Another lil Benley collection

Elevator Ride To Forever

Ben pressed the button for the elevator, glancing at his watch impatiently. It had been a long day at the hospital, and all he wanted was to get home and collapse into bed. Miranda, the hospital's star surgeon, stood next to him, her exhaustion evident in the lines etched on her face.

As the elevator doors slid open, they stepped inside, the weight of the day heavy on their shoulders. Ben hit the button for the first floor, but instead of descending smoothly, the elevator shuddered to a halt between floors.

"Oh, come on" Ben exclaimed, his frustration boiling over.

Miranda let out a tired sigh, leaning against the wall. "Just our luck," she muttered.

Ben pulled out his phone and attempted to call for help, but there was no signal in the elevator shaft.

"Well, this is just great," he grumbled "Guess we wait."

"This cannot be happening" She frowned

"So, uh... quite the situation we've found ourselves in, huh?" Ben broke the silence, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness.

Miranda nodded, not meeting his gaze. She had been avoiding Ben ever since that fateful incident in the operating room, where a patient had unexpectedly woken up mid-surgery. He tried to explain himself, she gave him a half-assed apology and refused to speak to him since then.

Ben nodded, his mind racing with a mix of panic and excitement. This was his chance to finally break the ice with Miranda. "So, how's your day been so far?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Miranda shrugged, her gaze still fixed on her phone. "Same old, same old. Just busy with work," she replied, her tone guarded.

Ben hesitated for a moment before mustering up the courage to speak again. "Listen, I've been wanting to talk to you about something for a while now," he began, his heart pounding in his chest.

Miranda glanced up, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?" she asked

Taking a deep breath, Ben decided to lay it all out on the table. "Remember that incident in the OR a few weeks ago? When our patient woke up?" he said, his words tumbling out in a rush.

"I'd rather we not talk about that. Dr.Warren." She sighed " I have an unbelievably long day and it's gotten longer thanks to elevator troubles. I don't wish to talk about something that is over and done with. Now, I gave you the best apology you're going to get, what else do you want?"

Ben's heart sank as Miranda brushed off his attempt to address the tension between them. He had hoped for a chance to clear the air, but her dismissive response left him feeling deflated. Still, he mustered up the courage to extend an invitation.

"Uh, well, actually, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about," Ben stammered, trying to regain his composure. "I was thinking... maybe we could grab dinner sometime? You know, outside of work."

Miranda's expression made him falter. Her sharp retort cut through the air like a knife. "Dinner? Are you serious? Have you lost your mind? Or maybe you never had one to begin with."

"I... I just thought..." Ben stumbled over his words, struggling to find the right response. But Miranda's dismissive tone made it clear that his invitation had been a mistake.

With a heavy sigh, he forced a weak smile, masking the hurt he felt inside. "Forget I said anything," he muttered, the disappointment evident in his voice.

As the silence stretched on, Miranda's sigh carried with it a weight of its own, a silent admission that there was more to her reaction than met the eye. Ben's concern grew, his earlier hurt momentarily forgotten as he listened to her speak. ""Look, I'm sorry for snapping. It's just... it's been a really tough time for me lately."