Stuck With You

by Carla Burgess

  ‘Do you think you’ll be able to climb up?’ he asked.

  ‘I think so,’ Daniel said, sounding more confident than I felt. There was no way I was going to be able to climb up there. Especially wearing high heels and a skirt. I opened my mouth to protest, but Daniel was already saying, ‘I’ll lift Elena and you can pull her through.’

  ‘Right you are.’

  Daniel bent and gripped the top of my legs, his shoulder beneath my backside, and hoisted me into the air as though we were doing some kind of dance lift. Before I knew it, the fireman had hold of my arms and was heaving me through the gap and into the outside world.

  ‘Thanks,’ I said, stumbling awkwardly as the fireman released me. ‘Thank you.’

  A small crowd of onlookers had gathered and they clapped and cheered. I didn’t know what to do with the unwanted attention. My cheeks flamed red and I gave a small, embarrassed wave before bending to retrieve my bags, which had just appeared through the gap. Daniel’s hands appeared next, his knuckles white with strain as he pulled himself up enough for the firefighters to haul him up.

  ‘Thanks, lads.’ He laughed good-naturedly and shook the firemen’s hands, then he looked around for me. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, coming towards me.

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘You’ve ripped your tights,’ he said, looking down at my shaking legs. ‘And you’re bleeding.’

  ‘Oh, it’s nothing. Just a graze.’ I couldn’t feel any pain. My legs were rubbery and I felt strangely detached, as though I didn’t belong in this bright world full of noise and people. Each time I blinked, it was like a flashbulb going off in my head and the image stilled. Disconnected. Disjointed. What did I do now? Just go home?

  ‘Sir, madam, I’m terribly sorry about your ordeal.’ A man in a suit stepped forward, wearing a name badge that said he was Alan Jones, Customer Service Manager. ‘Would you mind if I took a statement from you both?’

  ‘Okay. Elena, do you want to sit down somewhere? You look a bit pale.’ Daniel put his hand on my arm.

  ‘No, I’m okay, I just want to go home.’

  ‘This won’t take long. I just need your names and addresses and a brief description of what happened.’

  Daniel laughed. ‘The lift stopped, that’s what happened.’

  The man blinked at Daniel through his spectacles. He looked tense and anxious. ‘You weren’t messing around or anything?’

  Daniel looked confused. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You didn’t press anything you shouldn’t? Open any panels?’

  Daniel’s expression changed from one of good-natured acceptance of the situation to shocked disbelief. He spoke carefully. ‘We got into the lift and pressed the button for the floor we wanted to go to. We didn’t vandalise it. We just wanted to get to our cars and go home.’

  ‘I understand, sir. It must have been very distressing for you and your girlfriend.’

  Daniel’s jaw clenched and he spoke through gritted teeth. ‘She’s not my girlfriend. We just happened to be in the same lift at the same time.’

  The manager took a step back at Daniel’s tone of voice. His glasses had misted up slightly and he blinked nervously. ‘I see. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘We rang the bell for ages before anyone answered. We kicked the doors and made loads of noise. Nobody came. How long have we been in there for? More than an hour? Didn’t anyone think, “Oh, lift number two isn’t working”?’

  ‘I’m very sorry, sir. Rest assured there will be a full investigation.’

  ‘I should think so too.’

  ‘If I could just take your names and addresses, I’d be most grateful.’

  Daniel snatched the clipboard off him and scribbled down his details, and then passed it to me. My hand was shaking as I wrote down my name and address, together with a brief description of what had happened.

  ‘Thank you so much. I can only say how sorry I am.’ Mr Jones did a little bow before scurrying away towards the firemen. Daniel took hold of my arm. ‘I think you might be in shock,’ he said, quietly. ‘Can I take you home?’

  ‘No, I’m fine, honestly.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ He frowned down at me. ‘I don’t like the look of you; you’re shaking like a leaf.’ He looked around and raised his voice. ‘Can someone get us a hot sweet drink from somewhere, please?’ Steering me towards a low wall, he made me sit down.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I protested. ‘It’s not like you didn’t go through the same thing I did, is it?’

