Stranded

The building is quiet. Most people would be at home today, spending time with their families—but not Molly—Molly has work to do today.

She swipes her badge to enter the office building and smiles at the weekend guard as she passes him, just as he gets ready to take his break. The lobby is empty besides the two, just as it always is when she works on Saturday.

The elevator arrives immediately, and she steps on, leaning against the back railing without paying much attention to her surroundings.

But just as the doors are about to close, an arm slides through, causing them to reopen and allowing the stranger inside. Molly offers a weak smile and scoots to the far side of the elevator.

The ride is silent, the man and woman alone on the elevator share nothing but an occasional awkward glance.

A sudden jolt causes her heart to jump and her grip to tighten around the railings. The elevator slowly comes to a squealing halt, and the lights inside flicker rapidly before shutting off.

A loud gasp resonates throughout the tiny metal box.

The man scoffs and, using his phone’s light, presses the buttons in an attempt to alert security.

Molly checks the time on her phone and groans. “Paul’s left. No one will be at the security desk for at least an hour.”

The man steps away from the button panel and leans back against the wall next to Molly. “I’m Drew.”

“Molly.” She sticks her hand out toward the man and he takes it in a gentle handshake.

“Well, Molly. As luck would have it, I don’t have any cell service, what about you?” Drew says lightheartedly.

“Me neither.” She chuckles.

“We might as well get comfortable, then.” Drew switches in his phone’s flashlight and sets it in the corner of the box. When he does so, they’re able to see each other’s features clearly for the first time.

Drew has strong, well-defined features, confident brown eyes, and a captivating white smile. He’s magnetic, exuding charm, intelligence, and a touch of mystery.

Molly has angular features, upturned caramel eyes, and short black hair, chopped just below her jawline. She radiates confidence, like the powerful boss-woman she is.

Their eyes linger over each other for a little too long before they each force themselves away, pink radiating over the cheeks.

Molly tucks her legs to the side of her body as she creeps to the floor, preparing for a long, exhausting wait in a rapidly heating elevator.

“It’s going to get hot in here soon, so we should try and prop open the doors a little bit to get some airflow circulating,” Drew suggests, kicking off his loafers and approaching the elevator doors. “Can you come here a second?”

“Sure.” Molly crawls awkwardly the few feet from her spot to the door.

“I’m going to Jimmy open the doors, and you shove my shoes in the gap. Watch your fingers so you don’t get hurt.” He instructs.

Molly wouldn’t admit it, but she sort of liked it when a man told her what to do. She’d never admit it, of course, but after spending each and every day telling others what to do, and having the constant weight of decision-making on her shoulders, she liked being able to turn her brain off.

“Okay.” She replies, taking the brown loafers in her hands and readying herself to be quick.

With a grunt, Drew manages to pry the doors open just a crack, only to find a solid concrete wall blocking any chance of escape. The only opening is a small gap at the top, barely large enough for a cat to squeeze through.

Molly quickly shoves the shoes in the opening, and Drew releases the doors, letting out the breath he’d been holding.

“Looks like we’re between floors.” Drew smiles, plopping himself on the floor next to the tall, lanky woman.

Molly nods her head. “So, what brought you in today?”

“I came to pick up a few client files from the 16th floor. What about you?”

“I came to meet a guy about picking up client files on the 16th floor.”

Molly and Drew cackle in unison at the amazing coincidence.

They spend a while chatting idly about their jobs and even their personal lives—hobbies, favorite foods, restaurants, things to do.

They barely notice how much time has passed, their conversation keeping them distracted—not at all worried about when their rescuers will arrive.

Molly lets out a long yawn and checks the time. An hour has already passed, and there hasn’t been any sign of rescue. So, Molly presses the ‘call’ button once again and, in a last-ditch effort, sends out a frantic text to a coworker.

She sighs and pulls her knees to her chest.

“You doing okay?” Drew asks, hesitantly wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“Yeah.” She gives a halfhearted laugh, leaning into his side.

“If you’re tired, why don’t you rest, I’ll keep a lookout.”

Molly nods and closes her eyes, the comfort of being wrapped in his arms strange but soothing. It doesn’t take her long to fall into a light sleep, her senses still alert but her body relaxing. She even smiles softly when she feels Drew’s head fall softly against hers as his breathing slows and soft snores rumble in his chest.

An unknown amount of time passes, when a bright light shines over their eyes, and a deep, feminine voice calls out, “You guys okay?”

When they open their eyes, they’re met with the wide smile of a stout woman with a pixie cut grinning down at them.

“We’re fine.” Molly greets, remaining seated with Drew’s arm around her shoulder.

Another 45 minutes pass before the pair is rescued and finally free from their prison. After allowing EMS to check them over and receiving a clean bill of health, they slowly make their way down the stairs of the building to the lobby. Paul smiles at them as he speaks to a uniformed officer for the incident report.

Drew stops her as they stand in front of the building. “So… dinner?” He asks cheekily.

She chuckles softly before offering her number and pulling him along the sidewalk toward a nearby cafe.

©️T.L. Ryan 2024. All rights reserved.