The next few days felt different for Ethan.
He still traded. He still watched the screens. He still sat in his chair in the dark hours of morning. But now the work did not feel like his whole world. It felt like step one. Step two was her.

He started timing his trades so he had excuses to call the desk while Sophie was on shift. He told himself it was business. He knew it was not. Sometimes the calls were real questions about order flow or spreads. Sometimes he knew the answer already and just wanted to hear her voice anyway.

She did not push him away.

She joked with him. She teased him a little. Sometimes she asked about his trades in a curious way. Sometimes she asked about him.

He liked that most.

On Thursday night he called and asked something that was not related to stocks at all

“Do you like rooftops”

There was a short pause. He could hear her smile through the line

“That is a strange question Ethan”

“It is not strange” he said “I am doing research”

“For what”

“For science”

She laughed “Okay scientist Tell me why you are asking if I like rooftops”

“Because I know a place” he said “Small building Not too high But you can see part of the river and you can see the lights downtown It is quiet and no one checks IDs And I was thinking that sometimes it is nice to be above the noise for a minute That is all”

He waited

He could hear her typing fade and stop

“Are you asking me to meet you” she said

“Yes” he said

He did not add anything after that. He did not dance around it. He felt his heart pound in his throat. He felt warm in his face. His hands felt a little shaky but his voice stayed steady

There was a long slow moment with only faint office sound on her side then she said quietly

“I get off at eight”

Something in his chest lit up

“I will be there at eight fifteen” he said

“Where is there”

“I will text you the address”

A softer pause “You are not supposed to have my number Ethan”

“I know” he said “But I do”

She made a small sound like a sigh that was not really a sigh “Okay Then text me”

After he hung up he just sat still with the phone in his hand and let out a breath he did not know he was holding. It felt like a win bigger than any trade he had taken that week.

At 8:12 that night he was leaning against the low brick wall on the roof of a five story building in the lower east side. He wore a clean black hoodie and jeans and sneakers that were actually tied this time. He had washed his hair and tried to make it sit in one direction. It would not listen. He did his best.

The sky above the city was not dark black. New York at night is never truly dark. It was more like deep gray with a faint orange reflection from streetlights. You could see windows lit in yellow squares. You could hear soft music from somewhere below. You could smell a little smoke and a little warm food drifting from open vents. It felt alive but private

He checked his phone

On my way she had texted

Elevator slow

Do not laugh if I am still in work clothes

He smiled at that last line and typed back

I will only laugh if you start taking live orders up here

A minute passed Then the heavy roof door pushed open

She stepped out

For a moment he could not speak

Sophie looked simple just like before but the way he felt when he saw her did not feel simple at all. Her hair was down this time and the city light caught soft strands of it. She had a light jacket over her work blouse and she looked tired in the way people look after a long day of dealing with other people. But her eyes were awake.

“Hi” she said

“Hi” he said

They both laughed softly because it felt too small for the moment.

“This is nice” she said as she walked to the edge and looked over the street “You come here a lot”

“When I am green on the day” he said

“And if you are red”

“If I am red I sit in my apartment and hate myself and pretend I am reviewing strategy”

She turned to him with a little smile “Honesty points again”

He shrugged “I told you I am not hedge fund I am just a guy in a hoodie”

“I see that”

They stood next to each other at the brick ledge looking at the view. They were close enough that their shoulders were almost touching. Almost. That almost felt louder than actual touch.

Below them the street looked calm. A couple walked by holding hands. A car rolled through a red light and no one cared. A bike delivery guy yelled sorry at a taxi he almost hit. Somewhere two blocks away a siren started then faded.

“It feels different up here” she said “Down there everyone is in a rush Up here it looks like a movie”

“Yeah” he said “Down there I am part of it Up here I can breathe”

She looked at him “Do you not breathe usually”

“Not really” he said with a small grin “Breathing is for people who sleep eight hours”

She looked at him longer now. Less playful. More serious.

“Can I ask you something” she said

“You can ask me anything” he said and he meant it

“Why do you trade the way you do” she asked “You are young You are smart You could take a normal job and still make money and sleep like a human But you sit in front of a screen at four in the morning and you bet real money on things that move fast and you act like that is normal It is not normal Ethan Maybe normal is not even what you want But I want to know why you live like this”

He leaned on his arms and looked at the river in the distance. He thought about lying. He did not lie.