  ‘Yeah, but I didn’t almost knock myself out by throwing myself bodily at the doors.’ He smiled at me and I felt my cheeks flush with mortification. A staff member brought us two takeaway cups of tea.

  ‘Thank you.’ Daniel took them and passed one to me.

  I took a sip of the hot liquid and winced. There were probably about three sugars in it. ‘It’s too sweet.’

  ‘Good for shock though.’

  We sat in silence, sipping our drinks, looking around the car park. The onlookers had dispersed and the fire crew were packing up to leave. They’d cordoned off the elevator with bright yellow tape. Daniel sat close, his body turned slightly towards mine, his knee touching my thigh. I kept wanting to lean against him and rest my head on his chest.

  ‘What a nightmare,’ I said.

  ‘I know. Are you feeling any better?’

  ‘Yes, I am actually.’ I was pleased that my voice sounded stronger than I physically felt.

  ‘Good.’

  I looked across at him and smiled. ‘Thank you for being there.’

  He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the remainder of his tea and he stared into the bottom of the cup before placing it on the floor by his feet.

  ‘You should go,’ I said. ‘You’ve spent enough time with me already tonight.’

  He looked away across the car park and shook his head. ‘I’ll see you to your car.’

  ‘It will be just my luck to find I’ve left my lights on and the battery’s dead.’ I gave a nervous laugh, wishing I could stop saying stupid things.

  ‘Then I’ll give you a lift.’

  I didn’t know what to say to that, so I sat quietly until I’d finished my tea. I didn’t rush; I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to stay here with Daniel. He was watching me; I could feel his eyes on my face. When I glanced up, he didn’t look away; he just smiled. I felt a blush forming and swallowed the last of my tea. Taking my cup, he put it with his and got up to put it in the bin.

  ‘Erm, I’m parked over here,’ I said, feeling awkward as he followed me towards my small white car, which was parked in the far corner of the car park. There were still plenty of people around and I breathed in the smell of exhaust fumes and warm rubber. Daniel walked beside me, our arms brushing occasionally, and we reached my car too soon. I turned to him with a smile.

  ‘Well, thanks again for getting stuck with me. You know, just for… being there.’

  ‘You’re welcome. I’m glad I jumped in there at the last moment, otherwise you’d have been alone.’

  I nodded and unlocked my car with an electronic beep. ‘You don’t need a lift anywhere, do you?’

  ‘No, I’m good, thanks.’ He smiled, and I stared at him for a moment, trying to commit his features to memory. What was I doing, staring at him like that! I turned away quickly and opened my car door.

  ‘Can I have your number?’ he said, suddenly. I turned and blinked at him. ‘Just so I can check you’re all right tomorrow.’

  ‘Oh! Okay.’ I slipped into the driver’s seat and fished out my phone from my bag. ‘I don’t know it off by heart, I’m sorry.’

  ‘No problem.’

  I reeled off the number to him as he programmed it into his phone, then my phone beeped with an incoming text message.

  ‘That’s my number,’ he said. ‘Call me if you need anything.’

  My cheeks grew hot and my heart speeded up. ‘Thank y
ou.’

  He nodded and stepped away and I reached out to close the door.

  ‘It was nice to see you again, Elena,’ he said, and then he smiled and walked away.

  Chapter Three

  I took a deep breath as I started my car and pulled out of the parking space. I could see Daniel across the car park, walking towards a white pick-up truck. He turned as he reached his door, gave a wave, then disappeared inside. My heart thumped and my skin tingled. I felt more alive than I had in months. Exultant. I’d seen Daniel Moore again, and he hadn’t ruined my memories of him. In fact, he’d made them better, because he was so nice and he’d remembered our kiss. I couldn’t believe it. Surely I had been one of many.

  I probably wasn’t in the best frame of mind to be driving. My head was up in the clouds somewhere and my hands were shaking. Rachel’s house was closer than my flat, so I drove to hers instead of going home. I could phone Alex from there and tell him where I was.

  Rachel had to undo three bolts and unlock the door with a key before she finally opened it. She peered out into the darkness suspiciously before realising it was me. ‘Oh! Hello! What’s up?’

