Congrats, You're In Love!

Don't Say Ghostbusters

"What happened?" Zack asked as if there was another person in the room with the answers, moving over to the control panel and pressing the '20' button, then the 'open' button repeatedly. No dice. The elevator was still on, and so was the air conditioning, but all else was silent.

"We're stuck," Cami announced, looking up at the electronic panel, slightly dazed at the loss of contact. "In between the 10th and 11th floor. Is there an emergency call button?"

"Nope," Zack shook his head. "I guess there's no other choice."

He moved to the direction of the doors, stretching his arms out, and god, it was such a nice thing to see his muscles pulse, and she saw it almost every day when he was puttering around the apartment. Cami shook her head and willed the thought away.

"What are you doing?" She asked, as Zack's fingers were already on the crack between the doors, and there was a loud groan of protest that shook the walls as his muscles strained. Cami held on to her snacks for dear life. Nice as the view was, she was not plummeting to death because Zack flexed. "Zack!! Do not anger the elevator!"

"But I--"

"Zack, you are not Captain America. It's not happening."

"Okay, fine," he sighed in defeat. "What do we do?"

"Is there someone we can call?" She asked. Upon seeing a look on his face, she shook her head and held up a finger in warning. "Don't say Ghostbusters."

"I was going to say I have Ate Gail's number," he said, but the way his eyes twinkled, she knew he totally would have said it. Just like he knew he would have attempted to open those elevator doors by sheer force of will if he had to. "She was on duty when I came in, and she may be able to contact the building admin."

"Okay," Cami said, settling into the floor across from where he was standing. She didn't even wonder why Zack would have the security's personal number, he was just the kind of guy that people gravitated to. You're safe with me.

Cami heaved a huge sigh, her heart slowed down to a gentle gallop instead of a full hammering. You have to stay calm, she reminded herself. It's going to be a long wait.

While the elevators were somewhat new (and thus, aircon), it would definitely take a while for any sort of help to get to them. The one thing they had going for them was that the building had 20 floors, 17 units per floor and only three elevators. They needed all the elevators to work properly, especially since it was almost four, and people would start coming home from work, school, whatever.

But still, it could take a while. And Cami didn't like being in small spaces like this.

"Oh, a brownout? That's...random. Yes, two people from 20H, me and my roommate...yes po, the pretty one." Zack gave her a little smile while he was on the phone with Ate Gail. "Naku ate, good boy ako no."

He sat next to her, his thick thigh against hers, his shoulder against hers as well. Cami released another shuddering breath, and almost immediately, his arm was over her shoulder, his massive hand massaging her.

It really did make her feel better.

"...okay. You're the best, Ate Gail. Update me na lang. Salamat," he chirped, hanging up as Cami leaned against his chest, closing her eyes. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," She assured him. "What did Ate Gail say?"

"That she'll call the admin, who will call the building engineer, who will call back."

Cami groaned in frustration.

"It'll be fine," he promised. "It was a split second brownout. I think something tripped with the power, or whatever, and we're the only ones who really got affected. If it helps, she also said we make a cute couple."

While you usually text him first, your messages tend to be negative (with 'ugh' and 'why' used most frequently).

Cami's frown deepened.

"Aha," he said, stopping his massage, leaning back slightly and studying her closely. "So that's why you've been avoiding me."

"Zack," she groaned. "I haven't been--"

"Cami," he said in the exact same tone. "We both know you have. You're doing that thing where you don't want to tell me something."

"I am not."

"You didn't message me on KF once, not even to complain about your Annoying Officemate."

"Maybe they just weren't annoying this week." Cam reasoned, and Zack shook his head. The decision to message each other on the KF app was an inside joke between them. She wasn't really dating, and he used social media for work. So they intentionally matched each other (because of course Cam knew how to make that happen) and used it all the time.

"This is just like that time you put the pothos outside and gave her a sunburn," he continued. "I noticed. It's a...what do you call it. When your math is solid, but then there's a thingy that might mean you're wrong."

"Grabe ka. First of all, the pothos is fine, she recovered." Cami argued, but pressed her lips together because if she kept talking, she was definitely going to tell him what happened. "Second of all, you are a math teacher, sir?"

"Okay, but what is it called, m'am?"

"It's called an outlier."

"Exactly. You not talking to me last week was an outlier, so I definitely noticed. And now we're both stuck here, and I can't exactly DIY you a pendant light or a candle warmer at the moment, so we can talk about it."

She made a noise that could have been a doubtful huff.

"It's better if you just tell me, Cam-cam," Zack shrugged like they had all the time in the world. "I'll ask my followers. Should Camilla tell me--"

"Zack, do not post this on Instagram!" Cami exclaimed, her hand reaching for his phone when he pulled it out of his pocket. But the man had really quick instincts and pulled his hand away just as quickly.

"Okay, okay I won't," he assured her with a chuckle, making a show of putting his phone in the paper bag with his DIY supplies. "Just...tell me what's up."

You average 43 messages a day, peaking in 2017. What happened in 2017?