The 18th Floor

Chapter Fifty Two

We spend most of the day working in silence, speaking only when necessary. I'm not exactly avoiding him, but I just don't know what to say.

Simon comes in every now and again, quickly doing whatever he came in to do after sensing the tension in the air. I sometimes feel Lucien looking up at me and normally I would turn back to him but I tell my heart to stop beating so rapidly instead.

I don't even realise its 5 till he speaks, "shall we go to mine?", he asks with uncertainty in his voice of the answer I'm about to give.

"Yes", I nod as I make my way out the office from the door, he is holding for me.

As we get closer to the elevators, I push the button for the doors to open and hit the -2 one.

"Oh shit, sorry I'm getting my car serviced. I took the train in, is that ok?"

I push the for the ground floor, "yep that's fine".

I realise on the way down to the floor that this can either be an awkward journey in silence or we start some form of conversation.

"For fuck's sake", I sigh as the elevator doors open and I look outside past the entrance. Lucien looks down at me and then follows my line of sight to see it's pouring it down with rain.

"We can take an uber", he offers. I nod.

We spend the next 20 minutes in the lobby waiting for Uber after Uber but they keep cancelling due to the traffic or the weather or the fact that there isn't a big enough car.

"Oh, just leave it Lucien, it's slowed down a bit we can just quickly go to the station."

"Are you sure?", he asks as he looks at me and then outside.

"It's fine, we've both got hoods on our jackets."

"I have an umbrella."

"I won't be able to hold it properly and push", I admit.

"You hold it and I'll push... if you like, of course", he offers. "You were soaking wet not that long along from the same situation, love."

Love. I look at him, and see the man who I've gotten so close to so quickly, who I know will do everything for me at my asking call, yet who I still low key remain angry at.

"You'll get soaked", he says offering me his umbrella.

"Ok", I say as I take the umbrella and make my way to the exit. I put the hood of my jacket up and go outside, opening the umbrella. I feel Lucien behind me as he puts on his hood too and feel him close by as he grabs the handlebars of my chair and starts to push.

The station isn't far, but with the rain pouring it down like this, Lucien was right. I would have gotten soaked by the time we stepped foot inside. Even like this, the water is hitting my legs and I watch as my trousers start to get darker from the wet patches that form.

We don't say anything as he pushes me, and I try to lift the umbrella a little higher so it covers as much as Lucien's 6'2 frame as possible.

After a brisk 10 minutes, we finally get into the station. Twice as crowded as usual.

Lucien doesn't let go as we make our way to the platform and I won't protest because even in those ten minutes I feel like my fingers have frozen. I think I forgot my gloves at the office.

We both tap in to get through the barrier, and get close to the platform to wait for the next train.

"3 minutes", he says.

"If we can get on", I say pointing to all the people also waiting.

"The next one's in 5 minutes, we'll get that if we need to", he says, still close behind me. I nod knowing we may need to wait for more than two trains.

The first two trains that come are packed to the rim, with no way of me getting on. If Lucien was alone, he could have squeezed on. The next one after that slightly less, but still not enough room.

"This is ridiculous", Lucien protests.

"It's ok, we can just get the one after."

"Is it always like this? For you I mean?"

I look up at him and nod, "most of the time, yes." He shakes his head in disapproval. The fourth train approaches the platform, half empty.

"Thank god", he mutters as he looks around, "hey, sorry, do you mind pulling out a ramp please?", he asks a worker nearby. Shit, I didn't even realise his line at this station isn't step free.

"Oh, sorry, I'm afraid I don't have a ramp on me to place", he says looking apologetically at me and then Lucien.

"For fuck's sake" Lucien mumbles, before turning to the employee and saying thank you. Before I realise what's going on, I feel myself being hoisted into the air, wheelchair and all.

"Lucien?"

"We're getting on this train ramp or no ramp" he says as he carries me onto the train. It's not a long distance, but to carry me and the chair? His muscles never fail to amaze me each time. A guy close by comes over quickly to give Lucien a hand and I feel my cheeks turning red.

"Thank you", I mumble as him and Lucien put me down inside the carriage, with Lucien also giving the man a nod. I go to the corner of the train and put on the breaks.

Lucien stands next to me and I look up at him. Soaking wet from the rain, cheeks and ears red from the cold. He looks down at me and smiles, "he probably would have asked for your number if I wasn't here", he jokes.

"Oh, shut up", I say smiling back softly at him. I hear the train announce we're departing before I remember where we're going and what we're going to talk about, feeling my smile suddenly vanish.