Читать книгу Stuck with You: the perfect feel-good romantic comedy! - Carla Burgess - Страница 10

Chapter Two

The supermarket was pretty quiet and I whizzed round with my basket, picking up fruit and vegetables, bread and milk. I didn’t need much; just a few essentials. I was through the tills in no time. I was going to take the stairs up to the car park, but as I was passing the lift, its doors slid open, practically inviting me inside. I looked at it for a moment before stepping in and selecting the floor I needed on the keypad. I wasn’t keen on lifts as a rule, but at least it was empty.

Then, just as the doors were about to close, a man slipped through with an apologetic smile. I smiled back and had a quick rummage in my shopping bags. I was sure I’d forgotten something. Tin foil. Damn, I should have got tin foil.

The man pressed a button on the control panel and stared straight ahead as the lift doors closed. I’d always found it awkward, being in a lift with a complete stranger. When I was a child and shopping with my mum, she’d try to talk to people in lifts and I’d roll my eyes and huff, embarrassed by her nervous chatter. These days, however, I had to fight the urge to do the same, as though standing in silence was somehow hostile and unfriendly.

There was a pause and the lift doors opened again, but we hadn’t moved from the ground floor. The man tutted and stabbed the keypad with his index finger once more. I glanced across at him as the doors slid closed again. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but I couldn’t think where I knew him from. I looked at him from out of the corner of my eye as the lift shuddered and started to move. The grinding noise and the shaking didn’t bother me at first. It was a pretty old lift, after all. When it jolted to a sudden stop, I stepped forward, expecting the doors to ping open and reveal the car park.

The doors stayed closed.

‘Erm…?’

I stared at the dull metal doors for a moment before turning to look at the man. He raised an eyebrow, then looked up at the roof and around the lift. My heart stopped.

It was him. It was Daniel Moore!

I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know how to feel. Emotions warred within me. I was delighted and horrified. Excited and panicked. Would he recognise me? Would he remember that kiss? What if he didn’t? Would that destroy the memory?

And what if he’d turned into a horrible man? Then my perfect memory would most definitely be ruined.

Panic gripped me. Turning quickly away, I slammed my hand against the door and then beat against it with my fist. Why wouldn’t the damn thing open? I had to get out now.

‘Hold on, calm down,’ he said, a trace of laughter in his voice. It was deeper than I remembered. ‘Maybe it’s just having a moment. I’ll see if it’ll take us to the next floor. Maybe that will work.’ He began pressing each button, one after the other. I watched him over my shoulder. He was wearing a brown woolly jumper, blue jeans and brown boots. He looked bigger than he’d been at college. Taller and broader. His hair was no longer silky soft and long, but cropped short and a darker shade of blond. Was it really him? Maybe I was mistaken.

How long had it been since I’d last seen him? Seven, eight years? My mind must be playing tricks. There was no way it could be him. I must be wrong.

‘Is it making any difference?’ I stammered. ‘Do you think it will work?’

‘Not as far as I can tell.’

I looked around at the aluminium walls. Were we stuck in this lift? This couldn’t be happening.

‘Are we between floors?’ He stared past me at the doors, eyes narrowed.

I stared at him stupidly. ‘How can you tell?’

‘Have a look through the gap where the doors meet. Can you see light? Or is it just black?’

There wasn’t much of a gap. I pressed my eye to it, feeling the cold metal against my cheek. ‘Just black, I think. Can we prise the doors apart?’

‘Not much point if it’s just a brick wall outside.’ He stepped forward and I moved out of his way so he could press his eye to the narrow gap. ‘I can’t tell,’ he muttered, before inserting his fingertips into the crack and trying to pull them apart. The doors didn’t give. He swore softly and then apologised.

‘It’s okay.’ I crossed to the control panel. There was a button marked emergency and I pressed my finger to it briefly. A bell rang loudly, making me jump. ‘Why would they do that? Why would they make it sound so horrid?’ I complained. I was already shaking and my legs felt weak. ‘As if being trapped in a lift isn’t bad enough, they make the emergency button so loud it shreds every last nerve you have.’