  ‘I just got stuck in a lift!’ I said, rocking forward on my tiptoes.

  ‘Really? Oh no! Are you all right? That sounds horrific. Come in, come in.’

  ‘I’m okay,’ I said, stepping into her brightly lit hall as she rebolted the front door. ‘I’m not interrupting anything, am I?’ I said, taking in her pink silk pyjamas and heeled feather mules. ‘You’re not expecting Patrick?’

  ‘Oh no. You know I always dress like this. Are you hurt? You’re bleeding!’ Rachel peered at my leg before herding me towards her sitting room.

  ‘It’s just a graze,’ I said, sitting down on her pink sofa. Everything about Rachel was bright, from her red hair and vintage clothes, to her flamboyant taste in home decor. Going back to my flat after being in her house was like stepping into a black and white movie. Alex thought she was crazy, but I loved her. ‘You’ll never guess who I got stuck in the lift with,’ I said.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘You’re meant to have a guess.’

  ‘I’m rubbish at stuff like that. Just tell me!’

  ‘Daniel Moore!’

  ‘What? The Daniel Moore?’ Rachel’s eyes popped and she gasped. Sitting back down with a bump, she stared at me in disbelief. ‘The one you stalked in sixth form?’

  I nodded, feeling mildly offended. These days I preferred to think of him as the boy I kissed at the prom, not the boy I stalked for two years. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Just the two of you? How did you cope with that?’ Rachel was looking at me askance, as though she suspected I might have taken all my clothes off and begged him to ravish me.

  ‘It was a bit of a shock at first, but he was so nice. I was really worried he was going to be vile and arrogant and completely spoil my memories of him, but he was just lovely.’

  ‘Oh God, please tell me you haven’t resurrected your crush on him. I don’t want you to get arrested. Stalking someone when you’re a teenager is different to stalking someone when you’re an adult.’

  ‘What? I had a crush on him, yes, but to say I stalked him is a bit much.’

  ‘Finding out his address from school documents? Check. Riding past his house on your bike? Check. Stealing items of clothing so you could sniff them in bed? Check—’

  ‘Oh, come on! It was just his scarf and I didn’t steal it, he left it behind. I just looked after it for him overnight. I left it on his chair the next day.’

  ‘I made you do that.’

  ‘Yeah, meanie.’ I pouted. ‘Anyway, I’m not seventeen any more. I’m a sophisticated young woman and I’m already in a relationship.’

  ‘An unhappy relationship.’

  ‘Geez! What’s with you tonight?’ I snapped. ‘Are you trying to piss on my parade or what?’

  ‘I’m just worried about you, Elena. I’m the one who mopped up your tears and listened to you go on and on about him for months after we finished sixth form.’

  ‘I did not. He kissed me and I was happy.’

  Rachel blew out through her lips. ‘You were devastated, more like. You were on a high for about three days and then you crashed back down to earth big time. You moped all summer. I’d be like “You coming out” and you’d be like “No, I’m going through my Daniel box”.’

  I gasped. Somehow, I’d forgotten about the Daniel box. Possibly because I didn’t want to admit to being that sad and pathetic. It was just a shoebox that contained bits and pieces I’d collected from him over the two years at sixth from. A piece of paper that had fallen out of his bag, pencil shavings, a pen lid indented with his teeth marks. A leaf from his drive. I’d written poems about him and drawn pictures too. What had happened to that box? Was it still in my old wardrobe at my parents’ house?

  ‘So what’s he like now anyway? Does he still have that long hair? Was he wearing a black leather jacket?’

  ‘No, he was wearing a jumper and jeans. He’s still recognisable, but older, obviously. He’s got short hair, bit of a beard, and he’s filled out. He’s taller, I think. Broader. More manly.’

  She gave me a look. ‘Did you recognise him immediately?’

  ‘Well, I didn’t take much notice of him at first. But as soon as we got stuck, I realised.’

  ‘Did he recognise you?’

  I nodded.

  ‘So, what did he say?’

  ‘He just said “Hey, aren’t you Elena from college?” and I said “Yeah”.’

  ‘Did you mention the kiss?’

