One Roof

Chapter 26

We arrived at the base of what looked to be a tall office building. We were instructed to park in the basement. We exited the vehicle after entering. We needed to go up and head for the ground floor before heading for the receptionist.

"Let's see..."

Emily scrolled through her phone. I leaned a bit and took a peek. She seemed to be scrolling down a line of text, searching for something.

"You never visited the place?"

Emily shook her head.

"First time as well. Excuse me, do you know about Skyhigh Resto?"

Emily mentioned the name to the receptionist. The receptionist smiled and explained how we could get there. The elevator of this building had a unique design. Instead of the usual where you would push up or down and then select the floor number you wanted to go to inside the elevator, this one had a keypad where you could input the floor you wanted to go to. Below the keypad was a keycard reader, required if you wanted to use the elevator.

We needed to get to floor twenty-five, thus we traded our citizen IDs with a keycard and went toward the elevators. We scanned the card, which opened the turnstiles that separated the elevators and the lobby.

"Make sure to not lose that."

Emily said as she stored hers in her bag. As I placed the keycard on my pants, Emily typed in the number 23. Above the keypad, there was a small screen that showed the number we input. The number then disappeared and was replaced by the letter 'D'. We headed to the elevator that was marked D and waited in front of it. It went down from floor seventeen. When it opened, a group of people made their way out. We stepped to the side, allowing them to pass through, before entering the elevator ourselves.

Inside the elevator, there was nothing but an emergency call button and the buttons for opening and closing the door. The screen above it showed the floor we were at. We went up to floor eleven and dropped two passengers off. With us being the remaining two people in it, the elevator sped up, climbing straight for its destination. Within a few seconds, we heard a ting, the screen showing that we had arrived at our floor. The two metal doors opened, revealing the world outside.

We stepped off and followed a small marking pointing toward the bar. We followed the narrow hallway and reached the glass doors that marked the end of the interior of this building. I pushed the glass door open, feeling its weight on my hand, careful to not damage it. As I crossed the border, marked by the switch of floor's colors that went from a light creme color to an elegant black color, a gust of cold, fresh air embraced me, carrying with it the vibrant scents of the bustling city and the rich scent of the restaurant's cooking. It felt different from the controlled air inside the office. It felt like freedom, in a way.

A sleek black roof covered our heads, with ornaments made of metal colored in silver hung above. They act as houses for the lights that shone light into the area. A line of light poles stood, acting as fences that divided the bar on the right with a seating area on the left. The poles had been colored in full black, blending into the restaurant area. It had been carved with great precision, looking similar to the much larger pillars seen in Greek architecture.

On top of them were tiny light bulbs emitting a faint, yellowish glow. The bar table on our right had a dark gray colored bottom, with a black tabletop made out of marble. Several things like coffee machines, sinks, and drinks hid behind the bar, with a skillful bartender dressed in a tuxedo skillfully operating them. He then started mixing a drink for a customer who sat on one of the bar stools surrounding the bar. Behind them was a huge shelf showcasing various drinks, all lined up neatly, standing side by side as if competing to get the customer's attention. I took a few seconds to register this sight into my mind.