“Hey, wait!” a voice calls out just as the elevator doors were about to slide shut.
Instinctively, you reach out and press the “open door” button. The metal doors creak, opening to reveal Ryland rushing inside. He’s out of breath, from having rushed to make it in time. Huffing out a relieved exhale, he turns to face you as the doors resume closing.
“Thanks” he breathes, his mouth curling into a small smile.
You offer him a slight shrug and a smile in return, turning back to face the front as the elevator moves. It had been a few months since you moved into this apartment complex, and Ryland was your next-door neighbour. Your first meeting had been memorable, to say the least. You had just finished unpacking a few boxes one morning when a thumping sounded at your door. Opening it, you found the hallway empty, until you looked down the corridor.
There went Ryland, balancing a cardboard and helmet in his arms. As he had shuffled past your apartment, the helmet had knocked against your door. He had managed to press the elevator button with his elbow, but the movement caused the cardboard to slip. You had hurried over to help him. Looking slightly flustered, he had hastily introduced himself - “Thank you so much, uh, I’m Ryland Grace and…I’m sort of late, so, see you later, I guess”
To make matters worse, the knit of his fox cardigan had caught in the doorway, triggering the sensors and forcing the doors back open. You had giggled, stepping forward to gently push the loose fabric inside, “Your foxes were getting in the way” He had looked mortified, but the elevator doors finally closing had saved him from further embarrassment.
After that rocky start, the two of you grew quite close, striking up casual conversations whenever you crossed paths. You learned he was a middle school science teacher at Grover Cleveland Middle School, which perfectly explained the lingering scent of dry-erase markers and books that always seemed to follow him. You shared details about your own career. You liked him. It was difficult not to. He was kind, constantly bombarded you with random scientific facts you hadn’t asked for, and his stories about dealing with chaotic preteens were hilarious. Plus, he managed to look handsome all the time, which was honestly infuriating.
Your train of thought gets abruptly broken by a screech. The metal elevator car shakes so hard that both of you stumble to keep your footing. A split second later, the overhead lights snap off. The elevator is stuck.
You squeeze your eyes shut, forcing yourself to take a deep, steadying breath. When you open them, the faint glow of the emergency backup lights flicker. Ryland is staring at the ceiling.
“No” he mutters, his voice barely reaches you. He steps toward the control panel, his fingers moving across the surface as he frantically jabs random buttons that obviously had no power.
You push yourself away from the metal wall you had been resting against. “Hey, Ryland” you call out, stepping up beside him. He doesn’t hear you. He is trapped in his own head, muttering under his breath while his hands moved across the buttons. Reaching out, you gently tap his arm, feeling the tense muscle beneath his blazer “Ryland, it’s not going to work”
His fingers froze. He snaps his head around to look at you, his eyebrows knit together in anxiety and distaste, “Why isn’t it working?!”
“Well, the elevator has lost power, which means these buttons are completely useless. I thought you’d figure that out, Mr Science Teacher” you teased gently, trying to ease the tense air.
It backfires. Instead of calming down, he begins pacing the narrow confines of the metal box, his eyes darting around as if searching for a hidden escape route.
You let out a soft sigh, “Hey, Ryland, come on, look at me. Calm down. This happens sometimes. The maintenance crew will have it operating again in no time, okay?”
“When?!” he snaps, spinning on his heel to face you.
“Um, I don’t actually know” you admit honestly.
The adrenaline spike seems to exhaust him. He stops pacing and leans back against the corner of the elevator, closing his eyes tightly as he fights to regain control of his breathing, “Sorry. I just…I really hate being trapped in enclosed spaces. Especially when that space is hovering several storeys above solid ground”
Your expression softens. Stepping closer, you turn so your back rests against the cold metal right next to him, both of you staring at the sealed elevator doors.
“I don’t like getting trapped in elevators either” you begin softly, “but not because it’s a tight space with no exit, or because I’m afraid it might drop. I mean, yeah, it is those things, but more importantly, it’s the uncertainty. I hate the thought of not knowing if we’re going to get out in an hour, or if we’re just gonna to be trapped in here forever”
That is a mistake. A massive one. Ryland’s head whips toward you with such sudden force that his glasses slide down the bridge of his nose, “Why would you say that?!” he whisper-shouts, staring at you incredulously.
You open your mouth to backtrack, but he keeps right on going, “Oh my God, now you’ve put it in my head. I’m literally thinking about being trapped here forever”
A sudden laugh escapes you, “Don’t worry, Ryland. Forever is a myth” You playfully nudge your shoulder against his arm, “You won’t be stuck here forever. You’ll just slowly rot and turn to dust”
He looks absolutely horrified, “Stop!”