  ‘He did. I said I’d forgotten.’

  ‘Good for you!’ Rachel clapped her hands in delight and laughed. ‘He always had a girl on the go, didn’t he? That’ll bring him down a peg or two.’

  ‘Oh, Rachel, he was lovely.’

  ‘Maybe so, but he shouldn’t have kissed you like that and just left.’

  I shrugged. ‘I wanted him to kiss me. I was glad he kissed me.’ I collapsed sideways onto her sofa, clutching a cushion to my chest. ‘It was the best kiss ever.’

  ‘I know you were glad. But I wanted to kill him. You got really sad after.’

  ‘But that was my fault for being so pathetic.’ I sighed and lay for a while, staring at Rachel’s television. She’d paused whatever she was watching so that the actors’ faces were frozen mid conversation. Everyone looked like they were screaming. ‘I’d better give Alex a ring, actually. Let him know where I am.’

  ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’

  Rachel got up and went into the kitchen while I dialled Alex’s mobile. He picked up on the fourth ring. ‘Elena? I was going to call but I lost track of time.’

  I could hear voices and laughter in the background. The sound of glasses clinking. I frowned.

  ‘Where are you?’

  ‘Just having a catch-up with the boys. I’ll be home in ten minutes.’ His voice was slightly slurred.

  ‘You’re not driving, are you?’

  ‘What are you, my mother? No, I’m getting a taxi.’

  ‘Good. Well, I was just phoning to say I’m at Rachel’s.’

  ‘Oh! Aren’t you at home either?’

  ‘Not yet. If you’re still out, I’ll stay here with Rachel.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘See you tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, see you.’

  I rang off, feeling annoyed.

  ‘Did I just hear you say you’re staying here tonight?’ Rachel asked, coming back into the lounge.

  ‘If that’s all right with you?’

  ‘Of course. It’ll be like old times.’ She beamed at me before going back into the kitchen for the tea.

  I thought about Alex. He hadn’t told me he was going to the pub tonight.

  ‘Did you tell him about the lift?’ she asked after a moment.

  ‘No.’

  Rachel shot me a curious glance but I ignored her and stared at the TV ins
tead. I didn’t want to talk about Alex. I didn’t want to even think about him right now. My insides felt heavy and I was suddenly exhausted.

  ‘Do you want a bath?’ Rachel said. ‘You look sort of dusty.’

  ‘Ooh, yes, please.’

  ‘I’ll run it for you. And I’ll find you some pyjamas.’

  ‘Great. Thanks.’ I got up and followed her through to the bathroom. ‘You know at sixth form?’ I said, leaning against the doorframe while water gushed into the bath.

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Was I a complete freak?’

  ‘Not a complete freak, no,’ Rachel said, as she poured bath oil into the bath. ‘Well, only when Daniel was around anyway.’ She laughed merrily.

  That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. ‘Did I make it really obvious?’

  ‘Noooo.’

  ‘Because he said he remembered me fancying him.’

  ‘He did? Big-headed bugger!’

  ‘I just can’t remember really. I’ve blocked it all out. Other than the kiss, that is. I still remember the kiss very well.’ I sighed happily and Rachel rolled her eyes.

  ‘Well, the kiss might have been a giveaway that you fancied him, you know? You were all over him like a rash.’

  ‘I was not!’ I protested. ‘It was a sweet, innocent kiss.’

  ‘Girl, you were stuck to his face like a limpet!’

  ‘Oh, get lost!’

  Rachel laughed as she pushed past me to go into her bedroom. ‘All the girls fancied Daniel Moore anyway. He was in the school band, for goodness’ sake. He had a different girl every week.’

  My shoulders slumped. He had always been surrounded by girls at college. I’d been amazed when he’d turned up at the prom without a girl on his arm. I wondered if he still had women flocking around him, or if that was just a college thing.

  ‘Look at you! Moping over him already. You have a boyfriend, remember? He’s a crap boyfriend, granted, but you have a boyfriend nonetheless.’ She was rummaging in her chest of drawers now, red hair tumbling around her face. The oil she’d poured into the bath smelt heavenly as it mingled with the steam swirling through the bathroom.