Stand-In Saturday

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

THEO

The girl laughs awkwardly at my joke, and we both look up again at the glowing floor number above the door, waiting for it to fix itself. After a few seconds, my heart sinks. This is the first time I've ever been trapped in a lift. I'll admit, I'm not crazy about it.

Reaching out, I jab the Help button over and over, my chest tightening with each passing second as the air seems to thicken around me.

Suddenly, a voice crackles through the intercom. "Hi. I know you're in there. The lift has stopped. We've got the engineer en route already. Is everyone okay in there?"

I lean forward. "We're peachy," I lie. "How long will it be, please?"

"Um ... not sure. He'll be as quick as he can."

"Not gonna lie, mate, that doesn't sound too reassuring," I grunt.

"We'll have you out of there in no time," he replies, his voice full of static and echo.

I groan and turn to the girl, forcing a fake smile. The last thing I want is to be trapped in an enclosed space with someone having a freak-out. As I think about the enclosed space, my chest tightens further.

She winces, her nose wrinkling. "Last time this lift got stuck, it took them almost an hour to get the people out. That was a couple of weeks ago."

An hour? Heck no.

My upper lip starts to sweat. I reach up and wipe it.

The girl pulls out her phone and taps on the screen before putting it to her ear. "Aubrey, it's me. You will never guess where I am." She shakes her head and laughs. "I wish. Nope, I'm stuck in the lift. I'm serious! I'm stuck in the lift with a guy." She chuckles at something the other person says, and her eyes dart to me before flicking away. "Um, yes actually. Anyway, can you do me a favour? Call up to my floor and have someone tell David I'm in here? He sent me out to get coffees for his meeting, but I don't think I'll be freed in time to give them to him, and they'll be wondering where I am. The security guy has sent for someone to fix it, but I don't know how long I'll be in here. No, there's nothing else you can do. Oh, wait, hold on a second." She looks up at me and moves the phone from her ear. "Do you need me to pass a message on to anyone who's expecting you?"

I gulp, my brain not really working, and nod. "Uh, yeah. I'm supposed to be meeting with Patricia Newman. If they could send word that Theo is going to be late, that'd be great, thanks."

She speaks for a few more seconds and then hangs up, smiling awkwardly over at me. "My colleague will pass on your message."

I nod. My eyes rake over her face; she really is pretty. Her lips are full and covered in a glossy pink lipstick that makes me want to lean in and see what it tastes like.

"Is it hot in here?" I ask, feeling sweat break out on my temples now too.

Her eyes widen. "Oh Christ, you're not claustrophobic, are you?"

"No." I adamantly shake my head. "I'm just having some sort of chest and heart issue. But seriously, is it getting hotter, or is that just me?"

She gulps and sets her handbag and the coffees down in the corner as I suck in a deep breath and rub my face in a rough swipe.

"Everything's fine. This happens all the time. It's getting hotter because the air con went off with the power. There's nothing to worry about." She waves a dismissive hand. "Why don't you come sit down here with me? We can get to know each other while we wait?" She awkwardly manoeuvres in her tight pencil skirt and sits down against the wall, stretching out her long legs, crossing at them at the ankles as she pats the space next to her. "You said your name is Theo? I'm Lucie."