all day, and she was a bit worried. Concerned - yeah, just a tiny bit concerned.
He'd been on Mold duty all day. The Mold was the most benign of all the threats they're facing (relatively), but they needed to keep it in check, especially with the barrier breaking down. The team at the park had said Dylan headed off for the day. He hadn't reached out himself, though. She wasn't used to not being in constant communication with him anymore. He might have returned to his apartment, but she wanted to check one place first.
Ever since she introduced him to the Watchtower's rooftop, Dylan had taken a liking to the place. It was just a couple of floors above her office, but completely secluded. Getting there involved going through a maze of unfinished staircases and construction.
Zoe found Dylan sitting on the ledge, his back to her, the Patterned Manhattan skyline stretched out below a wide, open, orange sky. Her stomach lurched, thinking about the height, until she remembered it was Dylan. He'd be fine.
She quietly closed the door behind her. So far, only the two of them knew about the place. He was listening to music on his CD player she'd given him, the sound a bit tinny through the low-quality speakers. His hair moved gently in the wind.
He probably wanted to be alone. She'd only wanted to make sure he was okay, anyway. She was about to turn around and head back down when he turned his head towards her.
"Hey, Zoe," he said, smiling. There were faint shadows under his eyes, but he seemed okay.
"Hey. I'll head back down if you want to be alone."
"No, it's okay. It would be great if you could join me." He paused. "If you're not busy, that is," he added awkwardly.
"Nope, not busy. I can hang out for a while."
She walked towards him and sat down on the rooftop a little behind him, away from the ledge but still near enough.
With the Patterning breaking down, the day and night cycle had returned. No more eternal afternoons in the Watchtower. The sunset made his dark hair look almost reddish. It lit the line of his jaw, the curve of his mouth, and his eyes…
Zoe cut the thought short.
"What are you up to?" she asked.
"Nothing, really. Just listening to the mixtape you gave me. Sorry for inviting you, there's not much to do."
"Nah, don't worry. This is nice, actually. From here, I can imagine we're away from all the shit that's happened and everything that's still happening."
"Yeah. That's why I'm here. Away from everything. Just for a couple of minutes."
It was just the two of them and the breeze, unseasonably warm for an October evening in Manhattan, the music marking the passage of time.
She let herself sink into the moment. It was a welcome change from the chaos since the AWE started.
"Zoe."
Dylan said her name softly. He left the ledge and sat right beside her.
"Hm?" She turned to look at him.
"Thanks for joining me."
He was looking straight into her eyes, his gaze open and unguarded. He'd been like that with her since the first time they met. This wasn't new. But there was something about the way he looked at her that made it difficult to look away.
Her face began to heat up.
"No problem. You're decent company. And it's good to be away from paperwork once in a while," she said a little too quickly, trying to play it off.
What the fuck. She was not an inexperienced teenager to be blushing over this.
Something like a smile tugged at his mouth. He glanced down at his hands for a second.
"Can we stay a little longer? Just until the sun sets?"
Those eyes, back on hers, were almost pleading.
There was no need for him to plead. Or even to ask.
She nodded and moved just a little closer to him, her hands resting on the concrete between them. After a moment, his hand settled beside hers, close, but not quite touching. She could think of nothing but the sliver of space between their fingers. She wanted to close it. She couldn't. But for now, this was enough.
The music played on, and she hoped that the sun would forget to set.
For a little while, everything was warm and good.