Outlawed (Cole Pendery)

1234567

I press the button on the elevator door tentatively, then rub my eyes with the palm of my hand hastily. Hoping that by the time the doors open, the tears would be gone and everything would be miraculously better. I hate Cole. I hate that I care what he thinks. I hate the impact he has on me. Mostly, I hate that I don't really hate him. What I do hate right now is that the elevator is taking so damn long to open.

As soon as he kissed me I got the hell out of there, taking a taxi to Cassie's and spent the night there's, leaving Em with an equally dishevelled Cole like the coward I am. I've been a mess ever since. I look in the reflection of the elevator.  My eyes are cloudy with sleep, my cheeks are stained with tears, my lips swollen and stinging. My stomach twisting in knots that long for home. The clothe's I'm wearing are Cassie's as I had no choice but to go straight to work this morning.

At times like this I know mum would know what to say to reassure me, all the hours at work can't prevent me from missing her. 

Snapping back into reality, I would just like to advise you in something that you hopefully won't need. Never, ever, unconsciously lean on the doors of an elevator. 

I let out a gust of air, anticipating the fall, but instead shifted my gaze to the person behind me, who's arms I am currently lying in...

Jumping out of his arms, I grunt when I notice it's the one and only Cole. Forgetting he's here for the second interview. "I'll wait for the next elevator," I say, despite the fact that I'll have to wait another half hour for the next subdued one to come, I'd prefer it than two minutes of awkward silence with Cole.

He looks as though he's about to let me go but them something flashes through his eyes and I think I even see him look down at my chest for a second, "no, uh-stay." Perv.

But I guess it's only five minutes and I can't let him think the kiss still affected me. I sigh and walk past him without a response, only telling him the floor I'm heading to.

He presses the number, then abruptly slides his finger over all the other buttons.

"What was that?!" 

He looks at me with a smirk, "relax. I always do it." I groan, four minutes left.

Cole starts tapping his feet simultaneously on the floor in some irritably catchy tune.

Three minutes and forty seconds.

Tap.

Three minutes and thirty five seconds.

Tap. 

Three minutes and thirty seconds.

Tap. Tap.

I sigh, what does life have against me? I grin stupidly once I realise it's silent. He stopped! 

Finally!

Tap.

"Stop that!" I snarl, glaring at his amused expression, giving him the satisfaction of having me speak to him.

Just as he was about to retort, the ground beneath us shook and he shut his mouth, I stared at him sceptically. 

His gaze met mine and he shrugged, until it happened again... and again... and then nothing.
Realisation hits me. Oh no. No. No. No. No. No. This is not happening. I am not stuck in an elevator with Cole. I mean, how cliché can this get? Maybe this is a sign. Or maybe this all apart of his plan. His plan to murder me. I sigh in relief when I notice his confused expression, at least he isn't smirking. 

"We're stuck in an elevator." Cole exclaims, chuckling like an idiot. 

I roll my eyes. Is this really the time to be immature?

"Oh, come on. We're going to be stuck here for hours and you're going to ignore me?" 

Hours?! Oh, God. Disregarding his presence completely, I pull out my phone, if I tell Lee he could let someone know that we're stuck in here.

"There's no reception." Cole sings teasingly.

I glare at him, hopefully sending daggers that would strike him, "of course you would know. How many people have you murdered like this?" 

He grins, since when is he this goofy? "Like this? I'd have to admit you're a first." 

I roll my eyes, biting back whatever retort I desperately wanted to say. It is so hard to stay mad at him. As annoying as he is, I can't help but think it's a relief I'm not alone.

"You know, if you don't want to talk we could always do something else?" He suggests, winking, earning a look of disgust from me.

"You're boring." He murmurs, plonking himself on the floor, leaning back on the wall.I imitate his action reluctantly.

The lights flicker for a second and my eyes widen. Five seconds later it's pitch black and two seconds after that I start to inwardly freak out. As childish as this sounds, I hate the dark. I've hated it since I was a kid. It's not a fear exactly, I think I just have an imagination too vivid for my own good, it's just that anything can happen. There could be a murderer in the room with you and you'd be completely oblivious, then the next thing you know you're being stabbed with a deadly pitchfork.

"C-Cole?" I call out, sounding afraid and pathetically vulnerable.

"I'm here." His thick voice seemed clearer in the dark and as obvious as what he said was, the words he spoke were exactly the ones I wished weren't what I desired to hear. 

I bite my lip nervously, his sitting on the other side of the room and I couldn't be more grateful for his presence right now. "I'm sorry for being a bitch before," I blurt. I don't know why I said it, but the atmosphere kind of encouraged it.

A light chuckle is heard through the darkness, "we aren't going to die you know, princess?" 

When I don't answer he sighs, "I know, I'm sorry too," He apologises... actually apologises!
I couldn't suppress the grin that almost replaced my fear. I let the words linger in the air until they unravel the hurt they've caused all this time. I didn't know how badly I needed them.
I hear movement from across the room before a light switches on from Cole's phone. "Here," he stands up and sits next to me, like, really close, before proffering his phone on the floor in front of us. 

The contrast in the room only brightened a little, but as I watched as the light illuminate off Cole's face I realised I have never seen him so beautiful in my life. His hair is a shade lighter, complimenting his now golden-like piercings. His pearlescent eyes were darker but lighter at the same time looking into mine. But what I noticed the most was his arm blazing against my arm, his warm touch causing pink to creep up my neck.

"You're killing me, Alana." He said in one breath. Did he feel this way too? I looked at him with anticipation... hoping for an elaboration. And I got one. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "seriously, it's suffocating in here. I can not stand another minute, I'm going to find a way out." He stood up and started pounding his fist on the corners of the walls, leaving me feeling embarrassed and humiliated once again.