CHAPTER FIVE: TRAPPED

Sienna’s POV

The silver elevator doors couldn't close fast enough.

The moment I stepped inside the empty elevator, I aggressively smashed the button for the 14th floor over and over again, my heart hammering a furious rhythm against my ribs.

Just close, I muttered, staring at the opening. Please, just close.

Right before the metal doors could seal shut, a large, tanned hand thrust directly between them.

The safety sensor beeped sharply, and the heavy doors slid open again.

My stomach dropped straight into my shoes.

Luca stepped into the elevator.

Of course.

He didn't look at me, keeping his head fixed straight ahead as he turned around and pressed the button for the 12th floor. He stood on the completely opposite side of the enclosure, creating as much physical distance between us as possible.

I stared at the silver doors.

The silence inside the metal box was heavy and suffocating.

Of all the people in this hotel, it had to be him.

Luca Bennett.

My brother's biggest rival.

The same guy I'd spent years trying not to think about.

I tightened my arms across my chest, pretending his presence didn't bother me.

It was ridiculous how quickly being in the same small space with him brought back memories I had convinced myself were buried.

High school.

The rejection.

The embarrassment.

The seventeen-year-old version of me who had once cared far too much about what Luca Bennett thought.

That girl wasn't me anymore.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

The elevator began moving upward, the quiet hum of the machinery filling the space between us.

I glanced at the floor numbers above the doors.

Twelve.

Fourteen.

Almost there.

I could survive two floors.

Surely.

"Are you following me now, Bennett?" I asked, unable to stop the sharp, defensive words from leaving my mouth.

Luca didn't turn his head. He kept his eyes glued to the digital floor tracker above the door.

"The tournament committee assigned the Ravens the twelfth floor, Hayes," he said, his voice flat and completely deadpan. "I'm going to my room. You're going to yours. Don't look for meaning where there isn't any."

I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, I'm not looking for anything from you."

He didn't answer.

Good.

Neither did I.

We returned to our separate corners of the elevator, both staring straight ahead.

The silence settled again.

For once, I was grateful for it.

Then—

BANG.

A violent screech of grinding metal cut through the quiet.

The elevator jerked suddenly, throwing me off balance.

I gasped, my foot slipping beneath me.

Before I could hit the floor, Luca reacted.

His hand caught my arm firmly, steadying me for barely a second.

I grabbed the railing beside me, regaining my balance.

"I'm fine," I immediately said.

Luca released my arm.

"Didn't say you weren't."

He stepped back into his original position.

The overhead lights flickered twice.

Then died.

Total darkness swallowed the elevator.

My breath caught.

For a second, neither of us moved.

The elevator had gone completely still.

"What the hell..." Luca muttered.

His voice was different now.

Not panicked.

Just tense.

I swallowed hard, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"Luca..." My voice came out quieter than I intended. "The elevator stopped."

"I noticed."

I closed my eyes even though it made no difference in the darkness.

My breathing started becoming quicker.

The small space suddenly felt much smaller.

"We're stuck."

There was a brief pause.

"Looks like it."

I hated how calm he sounded.

Then again, maybe calm was exactly what I needed.

I pressed my palm against the elevator wall and took a slow breath.

Nothing happened.

No movement. No lights. Just silence.

Then Luca spoke again.

"Don't move around too much."

"I'm not."

"Good."

Another pause.

"Breathe normally, Sia."

I frowned in the darkness.

He hadn't called me that in years.

Somehow, hearing the nickname again made the silence feel even stranger.

I took another breath.

Slowly.

Then another.

My heart was still beating hard, but I was beginning to settle.

"Better?" he asked.

"A little."

"Good."

That was it.

No dramatic reassurance. No unnecessary touching.

Just two people standing on opposite sides of a stalled elevator, waiting for someone to get it moving again.

Then my phone began vibrating violently inside my jacket pocket.

The sudden sound made me jump.

I pulled it out with trembling fingers, the bright screen illuminating the elevator.

An incoming FaceTime call.

DYLAN 🏒 Calling...

My stomach dropped.

Of course. Of all the possible moments for my brother to call, it had to be now.

If I answered, he'd immediately see the elevator.

And then he'd see Luca.

My brother's biggest rival.

The exact person I absolutely did not want to explain being trapped in an elevator with.

Luca glanced at the screen from across the elevator.

His jaw tightened.

"Don't answer that."

I looked at him.

"I know."

The phone continued vibrating.

Dylan was persistent.

I quickly declined the call.

The elevator fell silent again.

I stared at my phone screen for a moment before locking it.

"He's going to call again," I muttered.

"I figured."

I sighed, leaning my head lightly against the elevator wall.

"This is just perfect."

Luca gave a quiet exhale that sounded almost like a laugh, but when I looked toward him, his expression was still unreadable.

"Could be worse."

I raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

He glanced at the motionless floor display.

"We could be stuck between floors with no signal."

I checked my phone.

One bar.

I stared at him.

"Okay. That's actually worse."

For the first time since we'd stepped into the elevator, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Barely.

Then it disappeared.

And somehow, that tiny reaction made the situation feel even stranger. Because for a few seconds, it didn't feel like I was trapped in an elevator with my past.

It just felt like I was stuck in an elevator with Luca.

And somehow, I wasn't sure which one was worse.