Elevator Stranger

Jane’s voice was stuck in her throat, her face was as white as a sheet of paper, and her eyes were glued on the hand that shot through the elevator doors. The grip was firm; its thick veins stood out as it forced the doors back open.

Did Marcus send someone after me? Is he really planning to kill me here?

Jane’s heart thumped rapidly, and the air refused to move down her throat when she gulped after setting her eyes on him, as if he had stolen all the air from the enclosed space.

He was probably well over six feet; he seemed to take up more space than his share of the elevator. His towering height forced Jane to look up before she could stop herself. black hair ruffled like he had raked his hands through them all day, his black suit clung to him, making him look like a model that stepped out of a magazine, even with his loosened tie, jacket hanging from his arm, and the two undone buttons of his shirt that expressed a long day’s battle.

His green, sharp eyes that could draw anyone in caught Jane’s blue ones staring at him.

“Apologies,” he said, his voice low and flat, the kind that offered no real sympathy. “Figured you’d be used to people coming and going?” 

“It’s fine,” Jane said. She shuffled her feet as she pressed herself against the elevator wall. “I wasn’t really startled.”

“Hmm.” He voiced, he didn’t call her out on her lie.

Get it together, Jane. He could be just another person working late. I hope, but why the fuck is he so freaking tall?

But he wasn’t just another person. He carried himself with the kind of grace that made it hard to look away. Jane stared at her shoes as she tried not to stare at the man too much. Being in an enclosed space with the unexpected stranger made her feel stiff. From her experience and stories of others, she knew who and when not to get involved with someone.

“You’re working late.” He started, breaking the silence. His words were unexpected, and his deep voice intimidated her in the enclosed space.

Jane glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. 

“Ah- yes. Quarterly reports,” she said, keeping her tone professional. “I wanted them gone before the weekend.”

“Pointless,” he stated. 

“Excuse Me?!” Her head snapped towards him.

“Did you procrastinate on your work?”

“I don’t procrastinate. I’m just trying to get my work done quicker.” Jane’s grip tightened on her bag.

“Oh?” His gaze narrowed on her. He noticed the reddened marks on her wrist while she adjusted her bag. “Sounds like your manager should properly review workloads.

Jane’s lips formed a thin line.  

“Preparations and making sure everything’s perfect before someone has a chance to find fault with it make things easier; that’s what makes my work flawless.” She said proudly.

“I see.” He rubbed his brows in disbelief, scoffing at the absurdity of her choices. 

“If you don’t mind me asking. What happened to your hand?” He pointed to her hand.

Jane dragged her sleeves down. She looked away in hopes of ignoring her. “It’s just a bump, it’s not something you should concern yourself with.”

“That’s quite a bump then.” His eyes stayed fixed on her.

“What are you, a detective?” Jane snapped.

He shrugged. “No. Just observant. Comes with the job, what department do you work in?” 

The question threw her off guard. A pause hung in the air. “Operations Department.”

Seriously, why is he being so nosy? Does he work for consultation or HR? well at least it doesn’t seem like he works for marcus…

The elevator dings brought her back to reality. Thirty-seventh floor. Thirty-third. Twenty-ninth. She counted silently.

“You’ve been here for how long?” he asked, his gaze not leaving his watch.

“Three years.” 

“I see.”

“Can you please stop staring? I said it’s nothing,” she repeated. Firmer this time. 

He didn’t look convinced. But he also didn’t push.

“What about you? Why are you working so late on a Friday?” she asked.

He glanced at her. “Unlike you, I have better things to do.”

“Better things?” Jane’s brows shot up. “Like what? Not minding your business?”

He smirked. “You could say that.” 

Before Jane could think of a response to that, the elevator reached the ground floor. The cheerful ding of the elevator felt absurdly out of place.

He stepped out first, his long legs carrying him across the lobby. He walked like he owned the place. Jane stomped behind him into the nearly empty lobby, trying to keep up with him. The night security guard looked up briefly from his phone, then returned to whatever captured his attention.

Ignoring his pestering question was the best option. She should have ended this strange, unsettling conversation with a polite nod and ended it quietly.

Sigh. This is what happens when you indulge rude bastards. I should have ignored his pestering questions with a polite nod and ended it quietly.

Instead, Jane found herself turned to face him.

“Here’s a piece of advice for you. You should know that whatever changes are coming, some of us don’t have the luxury of being ready for them. Some of us have to survive it, so you'd better learn to keep your words in check.”

One of his brows arched. “Uh-huh.” 

“Nothing stays the same forever.” Jane didn’t know what possessed her; maybe it was the pent-up frustration of the day. Marcus, the documents, the threats, it choked her up. But wherever this confidence came from. She hoped it wouldn’t get her in trouble.

He studied her for a moment, and his expression changed. To interest or maybe surprise. 

“I also have a little advice for you. Don’t let whoever grabbed you think it’s ok to leave marks. Better yet, don’t let them lay a hand on you.

Before Jane could process what was happening, he gave her a small smile and left.

His steady strides made their way to his car, leaving Jane red-faced and alone. Jane stood there frozen, unsure what to do next.

He knew….

Jane’s phone buzzed in her bag. Shattering her inner thoughts. She pulled it out of her bag with shaky hands as the night chill got to her. 

“OMG! OMG! OMG! You won’t believe what I just found out!” Jane rose a brow at Nancy’s barrage of texts.

“Are you home yet?” 

“Call me immediately you get home. This is huge.”

Jane typed back even as the messages kept coming in. “What are you talking about?”

Three dots appeared, then disappeared continuously. Then finally.

 “Girl, not over text. This is big news we’re talking about. The company announcement is you asked about is scheduled for Monday. I mean this coming MONDAY!”