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“I probably should,” she said, covering another yawn.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said. “I think I should call it for the night too.”
They headed into the elevator together, carefully standing on opposite sides. Once the elevator doors closed, she shut her eyes for a moment. The only sound was his breathing. It was oddly... intimate.
They rode in silence until the elevator groaned and jerked to a stop.
Liv squeezed the handrails until her knuckles were white.
“Oh, God,” she said.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking her up and down. She was breathing too quickly and all of the color drained from her face.
She didn’t answer. He stepped closer to her.
“Liv,” he said. “Just breathe. It’s going to be fine. This elevator does this all the time. If we could get that damn infrastructure bill passed, we could have money to...”
She sunk to the floor; her knees up against her chest; her breathing even more erratic.
He knelt beside her.
“You’re going to have to slow your breathing down,” he said. “In through your nose; out through your mouth.”
“Is it okay if I put my hand on your back?” he asked.
She nodded, and he placed his hand between her shoulder blades. Her body softened slightly to his touch.
“Keep breathing,” he whispered. He was so close; she could feel his breath on her face.
She took a few slow, deep breaths.
“That’s better,” he said, lightly rubbing her back.
The elevator jerked again. She whimpered.
“One time, I was stuck in this elevator with Wilson, that idiot from Mississippi for over an hour,” he said. “Damn it, that was awful.”
She laughed a little, but it came out like a snort.
“He truly thinks the KKK is just a social group. I considered murdering him, but I figured there were cameras.”
She looked at him and smiled.
“Maybe your brother would have pardoned you?”
“Shit - I hadn’t thought of that. Next time,” he said. He desperately wanted to take the piece of hair that was dangling in her face and tuck it behind her ear.
“What’s it like being the brother of the President?” she asked.
He laughed. “A pain in the ass.”
She smiled.
“No,” he said. “He’s a great brother, and I’m not surprised at his success. He deserves it all. I’m so happy he found Elizabeth.”
“Vivi is maybe the most adorable toddler in the world,” she said.
“She really is,” he said. “She’s so spoiled by all of her aunts and uncles.”
