The night air was crisp against your skin as you stood atop the rooftop, the city stretching below in a glittering sea of lights. You had no idea how Theo had convinced you to climb up here—or how he had done it so effortlessly while you nearly slipped three times. But here you were, sitting next to him on the ledge, legs swinging over the edge, adrenaline still buzzing in your veins.

"You’re terrible at this," Theo noted, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, the silver lighter catching in the moonlight as he flicked it open. The flame briefly illuminated his sharp features—high cheekbones and a smirk.

You rolled your eyes, still catching your breath. "Not all of us have your ridiculous sense of balance."

He exhaled, the smoke curling around him like something alive. "Or your recklessness," he mused. "Which, for the record, I usually discourage."

You nudged him with your shoulder. "And yet, here we are."

He glanced at you then, something unreadable in his expression. "Here we are," he echoed softly.

A silence stretched between you, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was charged, humming with the weight of things left unsaid. This was how it always was with Theo—he never spoke more than necessary, never revealed more than he had to. But right now, sitting under the stars with the city below and the thrill of the night still in your bones, you felt a shift.

"You ever wonder what it’d be like to just—run?" you asked suddenly, tilting your head back to look at the sky. "Leave everything behind, go somewhere no one knows you?"

Theo was quiet for a long moment. Then—"No."

You turned to him, brows furrowed. "No?"

His gaze flickered to yours, something almost wistful in his smirk. "I have nowhere to run to."

The words settled in your chest, heavy and strange. You opened your mouth, but before you could say anything, he reached out—so quick you barely saw it—plucking a stray thread from your sleeve.

"You’ve got terrible luck," he murmured, voice teasing but laced with something else.