"No, no, no! There's no chickening out!"
Mike's fingers were wrapped lightly around Tina's forearm as he coaxed her, begging her to join him. He had one foot out the window and the other on his bedroom floor, holding himself steady while he pulled gently on Tina. He stuck his bottom lip out as he gave her a fake whimper as he put on his best sad puppy look.
"Come on, Tee," he whined, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to hers tenderly. "I don't want to be out there alone. It's cold and lonely."
Tina rolled her eyes and scoffed at Mike, which only made him smile. He knew she was hesitant because she was afraid of heights, but he really did get lonely out there sometimes. His parents would never allow him on the roof if they knew and would be especially against the idea if Tina was joining him. Despite his parents' wishes, Mike went out there a lot to watch the stars and hoped for a time when him and his girlfriend weren't being watched so closely that they could sneak out there together. That was the beauty of that night though. Mike's parents were away on business and he had the house to himself. What his parents didn't know wouldn't kill them, but not getting to do this to Tina would kill Mike. Maybe it was silly and pointless to someone else, but the nights he spent out there, he mostly thought of her. And, just once, he wanted her really there instead of just wishing she was.
"Fine, fine, I'll go," she muttered with a sigh and a smile. Mike's face lit up with a grin and he pushed his window open fully and made his way out. His fingers wrapped around Tina's as he helped her out onto the roof and they stayed intertwined until he had to close the window, propping it up with one of his old baseball trophies. He saw her standing close by, her knees looking weak and shaky, and smiled at her for a moment before grabbing her hand again.
"Don't worry. I'm a ninja, remember? I'm super stealthy and would never let you fall."
She gave Mike a weak smile and he returned a confident one. He'd gotten her out there, that was the hard part, and now all they had to do was make it to the top to lie down. Mike wrapped his arm around her waist and led her towards the incline of the roof they had to scale to reach that spot. She turned and her brown eyes, bright under the full moon's glow, were laced with anxiety. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before turning her around and placing both hands on her hips.
"I'll be right behind you," he instructed her as she began to climb the gradually incline. She seemed less hesitant as she climbed and he followed steadily behind her.
"Your butt looks especially fine from this angle," he commented with a laugh.
"Michael! I should kick you," she scolded, though her laughter left him wanting to hear it more. "I have a good shot from here, you know." She teased him, lifting her leg and causing him to bob his head backwards to avoid it. She planted her foot again and was at the top, plopping down on her bottom and waiting for Mike to finish the climb. When he reached her he let out a light sigh and turned to her, the corners of his lips pulling into a content smile.
"See, it's worth the trouble of getting here," he said lightly, reluctantly pulling his gaze away from the beautiful girl next to him and moving it to the clear night sky above him. The stars were bright in this part of town; away from the city and streetlights so that the sky was clearer and untouched by lights. It was cloudless, the perfect night for stargazing, and Mike could almost see the stars flickering as his eyes grazed across the open, vast sky.
"It's so beautiful up here, Mike," Tina whispered as her arm snaked around his own, her head leaning onto his shoulder. He let out a content sigh and rested his head on Tina's.
He hadn't felt so at ease in such a long time. With school, Glee, football, and his family; things had become overwhelming to say the least. But every time he looked at Tina, he was reminded of why he woke up every morning and pushed through even the hardest of days. She was waiting for him outside those covers each and every day. Waiting to challenge him, encourage him, and most importantly, love him.
"That's why I wanted to bring you up here," Mike explained quietly as his lips pressed against her hair, the familiar smell of her lavender shampoo making him smile. "I wanted to show the prettiest girl in the world the prettiest thing out of this world. But now that I have you here, I think you may claim both of those titles."
"You're so cheesy," she giggled. Mike laughed with her, knowing it was completely true. He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb easily along her skin as his attention turned from the sky and back to her.
"But you so love it. You can't deny it," he said confidently, giving her a smug smile.
"I never said I didn't," she cooed. "It's kind of my favorite thing."
Mike shook his head lightly and pressed his lips to Tina's, smiling as he did. He'd never grow tired of the taste of her lips, the smell of her skin, the feel of her hand in his. He'd never be able to forget how she made his heart pick up to alarming rates, made his head spin, and made him smile like an idiot. After all the time they'd been together, she still had this intoxicating effect on him that he could never shake. But then again, it was silly to believe that you could ignore love. That's what this was. This was love and it was all theirs.