'Tis the Season

Contemporary/Realistic Fiction | Mistletoe!

My hand reached out to push the elevator's buttons to close the door, but someone ran towards the elevator, screaming. I had no choice but to delay, and only then was I eye to eye with the person who just entered and also looked right at me. 

"Aiden," I called out, watching the door slowly closed as the guy was standing behind me. 

"Arielle." He greeted back, showing a straight expression through glimpses from the elevator's see-through outline. 

"Working on this holiday, too?" I began, looking at the watch on my wrist, sipping on the coffee out of the cup I held in my hand. 

"Something like that," He replied, shrugging. 

Nodding my head, I glanced up to see that there was mistletoe hanging above. I sealed my lips as the silence took over. However, as I was ready for the elevator to open because it halted to a stop, suddenly the lights inside blinked multiple times before they were turned off completely. 

"What just happened?" I blurted, pacing around the small-spaced elevator anxiously. 

"Guess it stopped working," Aiden pointed out, walking by me as I felt his presence by then, pressing on the elevator's buttons back and forth. 

"No no no, this can't happen." I said, walking over to Aiden, pushing him away that I could hear him huff in annoyance. Pulling my phone out to turn on the flashlight, pressing harder on the emergency button simultaneously. 

It didn't work. 

I groaned, tapping on the buttons vigorously. Frustrated, I dropped myself on the ground, completely forgetting that I wasn't alone in here. As if on cue, Aiden spoke again, probably judging my behavior as he watched my little breakdown the whole time. 

"You've got plans or something?" 

If you count watching Hallmark movies while dipping candy cane in chocolate fountain plans, then yeah, I wanted to say that, but ever since the breakup I didn't feel like he deserved to know that kind of detail in my life.

"Kind of," I replied, leaning my head on the frame. 

He scoffed, "Of course, why did I even ask." He said. 

Acting like I didn't just hear the tone in his voice, I pulled out my phone to scroll social media only to find that not only was there no signal but my battery was at the edge of dying. And I had no idea how long was I going to be stuck here for. 

Fucking great.

I slammed my phone on my purse, closing my eyes in hopes that when I opened them back, the elevator was up and running again. 

"Thanks for saving me on the fashion show, by the way," I said. My mind decided to dig through old memories of the time when I owed him. 

"Hey, it's no problem," He replied. "Besides, that would've meant that you owe me something too." 

My legs stretched out on the ground, my fingers drawing in circles on my thigh. "Well, you can come to collect anytime." 

He chuckled, reminding me once again how much I missed hearing that. "Really? 'Cause you know, we're alone in here..." 

There was a hint of playfulness in his tone so I pushed him with my foot. "How are you doing, by the way? Do you have any big plans for this holiday?" I asked. 

"Well, I was going to go straight home after work, but I didn't know that I'd be in elevator malfunction." He explained.

"Sorry about that," I said sympathetically, picking up my coffee and took a sip. "You know, where's everyone anyway? There should be the maintenance team going out to help us by now." 

"Hey, I'm not complaining, I mean, wouldn't that mean that we get to at least be freed out of work while everyone out there was bustling?" 

"Maybe for you, but I actually have a big presentation." I contemplated, standing up from the ground to jab on the elevator's frame aggressively. 

"You're going to break that, you know," He let out. 

"I don't care, I've got to get out of here before they know that I'm late!" I exclaimed, slamming on the frame one last time, hard, then winced cause my hand was hurt from the number of times I did that. 

"It's the holiday season, who cares?" 

"I do! If I'm not there on time, it won't look good on my supervisors!" I argued, dropping myself on the ground once again. 

He sighed, scooting closer to my side. Oddly enough, I didn't try to move away, even when he brushed against my shoulder softly. "Okay, maybe we just need to get your mind off of things," He said. 

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" I spat. 

He leaned even closer to my face that the butterflies in my stomach started to flutter as soon as the words escaped his lips. "I think you know," He whispered. 

I didn't know how or when did I become that kind of person, maybe it was the tension filling up the air in this box, or the idea of being trapped together, but as I cocked my head to the side, my lips slowly fell on his lips. 

My hands were cupping both of his cheeks by now as I felt his hand trailing down on my back. I explored the inside of his mouth, my hand slowly made its way to his hair, pulling on it. He leaned down to plant kisses on my neck as I threw my head back, moaning. 

In the midst of all that, I didn't realize that the elevator started going up and down again before landing on a floor until someone or a group of someone(s) gasped and Aiden stopped kissing me, did I turn around and my cheeks flushed. 

I stood up to fix my clothing and avoided Aiden's gaze, walking out of the elevator then stopped in front of everyone. "Well, Merry Christmas everyone! Look, Mistletoe!" I pointed out towards the mistletoe behind me and walked away.