by C. L. Stacey
I lift my arms to wrap him in a reassuring hug. “I’m fine. It was just a glitch or something, I guess. No scratches on me.”
“Where’s the building manager?” Jackson’s voice comes from behind me, and then he’s walking right past me. Daniel doesn’t hesitate before hightailing after him.
“Why do you need to see the manager?” I ask Jackson’s retreating back.
Jackson pauses, just long enough to answer my question. “He needs to answer for what happened here.” Then he and Daniel continue on their path, disappearing around the corner.
What happened with the elevator wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was a freak accident. But judging by the way he spoke to Daniel, I doubt he will act within reason.
Whoever this building manager is, he will need someone to stick up for him.
I’m the first to break my huggy moment with Kellan, my feet already carrying me a few steps back. “Hey, I’ll be right back, okay? Give me two minutes.”
I don’t wait for an answer before taking off in the direction Jackson disappeared to.
“Where are you going?” Kellan calls after me.
“Two minutes!”
That was close, too close. I can’t believe I let that happen.
A few more minutes with her and I probably would have said something I shouldn’t have.
“Does Ms. Moore have reason to suspect anything, sir?” Daniel asks, easily keeping up with my angry strides.
“No,” I growl, powering forward.
A loud clacking noise comes from a distance behind us. Heels.
“Mr. Anderson!”
There’s no need to turn around to confirm it. I know exactly who that voice belongs to.
“Mr. Anderson, wait!” Lexi shouts at my back.
If I continue to let her chase me, she will sprain her ankle in those heels. But I can’t bring myself to stop. Any contact with her makes me nervous. Her eyes see too much.
Running in heels isn’t an issue with this one, evidently. She easily catches up to us, running around me to get in my way, and I halt in my tracks to stop from nearly bulldozing right through her.
“How can I help you, Ms. Moore?” I ask, making sure to keep out any hostility from my tone when addressing her.
“May I ask where you’re headed in such a hurry?” Her tone is direct.
For a young woman as vulnerable as she, she is inexplicably brave.
“I thought I’d have a few words with the building manager,” I say. “Is that okay with you?”
That last question is a little unnecessary, I will admit. But everything about her, from the way she keeps studying me with those unnerving blue eyes to every question that leaves that mouth of hers is grating on my nerves.
“No.” Her answer thwarts me.
“Excuse me?” I ask, my voice rising with my question.
“Have a few words?” she asks, eyeing me suspiciously. “Meaning you’re going to try and have the poor man fired?”
My patience fades quickly, and I don’t bother masking it anymore. “Tonight’s events prove that he is ill-suited for this job.”
The answer I give is one she can’t accept, and she responds with a huff in disbelief. “Machines shut down sometimes, it’s not something to fire someone over!” She dares to raise her voice back at me. Growing even bolder, she throws me for another loop yelling, “You try lifting a thousand people all the livelong day and see if you’re in tiptop shape all the damn time!”
There are no words. What do I say to the girl defending machines?
Just as soon as I come to my senses, I argue back. “Need I remind you that you nearly had a panic attack in that elevator just moments ago? What if I had not been in there with you? What would you have done?”
It’s her turn to stand silently, thankfully without another delusional comeback this time.
“Granted, machines do break down from time to time,” I agree, then I immediately add, “in old buildings, Ms. Moore. Where expert care cannot be afforded.” Her eyes lift more to meet mine. “It should never have happened in this building. With the money this place bleeds by the minute, you would think they could afford to properly train their staff.”
Her eyes narrow slightly when my words begin to register. She gives them a moment to settle, to simmer, and just when I believe she gets it, she opens that mouth again. “One mistake, and you’re going to dispose of this man you don’t know?” she asks, her face screwing in disbelief.
“This one man is responsible for everything that happens here. Do you know what happens when you’ve got a weak link in your chain, Ms. Moore? Things come crashing down real quick.” I firmly stand my ground, even with the disgusted look she’s giving me, I don’t back down. “Maintenance should always be on top of things, especially with the elevators. Fact. Period. Because they lift a thousand people all the livelong day, as you so eloquently stated earlier.”
Lexi nods as she starts digging around for something inside her clutch. She pulls out what I recognize right away as my business card, and she shoves it out at me, waiting for me to take it. “I won’t be needing this anymore, you can take this back.”
I let her stand there and dangle it in front of my face, not moving a single muscle to take my card back. “That is for you to keep, in case you may—” I am cut off immediately.
“May what?” she snaps. “Need your help? No, thank you,” she says, depositing the card into my front pocket. “I am human, and I make mistakes. God forbid I make one anywhere near you.”
Never, not once in all of my years have I encountered someone so infuriating. She completely broke down in that elevator, and here I am, on my way to try and right this huge wrong, and here she is, treating me like I’m the root of the problem.
I stare off at her as she hurries to get the hell away from me, her heels clacking angrily against the floors in her hasty retreat, and I don’t do a damn thing to stop her.
That’s right. Walk away.
Get as far away from me as you can.