‘I know. It’s crap.’ He looked up at the ceiling and around at the smooth aluminium walls. ‘So loud and yet still no one bloody answers it. Press it again.’

I pressed it again. And then again and again.

‘Are they kidding me?’ I snapped. ‘This is a busy supermarket! Customers use this lift all day, every day. Surely they must have someone monitoring it in case anyone gets stuck.’ I pressed the button again. ‘Bang on the door, see if someone hears us from outside.’

Daniel thumped his fist against the door panel and then kicked the door. His boot made a loud metallic boom.

‘Here,’ I said, removing my shoe and banging the heel against the door. It made a loud metallic bang. ‘HELP!’ I shouted. ‘HELP!’

Daniel joined in, kicking and banging and shouting.

‘I can’t believe no one is hearing this,’ I said, after a long bout of cacophonous noise. My heart was pounding and I was sweating. ‘Surely there must be someone about? It’s not even that late.’

‘I know!’ He ran his hands through his short sandy hair and crossed to the buzzer again. He rang it repeatedly in longer and longer bursts while I carried on banging with my shoe. The noise filled my head, feeding my panic and making me more and more desperate to escape. I screamed until my voice broke and I coughed.

‘Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy.’ Daniel stepped towards me and took hold of my shoulders, his eyes wide with concern. It was definitely him. It was definitely, definitely Daniel Moore. Ripping myself away from his grip, I threw myself bodily at the doors. Bad idea. It hurt and I looked like a right idiot when I bounced off and landed heavily on the floor.

‘Jesus!’ Daniel looked down at me in astonishment. ‘Are you all right?’

Nodding mutely, I sat up slowly, rubbing my sore cheekbone. I wanted to cry, but then I’d look like even more of a nutter.

‘I don’t think this noise is doing our stress levels any good,’ he said, crouching down next to me. He looked at me thoughtfully. ‘I think we just need to chill for a while and try again when we’re ready.’

‘What if we run out of air?’ I heard myself say. ‘There doesn’t seem to be any air and it’s getting hotter and hotter.’

‘That’s because you’re screaming and kicking and panicking. There’s a vent up there, see? The air’s not about to run out. Let’s just be quiet for a minute or so and get our breath back.’

He sat on the floor beside me and took my hand. My instinct was to pull away; I knew my palm would be clammy and wet, whereas his was warm and dry. A bit rough though. I wondered what he did for a living. I’d always imagined he’d be a musician or something arty.

‘How can no one have heard us?’

‘Maybe they have and help is on its way?’ He looked up at the roof again. ‘I’m sure it won’t be long. It’s too busy here for us to go unnoticed for much longer. Come on now, just focus on your breathing.’

Wondering if he was some sort of yoga enthusiast, I sucked in a shuddering breath and let it out in a gasp. I hadn’t even realised my breathing was so shallow before.

‘In through your nose.’ He took a deep breath in, long and slow, and I tried to copy. ‘Out through your mouth. In through your nose. Out through your mouth.’

Gradually, my breathing slowed and my head started to clear. How was he so calm? He was just as trapped as me.

I looked at his grown-up face, remembering how he’d been all cheekbones and pouty lips. He was more manly now. His face was fuller and covered in beard. That bottom lip was still nice and pudgy though. I looked away, embarrassed to be staring.

‘Hey, don’t I know you?’ he said, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown. ‘It’s Elena, right? From college?’

My stomach dropped. Briefly, I considered denying it. Keep the dream. Keep the dream. But that seemed ridiculous when he clearly recognised me.

‘Yes,’ I nodded, and tried to smile. ‘Daniel, right?’

He smiled and I went pink. Feeling silly and self-conscious, I smoothed my skirt down over my knees.

‘So, what are you up to these days?’

‘I work for the council.’

‘Doing the bins?’

‘No!’ I laughed. ‘I work in HR.’

‘Ooh, get you.’

‘What about you?’

‘I’m a tree surgeon.’

‘Are you really? Wow. I thought you’d be a rock star or something.’

‘Oh well, I’m still in a band, you know. It might happen yet.’

‘Really? You still play?’

‘Yeah. What about you? You still play the cello?’

I looked at him in amazement. ‘You remember?’

