The rooftop of the old Science building wasn't on any student map, which was exactly why Eira chose it.
Cracked concrete tiles, a faded astronomy dome that no one bothered to maintain, and a broken vending machine that spat out stale crackers if you kicked it twice—it was her favorite kind of forgotten.
So, naturally, Callum followed her.
"You know this place isn't exactly... authorized?" he said, climbing over the rusted ladder with a little too much ease.
Eira sat on the ledge, legs dangling over the edge, a half-eaten chocolate bar resting on her lap. "Neither are we."
He blinked, wind ruffling his hair. "That's a little dramatic."
"You broke into university files, I hacked the admin database. If there's a 'Most Likely to Vanish After Graduation' yearbook category, we'd both win."
Callum snorted. "Alright, fair."
He took a seat beside her, not too close, but not far either. The city stretched beneath them, glittering like a thousand secrets keeping themselves.
"Do you always come here?" he asked.
"Only when the noise gets too loud."
"The noise?"
"People. Thoughts. Expectations." She picked at the edge of the wrapper. "Sometimes, I forget what quiet feels like."
Callum tilted his head, studying her profile. "You're quiet a lot."
"That's not the same."
They sat in silence again, but it was a different kind now—shared, not awkward. Safe.
Eira didn't realize she'd started leaning slightly toward him until their shoulders almost touched.
Callum noticed.
He didn't move.
Instead, he reached into his coat pocket and handed her a small, square box.
She stared. "What's this?"
"Before you accuse me of bribery, it's not a trap."
"Suspicious."
"Just open it."
Inside was a pair of wireless earpieces—sleek, matte black, compact.
"For comms," he said casually. "In case we split up again. Or, you know\... get chased by unmarked vans."
Eira blinked. Then, very slowly, she smiled. A small, amused, very real smile.
"You're preparing us for spy-level disasters now?"
He shrugged. "Always be five steps ahead."
"You mean three."
"Not when you're dealing with people who lie for a living."
Their eyes met, a quiet understanding folding between them. Unspoken, but heard.
Then, because the moment was getting a little too intense, Eira cleared her throat. "Still doesn't make us friends."
Callum raised a brow. "Oh? And here I was, thinking we were besties already."
She chuckled under her breath. "Keep dreaming, partner."
He leaned back, resting on his palms. "So... if we're not friends, and we're not enemies anymore... what are we?"
She took a bite of her chocolate bar. "Inconvenient allies."
Callum grinned. "Sounds romantic."
Eira rolled her eyes, but the pink tint rising in her cheeks gave her away.
He pointed toward the dome. "What even is that thing? Looks like it's about to collapse."
"It's the old observatory. No one uses it now."
He stood and walked toward it, peeking inside the dusty glass panels. "Think we can break in?"
She snorted. "You say that like we haven't already committed multiple academic felonies this week."
With a playful bow, he extended his hand. "After you, Agent Vale."
She hesitated, but took it.
Inside, the observatory was cold, forgotten, full of rusted instruments and collapsed furniture. But the view? Unmatched.
From there, the stars looked closer, and the sky seemed like a curtain waiting to be pulled back.
They sat side by side on an old bench, gazing up.
"I used to come here when I was younger," Eira said softly. "Before things got... complicated."
Callum didn't press.
Just nodded. "We could fix it up. The dome."
"You want to restore an illegal rooftop hangout?"
"Why not? It could be our HQ. You, me, and our comms. The world's smallest resistance team."
Eira gave him a sidelong glance. "You're weird."
"Admit it. You like it."
She didn't answer.
Didn't have to.
As the wind moved softly through broken vents and the stars blinked over their heads, the silence between them hummed with something new.
Not a beginning.
Not yet.
But maybe—just maybe—possibility.
And for now, that was enough.