Never, not once in all of my years have I encountered someone so infuriating. This tyrant thinks he can just go around, stomping on all the other little people with his giant feet, all because of a mistake that can easily be learned from.
It’s no wonder I’ve heard close to nothing about him. Who in their right mind would want to get to know him?
I can’t believe I was actually grateful when he gave me his business card to keep. I’m a fool for believing that the card was my big, golden opportunity. Handing it back to him was the best decision I’ve made all night.
I’d rather go door to door, begging for a job than tie myself to him. The arrogant prick.
A few seconds later, Kellan comes into view, standing exactly where I left him by the elevator. He’s in the middle of chatting up a petite blonde. Her back is to me, so I have no idea who she is, but judging by her dress alone, I don’t believe we’ve met tonight.
Kellan’s gaze lifts from the woman’s face when I get within peripheral range.
One look at my discontented expression, and the smile on his face falls immediately. Kellan excuses himself from the blonde, exchanging a quick goodbye before stepping away from her to meet me halfway.
Concern lines his eyes when he asks me, “What’s wrong?”
Still heated from my conversation with Jackson, I choose to avoid the question. “Kellan, I’m sorry… Can we please just leave?”
“Of course we can.” He reaches out to push the button for the elevator.
The one that answers isn’t the same one I was on, but the idea of getting back into that thing makes me shudder.
I am not about to suggest we walk five floors down, so I command myself to toughen up.
I’ll be fine. What are the chances I get stuck twice?
My eyes cut to Kellan’s when I feel his jacket being wrapped around me.
“You look cold,” he explains the reason for his considerate gesture, nodding me into the elevator when it arrives.<
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I smile up at him. “Thank you,” I say as I step on, and he files in behind me.
He shakes his head, eyes full of guilt and disappointment. “I’m sorry I wasn’t in there with you, Lex,” he apologizes to me again.
The absolute last person to blame for what happened is Kellan, but being the gracious human being he is, and with how well aware he is of my past, I understand the guilt. It’s ridiculous and unnecessary, but that’s Kellan for you.
“I had to pee, Kellan,” I say. “This was in no way your fault, so don’t try to make it out to be. There was no way of knowing that that was going to happen. Plus, I’m not five, you can’t hold my hand and walk me to the bathroom every single time I have to go.”
“Yea, well, now I just might…” Kellan jokes, making me laugh.
When the doors to the elevators close us inside, I lean back against the wall and close my eyes, saying a silent prayer before it descends.
Kellan squeezes my hand in his, and my eyes blink open again. “I’ve got you, Lex. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promises me.
My mouth pulls up into the form of a relaxed smile, and I lay my head to rest against his shoulder. “I know,” I tell him, and I mean it with all my heart.
It’s hard for me to let people in, but Kellan makes it easy. With him, I feel safe. He’s one of the very few people I trust.
I am broken, in every possible way, but the people in my life do what they can to help manage the pain that has made a home in my heart forever.
It’s been a long night, one full of disappointing events.
A part of me always thought that if I ever came face to face with Lexi, things would start to make a little more sense, that it would somehow justify what I am doing.
I was wrong, obviously.
The elevator incident was a nightmare. I’ve never been so frightened to see someone in such distress. I couldn’t very well ignore her, so I helped her while pretending not to know a thing about her.
It was the first time I’d ever felt so… flustered. I never want to go through anything like that again.
Complete control is my one and only advantage in this risk I’m taking, but it slipped momentarily while we were trapped in there. My need to overreact to our situation was—in my opinion—understandable, and warranted.
Maybe I should be more concerned about the fact that she now hates me, but I’m not. How she feels about me doesn’t matter, I actually prefer it this way.
Maybe the hate is a blessing in disguise. After all, it got me my business card back. Sure, I’m the one who offered it to her. I’m the one who extended the offer to help her, should a problem ever arise. But that’s precisely my point. I have no control when I’m around her.
I acted like a complete idiot in there.
Drowning so deep in my own thoughts, I don’t even realize that we’ve already made it home, not until Daniel suddenly appears at my door.
“Thank you, Daniel.”
As soon as I walk through the front door, all I want to do is pour myself a drink. I get that same miserable feeling in my chest, that sickening feeling in my gut, just consumed with dread.
Home is supposed to be a happy place, but mine’s my own personal hell, my prison cell.
I hate it here.
It was a happy place, once upon a time. Before life got in the way of our happiness.
My feet carry me toward the living room and I tap my fingers against the touch pad on my universal remote, powering everything on in the living room. A tired sigh passes through my lips as soon as I sink into the couch.
“Hey, you.” Her voice fills the room.
Elizabeth Jones used to be the love of my life. One look at her face used to get my heart pumping, my pulse racing. I remember how hard I fell for those stunning green eyes, and that bright white smile that could get her out of anything.
I met her young, committed to her young. We hadn’t been together long before I proposed, promising her all of my forevers.
Maybe that’s where it all went wrong…
“Hey, Ells.”