“My dad left when I was fifteen” he said in a quiet voice “And my mom was working two jobs just to keep lights on and we were always behind and always stressed and I was angry all the time because everything felt out of control You know that feeling when you are young and you want to fix something but you cannot fix anything So you look for the one thing you can control”

She nodded slow “Yeah I know that feeling”

“I found trading videos online” he said “And I watched people turn a few hundred dollars into a few thousand in one day and I thought that was power I thought that was how you win at life I thought if I get good at this I will never need anybody I will never be scared I will never be left I will never have someone else decide if I get to breathe or not”

His voice was even when he said it He was not trying to be dramatic He was just saying what was true

Sophie watched him with soft eyes

“Has it worked” she asked

He let out a dry laugh “Money wise A little Yeah I am not broke I pay rent on time I do not owe anybody anything That part is good But the other part” He paused “The part about not needing anybody I do not think that part worked the way I thought it would”

She turned her face toward him. Her voice dropped

“Do you need somebody Ethan”

He swallowed

In that moment he felt more exposed than he ever felt in front of a trading screen He could lose fifty thousand dollars in a bad move and still talk like a wall. But this one question from this one girl almost took his breath

He looked at her for a long second

“Yes” he said

Just that

No explanations

He watched her eyes. She did not laugh at him. She did not step back. She did not act scared. She just took that answer like it was real and she held it.

“Thank you for telling me that” she said

The wind moved her hair across her cheek. Without thinking he reached out and gently brushed it away. His fingers shook. He had never done that before with anyone. Not in a careful way like that. Her eyes lifted to his when he touched her. She did not move away.

“Can I tell you something too” she said softly

“Yeah” he whispered

“I am not good at this either” she said “I go to class I go to work I go home I study I sleep I repeat I do not date I do not party I do not even say yes when people ask if I want to hang out after work I always say I am busy even if I am not busy I do not know why I do that I guess I like safe things And safe feels easier when you are alone”

He let her words sink in

“So we are both weird” he said with a small smile “Nice That makes it even”

She laughed under her breath and shook her head

“You know what I think is funny” she said

“What”

“I talk to traders every day” she said “All day I hear loud voices I hear panic I hear ego I hear people pretend to be strong and pretend they never make mistakes But when I talk to you I do not hear any of that I just hear this calm steady voice like you already know who you are You sound like you do not need to prove anything”

He blinked “That is not how I feel on the inside”

“I know” she said “But that is how you sound to me”

Her words hit him hard and warm

He looked at her and said quietly “You make me want to be better than I am right now”

Sophie did not answer at first. She just breathed in slowly and let it out. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something but she was thinking first

Finally she said “That is a dangerous sentence Ethan Miles”

“Why”

“Because that is the first sentence that sounds like you are starting to fall for me”

He felt his heart jump. He did not look away from her. The air between them felt tight and electric. The whole city around them felt blurry

“What if I am” he said

Her eyes softened. She did not smile this time. She looked serious and a little scared but not in a bad way. More like in a way that meant this mattered

“Ethan” she said quietly “I need you to know something I am not a game I am not a stock I am not something you chase to feel alive for one day and then move on from the next day I am not built for that I cannot do that I am not fast like that I am slow I am careful I am real And if I let you in even a little I am going to care about you for real and I need to know you understand that before we go any farther”

He listened to every word. He felt each word like weight. Not heavy in a bad way. Heavy in a true way. She was giving him rules for her heart like risk settings on a trade. He respected that.

He nodded

“I am not playing with you Sophie” he said “I swear I am not I do not want one night I do not want almost I do not want temporary I want to learn you I want to know you I want to show up and not disappear I do not know how good I will be at it because I have never done this but I am not lying to you”

Her eyes began to shine a little in the dim light. She looked down at her hands then back up at him

“Okay” she whispered “Then I am going to try to trust you”

When she said that his chest felt like it opened

He moved one step closer. Now they were shoulder to shoulder. He could feel warmth coming off her. He could smell the faint clean scent of her shampoo. His hands were shaking a little but he lifted one and gently touched her face

“Can I” he asked

She nodded once

He leaned in slow and kissed her

It was not fast and wild It was soft and careful and a little nervous and honest. Her lips were warm. He felt her hand slide up and hold his sleeve near his wrist like she needed to steady herself. The city around them kept moving but for him everything stopped

When they pulled back her forehead rested against his for a second. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them needed to

Finally she whispered

“You know if we do this it gets complicated for me at work”

“I know” he said “I will not call the desk just to hear your voice anymore I promise I will not get you in trouble”

She smiled a little “You can still call if you need a real trade”

He grinned “Yes ma’am”

She laughed softly “Do not call me ma’am I am twenty one”

He smiled “Right Sorry Miss Bennett”

She rolled her eyes “Worse”

He let out a breath and looked at her again “So what are we now”

She thought about it and gave a small half smile

“We are something that is going to make your heart move like a volatile small cap in pre market”

He laughed “That sounds dangerous”

“It is” she said “But I think you like risk”

He looked at her and said in a quiet sure voice

“I like you more”

They stayed on that rooftop until the air turned colder and the street below grew quiet. When they finally left and walked down the stairs together he felt different

For the first time in years Ethan Miles was not just trading for money anymore. He was trading for a future. And that future had her in it