ꜱᴛᴀʏ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ • ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴᴇ
Follows the lives of six self-proclaimed adults: a witty procrastinator, a smart-mouth with a drinking problem, a crybaby, an overdramatic playboy, a social-recluse workaholic, and an intellectual charmer, as they learn to en...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The sound of Chloe's heels was loud as she rushed outside the restaurant, Bilal close behind her, tipping the cloakroom attendant after taking her coat that she forgot in her haste. The elevator was open when she got into the hallway, and she raced inside. She was unable to look at him as he got in after her to stand on the opposite side of the wall to face her.
The door closed, and it felt like the lift was shrinking with every passing second. They were on the fifteenth floor and had a long way to go. She could hear her own breathing, loudly echoing against her ears, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She gulped, dipping her head to cover her red cheeks with her hair.
"How come you're here?"
This thought had clouded her mind the moment she saw him, but she had restrained herself from asking. Right now, her nerves were shaking, and her mind wasn't as sharp as it usually was.
"I usually come here, my friend works at the bar." The words slowly rolled out of his tongue, carefully choosing them.
She felt hotter with each second passing. It was getting too claustrophobic with him standing mere feet away.
"How long have you been here?" Her voice was shaking. She tried, again and again, to suppress her emotions, keep them safe inside until she was alone where she could burst.
"Not long." His voice was a mere whisper, or it was her focus blurring. She was counting down the numbers, needing to breathe. The idea she was now breathing the same air as him, tightened her insides.
The moment the elevator arrived, Chloe bolted outside and ran to feel the cold air as it blew right through her, biting her cheeks and easing the disruption in her body. She took a full minute to catch her breath, wanting nothing but to tear herself apart into shreds and whisk far away from here (1).
It took everything in her to turn and face Bilal again, but no matter how much she thought she pulled herself together, she couldn't ever be ready. He looked at her expectantly, so calm and quiet as he patiently waited for her, her coat neatly folded in his arms. She looked away, unable to hold his gaze as it pierced through hers.
"Thank you for covering the bill, you didn't have to. I'll pay you back." Her voice was breathless and strained. His brows itched together, chin lifting slightly as he processed her words. "I'll take a cab home. If we can never speak of this again, that would be great."
He blinked, unable to find the words, rendered speechless for the first time ever in his life. His eyes widened in bafflement as she spun around and stepped towards the curb, already waving at cabs.