“Look what I made.” She smiles proudly as she holds up a pan of fresh-out-of-the-oven apple pie for me to see.
I stare at her face, her beautiful face, one that used to bring me such joy, now only fills me with unrelenting misery.
I hate it here.
Our drive is quiet, the song on the radio the only thing to fill the silence.
It isn’t for lack of trying on Kellan’s part. He tried several times to kick-start a conversation since we left the party, but all I really offered in return were one-word answers. He eventually took the hint that I’m in no mood to talk and granted me the silence I need to sit here and reflect.
As much as I try to fight it, my mind keeps wandering back to Jackson. It’s really unlike me to be so rude to someone I don’t even know, but he made me that angry.
My episode in the elevator got pretty bad, I’m not afraid to admit that much. I’m still shaken up about it. But no matter how bad it got for me in there, Jackson reserves no right to take an innocent man’s job away.
Kellan pulls me into the elevator behind him and presses the button for the tenth, prompting the doors to close us inside.
I lean my weight against the wall when I feel the car gently lift us toward my floor, and I offer Kellan a small smile when he comes to stand beside me.
“I’m sorry,” I apologize.
“For?”
“Being the worst possible date, like, ever.” I give a pitiful laugh.
His eyes lower to mine. “Don’t apologize to me, Lexi.”
“The night was a disaster, Kellan…”
“Oh, the night could have gone better,” he agrees. I chuckle. “But if I get to accompany you anywhere, I’m happy enough.” The corner of his mouth lifts into a tired smile.
A soft chime sounds overhead, and I shift my gaze toward the doors when they slide open on my floor. I take a step forward, but Kellan holds me back.
“Was this a date, Lex?” he asks.
It’s the first time Kellan’s ever questioned our friendship for something else, and now that I hear the idea of it out loud, I know for sure how I feel about my friend.
My eyes drop to the hand he has around the crook of my I arm, and I stare for a while, trying to come up with an answer he deserves to hear. “You know how much I love you, how much I care…”
Harper has tried like hell to get me to move on, and I’ve been on countless dates to try and appease her, but they all end the same. I never call back. I never go on a second date. I always come up with some reason not to.
If only things were that simple, I’d fall in love with Kellan today. He meets all standards for any girl my age; he’s as beautiful on the inside as he is on the outside. But it’s not that simple. As much as I wish for it to be, it’s just not. I’m not ready.
“No, of course I do,” he cuts me off with a smile. Then he shakes his head to assure me it’s fine. “It was just a question, I didn’t want any signals to get crossed here. I wouldn’t have minded if this was an actual date, but I would never do anything to lose you as a friend, Lex. You have to know that.”
While I’m relieved by his unfailing need to be kind, I can’t help but feel that twinge of guilt in my chest. Kellan will make the perfect boyfriend to someone some day, to someone who deserves him. But I know for sure that it isn’t me.
“Anyways, I have good news for you.” He takes me by the hand, walking me to my door.
“News?”
“The woman I was talking to before we left,” he begins.
“The pretty blonde?” I interject.
“Jealous?” He winks down at me.
I giggle. “Maybe a little.”
The easy transition he makes from a heavier topic to innocent jokes makes me appreciate him that much more. It makes me feel a fraction less guilty.
“Well, her name is Stephanie Bowen, and she’s a well-known stylist to a lot of imp
ortant people in this town.”
My eyes light up. “Yea?”
“Have you heard the name Caleb Carlisle before?”
The name immediately rings a bell. “Who hasn’t? He’s the founder and CEO of the Runway Company.”
Huge, huge fashion empire.
“I worked for him in New York,” I add.
“You did?”
“Well, kind of…” I shrug. “I actually worked for one of his designers. I’ve never actually met him.”
He nods. “It was his event we attended tonight. Stephanie runs the company’s styling division, Runway Styles, and I told her about you. She asked me to pass along your information…” He leaves me hanging, torturing me with the suspense. “So I did.”
I gasp. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” I shout, clapping my hands together as I jump up and down with ill-contained glee.
Kellan laughs at my level of excitement, catching me when I throw myself into his arms. “I only got you halfway in. It’s up to you to win her over, but I have no doubt that you will.”
“I will, I promise I will!” I let out joyful cry before throwing my arms back around him, hugging him as tight as my arms will allow. “You are amazing, thank you so much!”
“You’re welcome, Lex.” He lets go of me when we get to my door, waiting patiently for me to unlock my door.
Once I get it open, Kellan starts to back way. “Expect a call from her soon,” he says without stopping. “She’s a busy girl, so it may be a little while before you get a chance at any face-time. Be patient.”
I nod, my smile still intact. “I owe you, Kellan! Like, huge!”
The sound of his laughter travels down the hall. “Just be happy, Lex.” He turns around and boards the elevator just as someone steps out.
Over two weeks have come and gone since I met Lexi at the fashion event.
I’m not surprised at all by the fact that she’s made no attempt to take me up on my offer to reach out, but I continue to keep tabs on her.