His wide-eyed reaction only makes you laugh harder, the sound echoing in the small space.
“Have I ever mentioned that I hate you?” he asks, trying and failing to maintain a deadpan expression.
You chuckle, leaning back, “No, actually. In fact, you’ve only ever shown appreciation for my presence”
He rolls his eyes dramatically, “Well, I don’t appreciate you right now. Out of all the people in this building, I’m stuck with the worst elevator partner”
“Hey!” you protest, putting a hand over your heart, “If anyone should be unappreciative here, it’s me. I’m the one trapped with a boring science teacher”
He lets out a mock, offended gasp, “Excuse me, I’ll have you know I am a very interesting science teacher. My students absolutely love my class”
You giggle, the warmth in your chest growing, “I’m sure they do, Ry”
The moment the nickname slips past your lips, you freeze. But Ryland doesn’t pull away. Instead, the panic vanishes from his face, replaced by a soft, genuine smile that makes you sag against the metal wall in relief.
Sliding down the panel, you plop onto the floor, pulling your knees to your chest. Ryland doesn’t hesitate, sinking down right next to you, his long legs folded in the cramped space.
“Hey, since we have no cell service here, do you happen to have Wordle downloaded offline?” you ask, tilting your head toward him.
A playful smirk tugs at the corner of his lips as he pulls his phone from his pocket, “Come on. I thought you knew me well enough by now to know that I would obviously have the offline version saved” He opens the app, navigating from his blank screen to a fresh grid.
You scoff playfully and shift closer, your shoulder brushing against his as you both lean over the screen, the elevator suddenly feeling a whole lot smaller, but oddly cozy.
“Okay, what’s our opening word?” you ask, resting your chin near his shoulder to get a better look at the screen. The familiar scent of dry-erase markers, old books, and a faint scent of his cologne washes over you.
“Get the vowels out of the way” He taps his thumb across the keypad to type the letters.
Two yellow squares pop up - A and E.
“Not bad” you murmur. Your shoulder is pressed against his now, “try SHRED”
He types it in. The R flips to yellow, while the E and A flash in a different spot.
“Alright, Mr Grace, we have A, E, and R” you say, looking up from the screen to his face. Because of how close you are sitting, you can see his side profile very clearly. You can see the slight crinkle at the corner of his eyes, and the way his lips purse as he thinks.
“SHARE? No, the H doesn’t feel right, and the A would be in the wrong place” Ryland mutters to himself, unaware of your staring. His fingers brush against yours for a second as he repositions the phone, “How about-No, no, it won’t work”
“What about…actually, no, we need our vowels” you laugh, your own mind a little hazy because of his warmth in the small space.
Ryland lets out a soft laugh that vibrates against your arm, “You’re terrible at this under pressure”
“Hey! I’m doing great. Try MINER” you suggest, nudging him.
He enters it. The M, N, E, and R all light up.
“M, N, E, R, and we still have the A from earlier” Ryland counts out loud, his voice dropping into a focused tone he uses when he’s grading tests, “wait. R-A-M-E-N...”
He pauses, staring at the grid.
“RAMEN” you both whisper in unison.
Ryland turns his head to look at you, his face is only inches from yours. His gaze drops to your lips for a second before lifting back to your eyes.
He doesn’t type the word in. The phone stays forgotten in his palm. Neither of you moves away. In fact, you find yourself leaning in just a fraction of an inch closer, your breath catching in your throat.
“Aren’t you going to enter it?” you ask softly, your eyes darting down to his mouth.
He reaches up with his free hand, his fingers gently brushing against your jawline as he tilts your face a bit. His thumb rests against your cheek, his skin warm, making your heart skip a beat.
When he leans in, it’s hesitant, giving you a second to pull back if you want to. You don’t. You close the remaining distance, your eyes shutting as your lips meet his.
The kiss is soft at first, an acknowledgment of the tension that has been building between you two for months over brief hallway chats and short hang outs. But as you slide your hand up his arm, gripping the fabric of his blazer, Ryland lets out a low exhale against your mouth and deepens the kiss. His hand moves to the back of your neck, his fingers tangling slightly in your hair, pulling you against him.
For a few seconds, the stuck elevator, the building, and the lack of cell service disappear. There is only the warmth of his mouth, and the beat of his heart matching yours.
When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests against yours, both of you breathing a little heavily. His glasses are definitely crooked again, but neither of you cares.
Ryland lets out a breathless chuckle, his thumb tracing your cheekbone again. “Well” he whispers, a smile spreading across his face, “suddenly, I don’t mind being trapped here forever” Before you can reply, a sound echoes. The overhead lights snap back on, and the elevator gives a jolt as it finally begins to move upward.
You both laugh against each other.