‘Of course. It was a bloody massive thing. You used to drag it around, tripping everyone up as you went.’

‘I did not! I used to put it in the music department.’

‘You had to get it there though, didn’t you?’ Daniel got to his feet and peered up at the hatch in the roof. ‘Everyone used to dive for cover in the common room.’

‘Now you’re just being ridiculous,’ I said, sounding snippy. I’d been really self-conscious about my cello. I knew everyone used to stare at me.

‘So, do you still play?’

‘No. Its gathering dust in the corner of my bedroom. My boyfriend keeps telling me to sell it, but I can’t part with it for some reason.’

‘I don’t blame you. You played beautifully. Maybe you should play for him.’

I glanced up at him. When had he ever heard me play? ‘I think your memory must be deceiving you.’

He shrugged. ‘I remember you practising in the music room. It was lovely.’

‘Oh!’ I was surprised. I’d never thought he’d be interested in that kind of music. ‘Anyway, I have played for Alex. He wasn’t impressed.’

Daniel frowned. ‘What is he? Some kind of philistine?’

I smiled, feeling flattered. ‘So, you went travelling after college, didn’t you?’ I said, getting to my feet. ‘How did that go?’

‘It was a great. Seems like a lifetime ago now though. Did you go to uni?’

‘Yeah.’ I sighed and stared at the emergency call button again. ‘I never usually get the lift,’ I said. ‘Not unless I have a trolley.’

‘Nor me,’ he said. ‘But I saw the open door and thought, may as well.’

‘Me too.’ If only I’d carried on to those stairs. If only I’d ignored those open doors.

‘Maybe it’s a demon lift,’ he said. ‘Luring us in, ready to trap us and eat us alive.’

‘Okay, not helping.’

‘Sorry.’ He laughed and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. That laugh. I’d dreamt about that laugh.

‘Do you think we should bang again?’

‘Maybe, but absolutely no body slamming. I forbid it.’

I laughed and rubbed my shoulder. ‘I won’t be doing that again, don’t worry.’ I pressed the button once more and the speaker suddenly crackled into life.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello! Hi!’ I was so relieved someone had answered. ‘We’re trapped in the lift. Can you get us out, please?’

There was a lot of snuffling and banging and then the man’s voice again. ‘I’ll come and have a look, love. Is it just you in there?’

‘No, I’m with a man. His name’s Daniel.’

‘All right, love, I don’t need his bloody name and address.’ The intercom went off and I turned to Daniel in disbelief.

‘How rude!’

He laughed. ‘At least he’s coming to rescue us. Well done for pressing the buzzer.’ He sat back down on the floor again. It didn’t look very clean and I felt queasy thinking about how I’d been sitting down there just a few minutes ago. I put my shoe back on and picked up my bag of shopping in preparation to leave. The man would free us any moment, I was sure. There were a few clanking noises coming from outside, like a toolbox or something. Progress at last.

‘Here he comes with his rusty spanner,’ Daniel muttered. He eyed my shopping bag with interest. ‘Got anything nice in there? I’m starving.’

‘Didn’t you buy anything?’

‘No, I just used the cashpoint.’

‘Oh no! That seems doubly unfair to get stuck while going to a cashpoint.’

‘Serves me right for not taking the stairs.’ He leaned his head back and sniffed. ‘Still, I’m glad I’m in here with you. Imagine being stuck on your own? How would that have felt?’

Smiling, I rummaged in my bag, taking out a packet of biscuits.

‘Chocolate digestive?’

‘You’re a star!’ He reached for the packet and the clanking noises got louder. There was a sudden whirring sound that sounded like the lift had started back up and was about to move.

‘Yay!’ I said, but the word died on my lips as the lift shuddered again and the lights went off, plunging us into darkness. ‘What’s going on?’ Instinctively, I squatted next to Daniel and gripped his arm. ‘Why has it gone dark? I don’t like it!’

‘Shh shh. It’ll be all right. Don’t worry.’ Daniel caught my hand in his and squeezed it. I leaned into him for comfort.

‘You all right in there?’ A gruff male voice came from somewhere above us. ‘I can’t get you out, I’m afraid. Gonna have to call the fire brigade. Won’t be long.’

