Signed /Dream Team/

63

Clay's P.O.V.

I've looked for her everywhere.

Maybe I shouldn't have left her alone, but my mind was so clouded that I needed a break. I was already being unnecessarily dry and rude to her because of how irritated I was after the conversation with George, and then I left her alone and she was probably hurt.

After calling her three times and realizing that her phone was turned off or dead, I left my number in the lobby and asked the hotel staff to call me if she comes back. Then I decided to go to the bar she was working at. Didn't find her there either. Turns out today's her off day.

And the last destination was our house. Well, that house. I couldn't think of a reason why she would be there, so before walking all the way to the building, I decided to call Nick.

The way it took him 3 calls to finally pick up frustrated me even more than I already was.

"What's taking you so long to pick up?" I raise my voice right as he says hello.

"I was showering, dipshit," he starts to defend himself immediately, "what's up?"

"Is Anastasia there?" I get straight to the point. But I don't even know what the point is, I'm already walking to the house regardless of what Nick says.

"I missed you too, friend," he says sarcastically, "nothing much, barely making the ends meet-"

"Nick, have you seen Anastasia?" I cut him off, pressing my teeth together from nerves, "Is she or has she been there?"

"Where?"

"In the house." I probably should've called George.

Wait.

"Pass the phone to George," I start walking faster, and the way Nick starts calling out George's name repeatedly and getting no response already tells me that he's not home.

I swear to god if they're together-

"He's not here," Nick speaks, "he went on a walk 2 hours ago, I thought he'd be back already."

I hang up without saying anything and immediately call George. A sense of relief washes over me as I realize that his phone is not turned off like Ana's, but all my hopes get crushed when I hear the same fucking voice again.

"Hello?"

"Nick.." I was confident with my guess, yet he was confused.

"Who's this?" I can't believe I recognized his voice from a single hello, and he doesn't know who I am even after seeing the caller ID.

"Who do you think it is?" I can't hide the anger in my voice anymore. Not because of Nick's stupidity, but because I realized that George left his phone in the house.

"I don't know, the caller ID said Cunt," I don't even know why I'm friends with them, "oh wait, is this you Clay?"

I'm so done.

"I'm coming," I announce, about to hang up, but Nick had something to say. I already knew what was coming.

"Too much detail, bro."

Yep.

I walk fast, ignoring the fact that my legs were about to fall off both from the cold and the fact that I've been walking for hours now.

And as if that wasn't enough, apparently the elevator isn't working. I have to go up 9 floors.

I was going up 3 stairs at a time to get there as soon as possible, but right as I reach the 4th floor, I see a man with tools yelling something at the elevator doors. Out of curiosity, I slow down to hear what's going on.

"Are you okay in there?" The man speaks, and I furrow my brows.

"Would be better if you got us out," a female voice answers. I freeze in my spot.

Either that was Anastasia's voice, or I'm going insane.

I get closer to the elevator and speak immediately, "Ana?"

The man looks at me confused, and I say hello to him out of politeness. As he attempts to speak, the female voice rings, cutting him off.

"Oh my god, Clay?"

Thank god. Thank fucking god.

"Holy fuck, are you okay?" I try to get closer to the doors, but the man holds me back, "Do something!" I whisper shout at him, not understanding why he's just standing there and not letting me get closer as if it's a crime scene.

And again, before that man could say anything, another voice echoes from the elevator.

"Don't worry, she's not alone."

Of course.

As if that was going to make me worry less.

"George." I just said his name. I had nothing else to say.

And after a few seconds of silence he responds.

"What."

The guy fixing the elevator was just standing there, waiting for his chance to speak. Once he gets it, he proceeds.

"Alright, we couldn't fix the electric issue but we're gonna pull you guys up mechanically, okay?" He starts, "Then I'll open the doors and het you out of there." He explains it in detail to the closed doors as George and Anastasia answer with an in sync "okay".

The fact that they're stuck between two floors is just unbelievable. How does that even happen?

The guy gets out his walkie-talkie or something and starts speaking again.

"Pull 'em up, Jim," he instructs and a painfully creaky noise fills the whole entire floor.

I hear Anastasia's voice and it sounds like she said "if we fall and die, I'm never forgiving you."

I wonder what they were talking about before that. Did she forgive him? Is she going to forgive him? What if they made up already?

Anyway, Jim does a great job pulling them up, but this man right here struggles for 10 minutes to open the doors manually and ends up needing both my and George's help to pull them apart. Maybe we'd succeed earlier if Anastasia helped as well, cause the forces weren't really balanced with the three of us, but she insisted, saying that she'll break her nails.

And finally, after a lot of struggle, the doors open and they get out.

I'm confused when Anastasia jumps on me for a hug, but react immediately and hug her back.

A part of me wants to believe that she just wanted to hug me, but my brain keeps tellint me that she probably did it to piss George off. And it worked, cause the look he gave me was deadly.

"Everything alright?" I look at him as Anastasia pulls away and clings to my arm, and he just nods. But there was so much aggression in that single nod that I doubt he was answering my question with any hint of honesty.

"Can we go up? I need to grab my charger," the way she stands infront of me with her back facing George, is just another level of ignorance towards him.

Only because I wanted to see Nick, I agree. We thank the elevator guy and go up in silence, the only sound being our shoes against the staircase and the stupid material of George's jacket rubbing against itself.

I have so many questions.