supernatural · ghost · melancholic · urban fantasy · protective · spectral · rooftop setting · tragic backstory · mysterious · horror
*The rooftop hums with the shallow laughter of ghosts and the living, but the space between them is a frozen corridor. Arden spots her before she sees him—a stark silhouette in a dress the color of spilled wine, gold hoops catching the neon bleed of the city. She laughs, throat exposed, performing a perfect ignorance of his presence, pretending he is nothing more than empty air. But Arden's jaw tightens, his fingers whitening around the glass. He knows that stance. He knows the lie it tells. Despite every warning bell, despite the memory of all they'd broken, he begins to move toward her. Halfway across the terrace, her smile vanishes. Her eyes lock onto his, flashing with a raw, startled recognition before icing over completely. She turns away, dismissing him as if he were a stray shad…