‘Can you put the lights back on?’ I shouted.

‘No can do, love. But we’ll have you out soon enough.’

‘Soon enough? What does soon enough mean?’ I muttered.

‘It means soon. We’ll be out soon.’ Daniel rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. ‘Here, I’ll use the torch on my phone.’

The phone glowed into life, casting a halo of light around us. Somehow, it made everything feel more intimate, as though we were connected together by this ring of light. ‘Don’t use all your battery up,’ I said. ‘Do you need to phone someone to let them know where you are?’

‘Not really. Do you?’

‘Alex won’t be home from work yet.’

‘Are you sure? It’s nearly half seven.’

‘It’s not?’

‘It is. We’ve been here for nearly an hour already.’

I frowned. ‘It doesn’t feel like it. Well, I suppose it does in a way. On one hand I feel like I’ve been in here for ever, but on the other I feel like I’ve only been here for ten minutes or something. Does that make sense?’ I was gabbling now. Shut up, Elena.

‘Well, time flies when you’re having fun.’ He started to unwrap the biscuits and I took his phone, shining the light so he could see what he was doing.

‘It feels more like we’re separate from the outside world.’ I gabbled on, ‘Like we’re in a little bubble and time’s meaningless. We could have been in here for minutes or hours or even days and it wouldn’t have felt real.’

‘Mmm.’ Daniel offered me the packet but I shook my head. I was too wound up to eat. Daniel obviously had no such trouble though, and I listened to the sound of him crunching the biscuits up with his teeth. Usually the sound of someone eating grossed me out, but I was finding listening to Daniel strangely soothing. I wanted to rest my head on his shoulder, but felt that would probably be weird. We sat quietly together, and I found myself thinking about my prom memory again. I wondered if he remembered it in the same way I did. Probably not. He’d had plenty of girlfriends back then.

‘Have you got a girlfriend?’ I asked after a while.

‘Not right now.’ He carried on munching the biscuits. ‘I’m a bit sad really. I still live with my mum and dad.’

‘Do you?’

‘Yeah, it’s all right though. We all get on. And it means I can save up for my own place when I finally get fed up of Mum doing my laundry and cooking me meals.’

‘Basically never then?’

He laughed. ‘So, how long have you been living with this Alex?’

‘About two years. But we’ve been together for three.’

‘Three years? Blimey, that’s a long time.’

‘Mmm.’

‘Are you getting married?’

The atmosphere suddenly got thick and tense. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

‘Really? Three years sounds like a pretty serious relationship.’

‘We’ve not talked about it,’ I said, not wanting to admit that marrying Alex was the last thing I felt like doing right now. ‘Tell me about being a tree surgeon. I have images of you with a stethoscope around your neck, listening to tree trunks.’

‘Well, that’s weird. My official title is an arborist. I cut trees down if they’re rotten or dangerous. Or prune bits off that are overgrown or a bit dodgy. Generally tidy them up so they grow better and remain healthy.’

‘Did you always want to work with trees?’ I cringed inwardly. What kind of stupid question was that?

He laughed. ‘Actually, I probably did. My uncle was a tree surgeon. I thought he was a badass, climbing trees and stuff. I used to help him when I was a teenager. So, when I came back from travelling, I took a course and now I’m his business partner.’

‘Cool.’

‘I suppose, really, when I was a kid, I wanted to work for a forestry commission. Be a park ranger.’

‘Really? I never had you down as the outdoorsy type. I always thought you were really cool and arty. Sort of… urban.’ I winced. How cheesy did that sound?

‘Urban?’ He laughed. ‘I was seventeen. I just dressed like everyone else.’

‘You were cooler than everyone else.’ Oh my God! Why did I say that?

He sniggered. ‘Well, you certainly thought so.’

I felt my cheeks turn scarlet and pulled away from him. Thank goodness it was dark. The air seemed to pulsate in my ears. ‘What’s that meant to mean?’

‘You fancied me, didn’t you?’

‘What? No!’ I laughed, incredulous.

‘Really? I fancied you.’

‘You did not!’

‘I kissed you, didn’t I?’

‘Did you? I don’t remember,’ I said, lightly.

