Blocked in the lift

With Christmas approaching, Connors and Co s workload always augmented for all employees of the prestigious company. Especially the secretaries had to work overtime. Deadlines were set, emails had to be answered, demands to be treated urgently and copies to be made very fast. Actually there was no time left for dreaming or romantic thoughts. You had to be dedicated full time, work fast and leave as late as possible. If the boss noticed some delay, you could be fired very easily. Products had to be sold; clients had to be fully satisfied. As she was responding to the 200th email from a client in the late evening of the 23rd of December, Laura was feeling totally drained out. She was about to tidy her desk when the boss came in, asking her to do a few copies before she left. Although she was feeling the fatigue, she knew she could barely refuse this favor to her boss, even if it implied taking the lift to the first floor and then come back to her office again. Laura took the documents with her and called the lift. As the lift was opening, she saw Rob inside, greeting her with an ironic grin. “Oh no, not this dork again!” she thought to herself. She really disliked Rob since she started working with the company and she found him so arrogant and critical towards members of the staff, because he was a high graduate and, moreover, he was the Vice President. “Hello Rob”, she said, and just looked away. Rob didn’t even bother to answer her forced greeting. “As if I really cared about this arrogant pig”, she talked to herself again. “He can go to hell…I ll do my photocopies and then I ll be free to go home and celebrate Christmas with my family…” As they were reaching the third floor, the lift suddenly blocked. “Goddamn”, said Rob, as the darkness was setting in, “we are blocked for good! “Laura, do you have a mobi phone?” “No Rob, I left it on my desk…” “You brainless secretaries never think…this is typical…” “ No Rob, stop it…I won’t take it from you this evening I am fed up with your arrogance…I am tired, I just wanna go home,please leave me alone!” “ Ok, anyway, I guess we will have to push the emergency button and call for help…wait…at least I got my lighter, so we won’tbe completely in the dark…” Laura was exhausted. She started crying. “ I hate being with you here…I wanna get out of here…” “Listen, you silly girl, I also hate being here withyou, but we need to find a solution right now…otherwise we might spend thenight here…” Laura’s face faded to white. She had always suffered from claustrophobia. She realized that Rob might be right and that the staff might be gone by now…she nervously pushed the emergency button. It was ringing,but nobody was answering on the other side… A feeling of panic was overwhelming her, she was losing control. She was about to fall when Rob caught her in his arms. “ Hey, Laura, you got to be strong. We might have to wait here for a while. I know I am not the ideal partner to be blocked in a lift with, but I will make an effort. I apologize to you for being so rude…hey,Laura, are you ok?” Laura didn t respond at first. He face was still pale.Obviously she was feeling unwell and uncomfortable at the same time. “ Laura, I promise to be nice and well behaved. But talk to me, please. Don t panic. We will get out of here sooner or later…” “ I am scared, Rob…I hate the dark, I hate beinginside of here…I can’t breathe properly…” Laura broke into tears as she began sitting on the floor. She held her head in her hands. Rob felt so sorry for her at this very moment. He sat next to her and began caressing her hair. “Come on Laura, be strong, we ll find a way, I promise you we will get out of here…” “How and when??? I can’t see any way out…” Rob put his finger on her mouth. “ Shhh…calm down…” He kissed her cheek to comfort her. Laura’s head was spinning. She leaned on Robs shoulder. “ Laura, I am not your enemy as you might think. I admit that I have been arrogant during all these years and it is also due to the high pressure in this company I do run with Mr Wallis. It wasn’t directed against you. I just couldn t cope with all the pressure and needed an outlet…” “ Yes, but this outlet was me…” “ I am so sorry, please forgive me, Laura…I didn tmean to be such an asshole.” “Come here, Laura, he said…as he put her arms on toher shoulder. He held her tight, lovingly.” Laura started feeling a little bit better. Her hatred against Rob had vanished. She was even feeling good in his arms. Robs eyes glanced into the dark, but she was reading more compassion in his facial expression. She was even feeling attracted to the man she hated 10 minutes before. As they were looking at each other, their lips met. Rob started kissing Laura passionately. Laura let herself go completely. During this strange evening, Laura and Rob became lovers. After they had spent the most delicious instants together, they decided to call the emergency button again. This time, somebody answered. Rob gave the address of his company. Help was on its way, but life would never be the same after he got to know Laura better. Laura held his hand and caressed his hair. “Apparently, everything happens for a reason, Rob…I ll never look at you with the same eyes. I think I missed a wonderful person all these years.” “Baby, it is my entire fault…but now my heart belongs to you…” Love appears in unexpected places: Love defies everything. Love had chosen to be Laura and Robs ultimate gift in a small lift on a 23rd of December evening. Copyright© by Isabelle Esling All Rights Reserved