The Elevator Heartbeat

The elevator lurched to a sudden stop.

Lena’s heart skipped a beat as the lights flickered, then settled into an unsettling dim glow. She exhaled slowly, pressing the button for the lobby again, but nothing happened.

“Of course,” she muttered under her breath.

Then, a voice behind her. “Guess we’re stuck.”

Her stomach flipped. She knew that voice.

She turned slowly, meeting the dark, knowing eyes of Caleb Hayes—the man she had spent the last six months trying to forget.

Because Caleb wasn’t just anyone. He was her almost.

“Great,” she said, crossing her arms. “This night just keeps getting better.”

Caleb smirked, leaning against the elevator wall with that effortless confidence that used to drive her crazy. “Happy to see you too, Lena.”

She scoffed. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

He chuckled. “So, how long do you think we’ll be trapped together?”

She glanced at the emergency panel. “Hopefully not long.”

Caleb tsked. “Ouch.”

Silence settled between them, thick with unspoken words. The last time they had seen each other was at her apartment doorstep—when she had told him they were too different, that they would never work, and had walked away before he could argue.

And yet, here they were.

“Lena,” he said after a moment, his voice quieter now. “Can I just ask you something?”

She sighed. “Do I have a choice?”

He grinned. “Not really.” Then, after a beat, “Why did you really leave?”

Her pulse quickened. “We’ve been over this.”

“Humor me.”

She hesitated, fingers tightening around the strap of her purse. “Because I didn’t want to get hurt.”

Caleb studied her, his gaze softening. “Lena, you were never going to lose me.”

Her throat tightened. “You don’t know that.”

He stepped closer, his presence warm in the cool air. “I do. Because I—” He stopped, exhaling sharply before trying again. “Because I never stopped wanting you.”

Her breath caught.

The elevator beeped suddenly, jolting them as it began moving again.

Her heart pounded. They had seconds left.

“Lena,” Caleb said, urgency in his voice now. “If I ask you to give us another chance, would you?”

The doors slid open, the busy lobby coming into view. People bustled past, unaware that the world had just shifted inside that tiny space.

Lena looked at him, really looked at him. And for the first time in months, she let herself feel everything she had been trying to bury.

She exhaled. “Maybe I was wrong to walk away.”

Caleb’s lips curved into a slow, hopeful smile. “Then maybe you can walk back.”

She hesitated only a second before stepping forward.

And this time, she didn’t look back.