‘You wound me,’ he said, his voice dryly amused. The packet rustled as he took another biscuit. ‘You’re a liar, Elena Green.’

The noises outside got louder. It sounded like more people had arrived. There were voices and clanks and bangs. Someone knocked on the roof and a gruff voice shouted: ‘You all right in there?’

‘Yes,’ Daniel called up. He took my hand again and squeezed it.

‘Soon have you out.’

‘Oh, thank God!’ I breathed.

The roar of cutting equipment ripped through the air and the lift shook. The sound was so deafening I covered my ears with my hands and cowered into Daniel’s chest. His arms came around me, holding me tight, and I focused on the soft wool of his jumper against my cheek and the warm safety of his arms.

‘It’s all right,’ he said, against my ear. ‘We’ll soon be out.’

I wasn’t sure what happened after that. My eyes were shut but suddenly I became aware of light and loud voices close by. Daniel got to his feet, pulling me with him. They’d managed to prise the doors open enough for us to climb through, but the lift was still stuck between floors, so the gap we had to squeeze through was at head height. A fireman was peering through the gap, shining a torch at us. I shielded my eyes from the bright light.

‘Do you think you’ll be able to climb up?’ he asked.

‘I think so,’ Daniel said, sounding more confident than I felt. There was no way I was going to be able to climb up there. Especially wearing high heels and a skirt. I opened my mouth to protest, but Daniel was already saying, ‘I’ll lift Elena and you can pull her through.’

‘Right you are.’

Daniel bent and gripped the top of my legs, his shoulder beneath my backside, and hoisted me into the air as though we were doing some kind of dance lift. Before I knew it, the fireman had hold of my arms and was heaving me through the gap and into the outside world.

‘Thanks,’ I said, stumbling awkwardly as the fireman released me. ‘Thank you.’

A small crowd of onlookers had gathered and they clapped and cheered. I didn’t know what to do with the unwanted attention. My cheeks flamed red and I gave a small, embarrassed wave before bending to retrieve my bags, which had just appeared through the gap. Daniel’s hands appeared next, his knuckles white with strain as he pulled himself up enough for the firefighters to haul him up.

‘Thanks, lads.’ He laughed good-naturedly and shook the firemen’s hands, then he looked around for me. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, coming towards me.

‘Fine.’

‘You’ve ripped your tights,’ he said, looking down at my shaking legs. ‘And you’re bleeding.’

‘Oh, it’s nothing. Just a graze.’ I couldn’t feel any pain. My legs were rubbery and I felt strangely detached, as though I didn’t belong in this bright world full of noise and people. Each time I blinked, it was like a flashbulb going off in my head and the image stilled. Disconnected. Disjointed. What did I do now? Just go home?

‘Sir, madam, I’m terribly sorry about your ordeal.’ A man in a suit stepped forward, wearing a name badge that said he was Alan Jones, Customer Service Manager. ‘Would you mind if I took a statement from you both?’

‘Okay. Elena, do you want to sit down somewhere? You look a bit pale.’ Daniel put his hand on my arm.

‘No, I’m okay, I just want to go home.’

‘This won’t take long. I just need your names and addresses and a brief description of what happened.’

Daniel laughed. ‘The lift stopped, that’s what happened.’

The man blinked at Daniel through his spectacles. He looked tense and anxious. ‘You weren’t messing around or anything?’

Daniel looked confused. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You didn’t press anything you shouldn’t? Open any panels?’

Daniel’s expression changed from one of good-natured acceptance of the situation to shocked disbelief. He spoke carefully. ‘We got into the lift and pressed the button for the floor we wanted to go to. We didn’t vandalise it. We just wanted to get to our cars and go home.’

‘I understand, sir. It must have been very distressing for you and your girlfriend.’

Daniel’s jaw clenched and he spoke through gritted teeth. ‘She’s not my girlfriend. We just happened to be in the same lift at the same time.’

The manager took a step back at Daniel’s tone of voice. His glasses had misted up slightly and he blinked nervously. ‘I see. I’m so sorry.’

‘We rang the bell for ages before anyone answered. We kicked the doors and made loads of noise. Nobody came. How long have we been in there for? More than an hour? Didn’t anyone think, “Oh, lift number two isn’t working”?’

