Barely There

Chapter 2 - Elevator Music

Her feet moved mechanically towards the looming tower.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Left.

The building stood dark against the light grey, cloudy canvas. She approached the large, glass doors and nodded to the security guard standing next to the doorway.

"Good morning Rob."

She lifted the corners of her mouth upward, and flashed her teeth, her dimples making dents in her lively face.

"Good morning, Ms. Dehkordi."

He unlocked the doors for her, pulling them open. Her body moved itself halfway through the doorway, before she stopped. She took in a deep breath and tore off her red coat frantically, tucking it into a small fold before moving forward.

Her black heels sounded on the white marble floors as she moved towards the end of the large room. The clicking of the shoes was loud and drew attention to her moving body.

White walls encased large windows as light flooded through the glass into the spacious lobby. Figures wearing different shades of white and black talked in clusters and moved robotically towards their stations. The chatter of people blended together, becoming a low hum that echoed through the room.

She walked quickly towards the closing elevator, squeezing herself into the metal cage at the last second. The red cloth in her hand drew attention in the compartment as everyone glared at the seemingly too-bright color.

She pulled the fabric closer to her black turtleneck and rubbed the irritated area around her neck.

The elevator moved up the tower quickly, flying upwards. The instrumental music flowed out from the small speakers towards the top of the elevator. The bodies within the small room, emitted heat and the cage grew humid. Growing anxious to get out of the heated room, the brunette shifted her feet closer to the doors. She focused on her breathing as the synchronized instruments sounded together to make a moving melody in the song that seeped out of the speaker. She focused on the highs and lows of the orchestra to regain her peace as the elevator crawled to a stop.

She stepped out on the 19th floor, moving through the obstacles of people to make it to her desk. As she moved through she could feel someone walking close behind her. Their heat dissipated towards her body and she shivered as she sped up.

Their feet moved in unison as she walked towards her chair, a couple steps away.

Left.

Right.

Left.

She pounced on the chair and scanned her surroundings for any signs of the trailing figure. She felt the floor beneath her shift slightly as someone plopped down on the chair near her.

The woman's straight blonde hair stayed in place in the neat bun, even with her sudden motions. She leaned across her desk, shifting closer to the nervous brunette.

"Leda, guess what happened this weekend with Nathan!"

She gleamed golden as her rosy lips moved, the soft melodic voice flowing out smoothly, and the brunette felt dull in front of the girl's emerald green eyes.

"I'm not sure Amelia. Did he finally propose after like 30 years of dating?"

Leda grinned jokingly and awaited for the witty comeback when the blonde's voice broke out again in an excited tone.

"YES! HE DID."

Her green eyes were illuminated with joy and the brunette was frozen with shock.

"Wait actually? Where's the ring? How did he propose? What were you wearing? What time did he propose? Was your family there?"

The string of questions flowed out as the clock ticked closer and closer to 8:00.

"Patience Leda. I shall let you know the details soon."

Her pink lips turned up into a glowing smile and her perfect teeth sparkled in the limited light flowing in from the windows. Her flawless skin was as smooth as marble and her features were delicate yet sharp on her beautiful face. Her movements were graceful as she moved back to the center of her desk when the supervisor approached.

"Amelia! I heard that you were engaged from across the room and I just came here to congratulate you."

A playful grin etched itself onto the coarse face of the dark-haired man and the brunette felt herself become more anxious with his presence.

He turned his head to her awaiting figure.

"And Leda...I hope you finished the spreadsheet I asked for you to put together a week ago."

His black orbs shifted to the red fabric bundled beneath her desk as his grin became forced. His dark eyes crushed her beneath his gaze as he turned slowly, moving away from the cowering brunette and glowing blonde.

Amelia's smile stayed perfectly still on her face as the man returned to his station. Unaware of Leda's anxiety and stress, she stared at her ring contently, the large diamond reflecting beams of light on her porcelain skin.

Leda took a deep breath as she forced her gaze away from the spot where the man once stood to the display in the bottom right of her computer.

8:00.

She started typing and Amelia followed soon afterwards.

After a couple minutes, the entire office was typing on their keyboards rapidly. The clicking of the keys dominated the bare room as the workers typed in unison at their white desks. The tune became a rhythmic flow of clicks, echoing off of the white surfaces and swirling together before becoming a melancholic piece.

The exhausted brunette strained herself against the sound of the typing and jumped up from her rigid chair, breaking the chain of clicking. She walked hurriedly to the women's bathroom and leaned against the sink, avoiding eye contact with herself in the mirror.

Leda eventually left the bathroom and was surprised to find that a warm hand had gripped her waist, pulling her towards them. She reached out to the air, trying to grasp at nothing.

"Hi babe. Missed you this morning."

She could feel the sinister smirk on his stubbled face and felt the anger bubble in her throat.

"Don't call me that."

"You know you love it."

She yanked herself away from his sticky hold and distanced herself as she walked backwards, towards the clicking.

"Where are you going? Why are you so damn difficult?"

His smirk dropped from his face, as a frown grew bigger between his brows. The scent of cigarettes and cheap cologne pervaded her senses and she felt nauseous standing there near him.

"Never fucking touch me again Daniel!"

Without waiting for a reply, she ran away from the man.

Click.

She sat down again.

Click.

Nobody had moved.