Maggie -

I couldn't wait to hear from Jackson, but a simple phone call wasn't enough. I wanted to touch him, to feel my fingertips tracing the ink drawings all over his skin. I wanted to feel my lips pressed tight against his and taste the mixture of metal and mint on my tongue. My mind was plagued with him in my every thought until Nick provided me with a brief distraction.

The rooftop view is beautiful as I stand leaning against the slim metal barrier that's my only separation from a straight drop. When Nick first brought me up here the view made me sink to the floor with dizziness, but now, after sharing the second bottle of wine, the shining city lights and tiny people lining the street intrigue me more than anything.

"Maggie get back over here. You're too close to the edge." Nick shouts from a few yards away.

I brush him off and suddenly remember the phone still held tightly to my ear with Jackson's voice booming inside it. I can hear his clear attempt to stay calm, but even in my drunkest moments, I couldn't mistake the sound of his voice on edge.

I try to keep conversation but my mind keeps drifting to the people on the street. Like tiny ants, they wander about their night with no clue that I'm watching them. How high up here are we? Fifteen floors maybe? I take the elevator to the top floor to my office multiple times a day but I suddenly can't think clearly enough to count.

Lights decorate the nearby office buildings and I can see the club I used to work at lit up like a Christmas tree. The music is always so loud down there but up here, however high we are it seems as if it's muted.

The people below us seem like little specs and for a moment I pick out a few people I used to work with. I'm not sure if it's actually them or not, it's much too far away to tell, but my drunken mind has already named them Beth and Sam.

Bethany and Sam seem to be in some kind of argument and as I lean closer to look Nick yells at me to get back from the ledge. I give him a glare and continue listening to Jack.

I've missed his voice, it's been less than a day but I feel like I've been deaf without it. I close my eyes and picture his lips making the sounds.

"Who is with you?" Jack asks through clenched teeth and I imagine his perfect jaw tensing.

"That's just Nick. He's helping me read through some of these scripts. He brought wine!" I hear the words coming out of my mouth but I don't feel myself saying them. A spinning sensation fills my head and my stomach clenches uncomfortably.

"I'm ordering you a fucking cab." Jackson shouts and I open my eyes. He is not starting shit with me right now. I longed all day to hear his beautiful voice and this is what I'm blessed with, the angry emotional Jackson.

"You absolutely are not. I'm a grown woman and I do what I please." I shout back into the phone, holding it away from my mouth so I can look at his name as I yell. "Besides, even if I wanted to leave I couldn't. We're locked in."

I hear him shouting back but before I can hear the words my phone slips from my hands and falls fifteen floors to the street.

My first thought is, 'Please God don't let this hit someone.' My second is just, 'Jackson!' as I lean over the barrier to attempt to catch my phone.

Before I can properly react Nick is yanking me back from the ledge and scolding me.

"Damn it, Maggie! I told you to back the hell up from the ledge!" Nick crosses his arms in anger and begins grumbling to himself, "God damn daredevil woman, always getting me into trouble."

"Well, did you kill anyone?" He asks and my eyes just about pop out of my skull as the realization hits.

We both dart back to the barrier, leaning over to scour the street for anyone howling in pain. The people I declared as Sam and Beth are gone and I don't spot a single soul in the area my phone would have landed.

Thank god.

Knocking someone out is the last thing I need on my conscience. The wine makes it difficult to concentrate so I crinkle my forehead in thought, attempting to process what happened.

My missing phone is upsetting, but what's worse is the thought of not being able to speak with Jack. He probably thinks I hung up on him and I would have if I knew he was within reach, but this time he's over a thousand miles away.

"Let me see your phone." I quickly turn from the ledge and grab Nick's shoulders in a desperate plea, but he backs away and crosses his arms in defiance.

"Why, so you can toss it too?" He smirks and despite my seemingly desperate situation, I can't help but crack a small smile.

"No, so I can call Jack. I'm sure he thinks I've hung up on him." I plead with my hand stretched out towards him. Nick simply rolls his eyes but he gives in and hands me his phone anyway.

"Do you have Jack's number?" I ask as my finger glides across the glass screen of his phone searching for the letter J in his contacts. Jaclyn, Jamie, Jennifer, so many names beginning with a J but no Jackson. Panic surges through me and I meet Nicks chocolate eyes.

"Yeah right. Why would I have that assholes number?" Nick spits with a sour look on his face before realization hits him. "Oh, sorry."

I hit the power button to lock his phone, hand it back to him, then slide down the barricade and place my head in my hands. We're locked in here all night and I don't have a way to reach Jackson.   Not talking with him shouldn't be as big of a deal as it feels, but I hate leaving things this way. 

Growing up in the foster system had to have been rough, everyone in Jackson's life has left him at one point or another. I want him to understand that I'm not going anywhere unless it's by his side. If I can't reach him and smooth things out I don't know what he'll do, but I wouldn't put it past him to fly home and ruin his tour.

When I was younger I used to make it a point to memorize every phone number. I memorized my own home, friends and even my teacher's phone number. But now everything is just saved in our phones, so when they're destroyed so is everything in it. I feel completely defeated and a hangover creeps into my brain before I'm even sober.

"Are you alright?" Nick asks softly as he kneels beside me and tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear.

"No. Everything in my life is a mess and I am too." I admit in defeat.

"Well, you're the most beautiful mess I've ever seen." Nick teases and I raise my heavy head to meet his chocolate brown eyes.

"You're different."  I blurt out without thinking. 

"Wow, thanks.  I guess?" His face teases at a smile mixed with confusion and I try to explain what my alcohol-induced mind was thinking. 

