Uncharted

The elevator was always a really uncomfortable place for me. Most of the time, it scared the shit out of me because it made these God awful screeching and grinding sounds, it also shook violently when it hit the fourth floor. Every time I stepped into that elevator I took a deep breath knowing it very well might have been my last.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator, my camera bag slung over my shoulder. I couldn’t wait for the doors to close so I could make my way to the seventh floor and collapse onto my couch. I had stayed late at work and I was ready to start my weekend of doing absolutely nothing as soon as possible.

I groaned internally as I saw Des walking toward the elevator. I’ve come to the conclusion that Des and I were never going to be on friendly terms. After the argument that broke out the night pervious, I wanted nothing to do with him.

I don’t know who he thought he was. First he told me my job was easy…which it’s not! Then he went and shit all over my relationship with Dylan. He didn’t even know me, yet he judged the shit out of my life decisions. I didn’t want to even look at him, let alone endure a mildly terrifying elevator ride to the seventh floor with him.

The elevator doors shut with a pleasant ‘ding’ sound. I kept my eyes on the numbers as we started to rise. I couldn’t help but to look at Des because I could feel his eyes burning holes into the side of my face from the opposite side of the elevator.

“How was your day?” he asked with a smirk. Obviously he knew how much I was trying to ignore him.

“My day was fine, thanks.” I said shortly “Yours?” I asked trying my hardest to be polite to him even if he didn’t deserve my kindness.

“Eh, it was alright.” He said still smirking at me as he leaned against the wall.

As expected the elevator shook violently when he reached the fourth floor. Unexpectedly, it continued to shake when reached the sixth floor. There was a crunch sound and then an abrupt stop which made me stumble forward. The elevator was not moving anymore.

“We’re not moving.” I said, panic struck me like lightening. “We’re not fucking moving!”

Des groaned, sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. “Don’t panic.” He said, sounding entirely bored.

“Don’t panic? How am I not supposed to panic? We’re stuck in a fucking elevator and we’re probably going to die in here!” I screamed reaching for the emergency phone that was built into the elevator. I didn’t find one, it looked like someone had ripped it. “I’m going to die, in an elevator. Why fuck is the phone missing?”

“Calm down, we’re not going to die…we’re just going to be stuck in here for a while.” Des pulled his cell phone from his pocket and started to text someone.

“Is there someone I should call about this?” I asked, waving my phone around. I was thoroughly annoyed that he was being so calm about being trapped in an elevator.

“Taking care of it.” He said not even looking up from his phone. “You might as well sit down because we’re going to be here for a while.”

It took half an hour of Des telling me to calm down before I actually took a seat on the dirty elevator floor. I leaned my head back against the wall, keeping my eyes on the ceiling when another thought popped into my head.

“What if we run of oxygen?”

“We won’t.”

“What if we do? What if you didn’t handle it? What if no one comes to get us of this fucking elevator?”

“You swear a lot.” Des smiled, ignoring my lack of faith in him.

“We’ve been in here for…” I paused to look at my phone “an hour and ten minutes. No one is going to get us out of here.” I ran my hands through my crimson colored hair, something I did when I was stressed out.

“So…where are you from again?” Des asked ignoring my previous statement.

“Not Canada.” I snapped, recalling the first time we met.

He laughed, which annoyed me even more. “I got that much. Wait. Don’t tell me, let me guess.” I rolled my eyes but decided to play along because it was a way to pass the time. “New York?”

“No.” I answered, picking at my nail polish.

“Um, California?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Texas?”

“No.” I shook my head and laughed even more because he was obviously only picking the states that he could remember. “Connecticut.”

“I was going to say that!”

“I bet you were.” I checked the time on my phone for what had to the thousandth time.

It was weird. I was laughing. I was laughing while being trapped in an elevator with someone I deemed unworthy of any sort of kindness. When I realized what I was doing I stopped. Des was not a friend, he was not someone I should have been laughing with. He was the enemy.

The elevator jolted and with a loud bang and a screech, we began to move again. I jumped up from the floor and shifted my weight from foot to foot, waiting for the doors to finally open. It seemed like it took ten years to finally reach the seventh floor but when we did I wanted to cry happy tears because I hadn’t died in an elevator with Des.

“Have a good night, Ollie.” Des said while unlocking his door.

If I could go back in time, I would do it. I would go back to that very moment and I would slap Desmond Gallagher so hard that his head would spin. I would punch him in his beautiful face and tell him never to talk to me ever again. If I knew then what I know now I would have told Desmond Gallagher that ultimately all he would end up doing is ruining my life. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that at the time.

“You too.” I said with a smile.