The Elevator

Josie woke up exhausted, and refused to get out of bed until she absolutely had to. Today was the day she cleaned out her desk at work.

The day before, she had a meeting with her boss. She tried to explain the situation, and how they were stuck in an elevator the entire day. However, she couldn’t explain why they were in a run down apartment complex when they should have been on the road, picking up the band. She couldn’t tell him that they were stopping to buy Alex weed. When she first met Alex, she would have been happy to disclose hurtful information about him, especially if it meant keeping her job. But Josie did know Alex, and she wouldn’t intentionally hurt him now.

It didn’t take long for him to fire her. She was, without a doubt, replaceable. There were thousands of other people lined up for this job. It was easy to blame Alex, or the maintenance crew at the apartment. She had to take responsibility for this. She should have stood her ground and not gone with him. She should have stayed on the highway and not gotten off at the exit. She should have known that her career wouldn’t have been jeopardized just because Alex said she was a bad intern. In the end, she wasn’t fired because of bad word-of-mouth. She was fired because she had bad judgement.

Josie eventually got out of bed and got herself ready. She headed to Hopeless Records and prepared for her embarrassment. When she got there, she was greeted by the woman at the front desk, and almost every employee she saw. Ever since she worked there, no one had known her name. Now, it seemed that everyone wanted to talk to her.

“Josie!” her boss exclaimed from the other side of the room, “Have you started your daily tasks?”

“Sir, you fired me yesterday.” she said, confused, “I’m here to clean out my desk.”

“I’m not firing you.” he said, “Alex explained everything. Why didn’t you just tell me? He also told us how wonderful you were, and how well you work under enormous pressure. We would be lucky to have you back.”

“Are you serious?” Josie grinned, “Thank you!”

She saw Alex in the back of the crowd, smiling at her. She ran up to him and hugged him.

“I can’t believe you told him that you were buying drugs when we got stuck.” she said.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell him.” he said, “After all I did to you.”

“You didn’t get in trouble, did you?” she asked.

“Josie, this is the music industry. No one really cares.” he laughed, “But thanks for trying to protect me.”

“Do you think we could be friends?” she asked, “I understand if it would be too weird, but if we’re going to be working together--”

“Yeah, I’d love that.” he said.
Alex knew that they were better off as friends. All he wanted was to be around her, and get to know her better. If he was lucky, maybe their friendship could lead to something more.

A year later.

After graduating, Josie landed a full time position with Hopeless Records. They said that she was one of the most memorable interns they’ve ever had. She was going to work closely with All Time Low,as well as other bands involved with the company. She maintained her friendship with Alex, and got to know other people in the industry. Every now and then, someone would ask about her elevator rendezvous with Alex. She would simply shrug and say that nothing happened. It was every young girl’s dream, to be stuck in a small space with a rock star.

With the help of Josie, Alex reformed his image. After giving to numerous charities and making amends with people who he hurt, he was no longer Los Angeles’ biggest bad boy.

Josie walked into the building on the first day of her dream job. She found her new office, and opened the door. Sitting in her chair was the one and only, Alex Gaskarth.

“What are you doing here?” she smiled.

“Just came to wish you a great first day, boss.” he said, getting up.

“Technically, I’m not really your boss.” she said, “But I like hearing you say that, it’s very empowering.”

He went up to hug her, “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” she said.

He pulled away from their hug, but still had his hands on her waist. He looked into her eyes, and he felt like he was back in that elevator again.

“You know when we were stuck in the elevator together, and all we wanted to do was get out?” he said, “Well, why has it been a year, and I kind of wish we were back there?”

“Everything was so much simpler when it was just you, me, and four walls.” she said.

Alex looked around, “Looks like we’re in the same situation. You, me, and the four walls of your office.”

Josie smiled, “What are you suggesting?”

Alex closed the gap between them, pulling her in for a kiss. He held onto her waist and never wanted to let go. In that moment, it really did feel like they were back in the elevator.

Josie ended up just where she wanted. A great job, promising future, and a loyal friend. She wasn’t sure where her future was headed when it came to Alex. All she knew was that she loved being around him. She encouraged him to be a better person, and he let out her wild side. They weren’t perfect, but that’s what made them stronger together.