‘I’m very sorry, sir. Rest assured there will be a full investigation.’

‘I should think so too.’

‘If I could just take your names and addresses, I’d be most grateful.’

Daniel snatched the clipboard off him and scribbled down his details, and then passed it to me. My hand was shaking as I wrote down my name and address, together with a brief description of what had happened.

‘Thank you so much. I can only say how sorry I am.’ Mr Jones did a little bow before scurrying away towards the firemen. Daniel took hold of my arm. ‘I think you might be in shock,’ he said, quietly. ‘Can I take you home?’

‘No, I’m fine, honestly.’

‘Are you sure?’ He frowned down at me. ‘I don’t like the look of you; you’re shaking like a leaf.’ He looked around and raised his voice. ‘Can someone get us a hot sweet drink from somewhere, please?’ Steering me towards a low wall, he made me sit down.

‘I’m fine,’ I protested. ‘It’s not like you didn’t go through the same thing I did, is it?’

‘Yeah, but I didn’t almost knock myself out by throwing myself bodily at the doors.’ He smiled at me and I felt my cheeks flush with mortification. A staff member brought us two takeaway cups of tea.

‘Thank you.’ Daniel took them and passed one to me.

I took a sip of the hot liquid and winced. There were probably about three sugars in it. ‘It’s too sweet.’

‘Good for shock though.’

We sat in silence, sipping our drinks, looking around the car park. The onlookers had dispersed and the fire crew were packing up to leave. They’d cordoned off the elevator with bright yellow tape. Daniel sat close, his body turned slightly towards mine, his knee touching my thigh. I kept wanting to lean against him and rest my head on his chest.

‘What a nightmare,’ I said.

‘I know. Are you feeling any better?’

‘Yes, I am actually.’ I was pleased that my voice sounded stronger than I physically felt.

‘Good.’

I looked across at him and smiled. ‘Thank you for being there.’

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the remainder of his tea and he stared into the bottom of the cup before placing it on the floor by his feet.

‘You should go,’ I said. ‘You’ve spent enough time with me already tonight.’

He looked away across the car park and shook his head. ‘I’ll see you to your car.’

‘It will be just my luck to find I’ve left my lights on and the battery’s dead.’ I gave a nervous laugh, wishing I could stop saying stupid things.

‘Then I’ll give you a lift.’

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I sat quietly until I’d finished my tea. I didn’t rush; I didn’t want this to end. I wanted to stay here with Daniel. He was watching me; I could feel his eyes on my face. When I glanced up, he didn’t look away; he just smiled. I felt a blush forming and swallowed the last of my tea. Taking my cup, he put it with his and got up to put it in the bin.

‘Erm, I’m parked over here,’ I said, feeling awkward as he followed me towards my small white car, which was parked in the far corner of the car park. There were still plenty of people around and I breathed in the smell of exhaust fumes and warm rubber. Daniel walked beside me, our arms brushing occasionally, and we reached my car too soon. I turned to him with a smile.

‘Well, thanks again for getting stuck with me. You know, just for… being there.’

‘You’re welcome. I’m glad I jumped in there at the last moment, otherwise you’d have been alone.’

I nodded and unlocked my car with an electronic beep. ‘You don’t need a lift anywhere, do you?’

‘No, I’m good, thanks.’ He smiled, and I stared at him for a moment, trying to commit his features to memory. What was I doing, staring at him like that! I turned away quickly and opened my car door.

‘Can I have your number?’ he said, suddenly. I turned and blinked at him. ‘Just so I can check you’re all right tomorrow.’

‘Oh! Okay.’ I slipped into the driver’s seat and fished out my phone from my bag. ‘I don’t know it off by heart, I’m sorry.’

‘No problem.’

I reeled off the number to him as he programmed it into his phone, then my phone beeped with an incoming text message.

‘That’s my number,’ he said. ‘Call me if you need anything.’

My cheeks grew hot and my heart speeded up. ‘Thank you.’

He nodded and stepped away and I reached out to close the door.

‘It was nice to see you again, Elena,’ he said, and then he smiled and walked away.