Page 133 of Blackwood

“Trust me.”

I take it. He leads me to the edge of a pier. No one’s around. Just city lights reflected on the water.

“This is my favorite spot,” he says after a long beat.

“Why?”

He shrugs. “Because even when everything’s fucked up, this still looks perfect.”

We sit at the edge of the water, legs dangling off the concrete ledge. The skyline stretches out across the water like a dream, all gold, silver, and sharp steel edges lit by the night.

Lex is quiet for a while. Just watching. “My dad used to bring me here when I was a kid.”

I glance over at him, surprised. “Yeah?”

He nods. “This was our spot. We’d grab pizza from a place down the block and sit right here.”

He points toward the Empire State Building in the distance. “He’d make me name every building I could see. Then he’d quiz me on the architects. Who built what. Why it mattered.”

There’s something soft in his voice now. Something I wasn’t expecting.

“He said you can tell who someone is by how they build.”

I don’t say anything. Just watch him. Lex leans back on his hands, eyes scanning the skyline like it’s a blueprint only he can read.

“That one’s my favorite,” he says, pointing to a sleek, mirrored tower near the Chrysler. “It’s a total nightmare structurally, narrow as hell, glass everywhere, not even close to practical. But it still stands.Still looks like a fucking dream.”

I smile. “Let me guess. You like the ones that shouldn’t exist.”

He grins. “Yeah. I like the ones that break the rules and don’t fall.” His gaze drifts back to me. “Just like you.”

Before I can say anything, his phone vibrates in his pocket. He doesn’t look away from me, but his phone doesn’t stop.

Buzz. Buzz.

He sighs, finally pulls it out and glances at the screen.

CADE

He flips it over face-down without answering.

“Lex,” I say softly. “You should answer it.”

He shakes his head once. “Not right now.”

“But—”

“No.” His voice is sharper this time. Firmer. “He wanted space to think about everything. So, I’m giving him his fucking space.”

Lex’s jaw tenses, his gaze locked out over the water like it’s the only thing keeping him from falling apart. “I told him I wasn’t giving up on the three of us,” he says. “I wasn’t giving up on you.”

My heart starts pounding. Hard. Unsteady.

“Lex,” I whisper.

“I had him meet you first,” he says, voice low, almost like it hurts to admit. “Because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I didn’t want to fall too fast for someone that wouldn’t…” he clears his throat, “that couldn’t…”

He stops. Runs a hand through his hair.