“Did we just—”
“Stop?” she finishes, glancing at the ceiling panel as if it’s going to give us an answer. “Yes. Yes, we did.”
A silence permeates the cabin as we both process what’s happening. Finally pulling myself together, I press the emergency button. It lets out a low, unsatisfying buzz.
A few seconds later, a voice crackles through the speaker overhead. “We’re aware of the issue, and we’re working on it now. We’ll have it back up as soon as possible.”
“Any idea how long?” I ask, lifting my chin toward the panel as if the disembodied voice can see me.
“Can’t say yet, sir. But it shouldn’t be too long.”
The line goes dead with a soft click, and I glance at Katherine, an amused grin escaping. “Try telling me you don’t believe in fate now.”
She just rolls her eyes.
“Um, excuse me,” I say, pacing a slow, dramatic circle in the cramped space, feeling the minimal effort in my legs. “We are currently stuck in an elevator together. What’s next? Don’t you understand we need to kiss to break the curse? The Universe needs to see we’ve at least acknowledged its demand, or we’ll never get out of this alive.”
She’s full-on laughing now, bracing herself on the handrail for support. The sound is contagious, light and easy, and it fills the confined space like a flood of sunshine.
“It’s true,” I insist, stepping closer and dropping my voice in mock-seriousness. “I’m scared for my life now. Next thing I know, I’ll be on your operating table. I already almost died in Uganda.”
Laughing harder, she slides down to the floor, tugging her dress under her legs. “Gosh, stop. My abs are actually hurting.”
I sink down beside her, groaning as I stretch my legs in front of me. “I’m serious, by the way,” I say, tipping my head back against the wall. “Please don’t mess me up in surgery. I’m far too young and handsome to die.”
She glances at me, her eyes teasing. “I’ll do my best.”
A beat passes, neither of us speaking. After checking her watch, she sighs. “Well, I’m not really mad about being stuck in here.”
“Because you’re with me?” I cut in, flashing a smirk. “Yeah, I get that.”
She gives me a pointed look, but she can’t hide her smile. “No, because I was on my way to dinner at my mum’s. At least now I have a good excuse to get out of it.”
I wince. “Yikes. That bad, huh?”
She blows out a breath, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. “I just don’t have the energy to go over there tonight and meet her new boyfriend.”
“Ohhh. You don’t want a new daddy. I get that,” I say, bumping my shoulder gently against hers.
She shoots me a mock glare, but there’s amusement behind it. “Haha. I would be more interested if ‘meeting the new boyfriend’ wasn’t a monthly occurrence, you know?”
“Ah, I see.” I cringe. “Sorry. Well, I tell you what,” I say, massaging my thigh, “If we ever get out of here, I’ll come with you. Mums love me.”
“I bet they do,” she replies, chuckling under her breath. “So, tell me about your first day back,” she says, nudging me. “Anything interesting happen?”
I launch into the day’s events, telling her about our grueling training, exaggerating Finn’s antics, and recounting François’s bizarre speech. I’m mid-sentence—describing the moment when Finn tried to juggle three balls and accidentally launched one into the assistant coach’s groin—when the elevator pings and jerks softly.
“Oh,” she says, glancing up. “Here we go.”
We both get up, brushing off our clothes, and I must say, I wouldn’t have been too cross if we’d gotten stuck a little longer. If nothing else, just to rest my aching body.
The speaker crackles to life. “We’ve got everything sorted out. Have a nice evening.”
“Well, that was fast,” Katherine says, shaking her head as the lift rises. The doors slide open on our floor, and we step into the quiet hallway.
“Given the outrageous rent we pay, they’d better not keep us captive inside the lift for too long,” I joke.
“True enough. Well,” she says, pausing in front of her door, “looks like I don’t have an excuse not to go to my mum’s now. Have a good night.”
