Always #MidnightSunMovie

Short Story

I feel the wind blowing strong and it almost knocks my camera out of my hand. I'm taking pictures of the New York skyline from atop the Empire State Building as someone bumps into me. I turn around and see a guy about my age.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," he apologizes as he fiddles with settings on his camera. It looks like the same model as mine.

"It's fine. Do you need some help?" I ask, nodding at his camera.

"Oh, yes, please."

"What are you looking for?"

He tells me what and I set it for him.

"Thank you," he says.

"Of course."

I'm about to walk away when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

I turn around and the guy asks, "Do you mind letting me take a few pictures of you? "

"No, of course not."

He puts his hand out, "Ryan."

I shake his hand, "Ava."

He positions me in front of the Chrysler building and snaps a few photos and then places me all over the deck.

"Thanks," he says once we're finished.

"Yeah. How do you feel about an adventure?" I ask.

"I'm down."

I take his hand and we run for the elevators.

*

Three hours later and here we are, sitting in Bryant Park drinking Starbucks hot chocolate after running all around Times Square.

I've learned that he moved to New York for college, he's staying with a couple of friends, and that his family lives in Nevada. He has two little brothers and he's twenty.

"Wait, so you're only nineteen and you live here alone?" He asks.

"Yeah, but my cousins live in Staten Island," I explain.

"Wow, I don't know if I could live here alone," he says.

"Well, my best friend lives not too far away."

"Hm. You ready for more adventure?" He challenges.

"Always."

We head down fortieth street and then catch the D train to the Freedom Towers.

*

We walked all around the Freedom Tower and the Nine-Eleven memorial. The museum was closed so we couldn't go in.

We just decided to head back to Times Square.

I'd never just randomly gone places with people I barely knew, but how else was I supposed to get to know him. I felt this weird pang in my stomach that I had never had before when I thought about how this could be a spur of the moment thing. I think I'm slowly falling for him.

We talked and talked for hours on end. I'd learned so much about him in just one night.

I looked over at Ryan and saw him moving his hands and laughing about how his little brother had done something stupid. I laughed along with him as we walked.

Ryan looked over at me and said, "I don't want this to end."

"Is it possible to find fall in love in one night?" I ask.

"Always," he said. "And I think I did."