"You never take anything too seriously, you handle even the toughest of dilemmas with a smile and I don't think I've ever even seen you stressed.  Hell, you laughed after we committed a felony."

"I don't think breaking into your own mom's house consists of being a felony."  He tries to hide a smile but I see the corners of his mouth begin to turn. 

I'm so dizzy, I can't help but let out a giggle as I slowly succumb to the pull of gravity and lay flat on my back.

"Beautiful." I whisper as I study the starry atmosphere and Nick lays down beside me. "Thank you for bringing me up here."

My eyes meet Nicks before he turns his head away to continue watching the stars. 

"There's no one else I'd lay on a dirty concrete roof in an expensive suit with." Nick shrugs and I begin to giggle uncontrollably as I realize what a mess my life is. 

"This is a disaster. What am I going to do?" I ask as if he holds the key to solving all my problems.

"Well Maggie, it's okay if you fall every once in a while." Nick stands and brushes off his dress pants before he offers me a hand and a reassuring smile. "You just have to be sure you always get back up. Let's start by looking for Jack's number, I'm sure someone in the office here has it. The maid won't be here until about five."

Nick rolls up his dress shirt sleeve and checks his watch. "That gives us at least four hours to scour people's desks and maybe even find some juicy gossip."

I take a deep breath and wipe a finger under each eye to check for eyeliner smudges and we head downstairs to start our search.

At the moment, the most logical option I can think of is Christian's office so I prepare to break in. I start looking for something I can use as a lockpick and find a nail file on the cubical directly across from his office.

I've never picked a lock before, but I've seen them do it in movies. I figure if I press my ear against the door and listen for clicking I should be able to get it. Or not. But it's definitely worth a shot.

By the time I turn around I notice Nick standing beside the office with another massive smile planted on his face. I like it when he smiles.

"What's so funny?" I ask as I clasp onto the nail file I just found.

"Planning to shank someone with that?" He smirks and my brows pull together.

"I was actually planning to pick the lock, but don't test me." I give him a smirk right back and cross my arms.

Nick simply turns the slender handle and with a gentle nudge the door opens wide, revealing its contents.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but at least with Christian's office, we won't be committing a second breaking and entering. His door is usually unlocked."

"Why doesn't he lock it? Isn't he afraid someone will go through his stuff?" I gasp and Nick laughs in response.

"Christian is the nicest guy here, even more so than me. I'm assuming either he has nothing to hide, or he just trusts that no one like us will be going through his work." He lets out a chuckle and walks inside.

Nick's remark makes me feel guilty and I decide I'll be respectful as I can while I look through his things.  I'd hate to invade Christian's privacy after he's been so good to me.

After carefully sorting through drawers and paperwork it becomes clear that Christian hasn't left a phonebook or any scraps of paper lying around with Jackson's number on it so we move on to Alex's office.

Alex is Jackon's publicist, he's the asshole who told Jack to lie to the public and to use me as a publicity stunt to gain more of a following.  If there's anyone's shit I don't mind ruffling through it's his.  I can't believe he's still employed here after the stunt he pulled. 

Alex's office is the opposite of Christians.  It's locked and my nail file snapped in half the first time I attempted to use it, but it only takes Nick a little forceful wriggling of the door to get it to open. 

The moment it's open the smell of cheap cologne and sex waft past me almost knocking me to my knees.  I bring my elbow up to cover my face, using my sweater to filter some of the stale air.

"Oh God, let's go through this quick and get the hell out of here, I can't stand the stench." I half-whisper to Nick. 

"Uh, I don't think that will be possible." Nick says and I quickly glance around the messy office and realize why.  The office is cluttered with papers, clothing, and God knows what else is littering the area.  It's like an episode of hoarders. 

Determination takes over me and I start scouring the area, knocking papers to the ground and digging through drawers looking for anything that resembles an address book. 

"Well, no phone numbers, but I did find a drawer full of condoms if you're interested." Nick teases and I can't help but gag.

"Let's get out of here, I can't stand this any longer than I need to." I say, already halfway out the door. 

"It's hopeless." I pout as I turn and wait for Nick.

"Why is this such a big deal anyway Maggie? Can't you just call him tomorrow and explain the situation?" He asks softly and I know he's concerned so I try my best to explain.

"This book tour was so important to Jack before he met me. He was working so hard because he's always wanted to win the National Book Awards and now he's actually been nominated. But since he's met me he's been sidetracked, always concerned with whether I'll be alright. He's got such amazing talent and I don't want him to give up. More importantly, I don't him to look back and realize he missed out because of me."

"Maybe when he met you, his dreams changed. Sometimes, when you meet the right person your life aligns itself so that the things you thought were important, aren't so much anymore."

I didn't expect something so heartfelt from Nick, but it sounds more like himself when he adds, "Not that I'm a Jackson Porter fan by any means, but I think-."  He pauses, seemingly struggling with his next words.  "Let's just say, once in a lifetime you meet someone that changes everything."

We stand in silence for a moment, neither of us knowing what to say when Nick suddenly perks up.

"Georgia!" Nick shouts, what an odd thing to say.

"Planning a late night cross country trip?" I tease. "Have you forgotten we're locked in?"

"Christ Maggie, Georgia the secretary. She's got to have a list of phone numbers." Before I can react Nick has taken my hand is in his and I'm being dragged to the elevator.

Sure enough, It doesn't take long to find Jack's phone number in Georgia's directory surrounded by hearts.

Of course.

My chest begins to tighten with joy and breathlessness. Without thinking, I kiss Nick on the cheek in thanks and run towards my office, leaving him awestruck. I skip the slow elevator and opt for the stairs.

I've got an important call to make.