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Ezekiel Jones didn't have a problem with small spaces. At times, he actually found them comforting. He appreciated being able to put his back against a wall and watch the door without having to worry about something sneaking up on him.
No, he didn't have a problem with small spaces. He did, however, hate feeling trapped. That was what made his current predicament so bothersome.
While Stone looked in the building's basement, Ezekiel and Cassandra were to search upstairs for clues on the source of this week's disaster. They were peering into a poorly lit room when something knocked them over and slammed the door shut behind them. Upon falling into the brooms and mops lining the back hall, they managed to deduce that this was actually a closet.
After making sure Cassandra was alright, Ezekiel turned to the door with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Sure enough, it was locked, and there was no way to pick it from this end.
He turned back to Cassandra, whose face was illuminated by the light from her phone. "I texted Jake. I'm sure he'll come get us out in no time. Is there a light switch over there?"
Ezekiel rubbed his hands along the wall on either side of the door. "No," he murmured.
Cassandra's eyebrows drew together in obvious concern, but she didn't comment on it. "Okay, well, we can use our phones if we really need light," she said, beginning to lean the brooms and mops against the wall again. "Let's just sit tight until he shows up." Ezekiel stayed silent and helped her clear the floor, even though he felt like there was a monster trying to claw its way out of his stomach.
They ended up with just enough room for the two of them to sit with their legs crossed and a few inches between them. Cassandra tried to make conversation, but Ezekiel wouldn't respond with anything more than quiet "mhmm" noises. He fidgeted with his phone and sent Stone at least ten more texts, but still, nothing happened. After about ten minutes, he thought he might scream.
"Ezekiel," Cassandra said in almost a whisper, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said.
Cassandra soldiered on. "Are you claustrophobic?"
"No," he snapped.
There was a pause and Ezekiel was maybe-possibly-kind-of beginning to feel a tiny bit guilty, but Cassandra started talking again. "I am. A little bit."
"If we get out of here, I'm going to teach you how to lie properly."
Cassandra sighed. "I know there's something wrong, so just let me help."
"I'm really not claustrophobic."
"I believe that part."
"I like to avoid being stuck anywhere against my will."
Cassandra scooted closer, so that her knee touched his. "We'll be out in no time."
"Stone isn't answering our texts. What if something happened and we're stuck here?"
"If he doesn't reply soon, I'm sure we can find a way to break the door down."
"We should just do that now."
Cassandra moved even closer and grabbed his hand. "We should avoid damaging property if we can."
"I'll pay for it," he muttered, staring down at where Cassandra was rubbing circles into his hand with her thumb.
Cassandra sighed again. "I'm not very good at this."
"At... what, exactly?"
"Comforting, I guess. I just- you take care of me, so I want to return the favor."
Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at her, although it probably wasn't too noticeable in the darkness. "Did you hit your head when we fell in here? Stone's the one who helps with your synesthesia, not me."
He couldn’t be sure, but it looked a lot like Cassandra rolled her eyes. "You’re right. That totally negates all the nice things you’ve done for me. Jake helping me when I’m having an episode cancels out the fact that you led me through the labyrinth, or that you came back for me when you could've escaped with Theseus's thread. You let me stain up all your handkerchiefs. You gave me that trophy- I could easily go on."
They both went quiet. Ezekiel counted the circles Cassandra made on his hand, and he broke the silence when he reached fifteen. "I think you're my best friend."
Cassandra gripped his hand tighter and broke into a wide smile. "You're mine, too," she said, leaning into his shoulder. Ezekiel felt a new sort of motion in his stomach- lighter but faster than before, and not at all unpleasant.
He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Cassandra’s ringtone. She immediately straightened up. “It’s Jake,” she chirped. “I told you he’d come get us in no time.” She swiped to accept the call and put it on speaker.
Stone’s voice came through, gruff and a bit rushed. “Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine,” Cassandra said. “We’re just, you know, a little bit stuck.”
“We thought you were in trouble. What took you so long?” said Ezekiel.
“Couldn’t get a signal in the basement. I’ll be over in a few minutes. Just stay put.” Jake hung up, and Ezekiel sighed.
“What does he think we’re gonna do? If we could go anywhere else, we would’ve.” That clawing feeling was beginning to seep into the bottom of Ezekiel’s stomach again, even though he knew it wouldn’t be long before Stone broke them out.
Cassandra squeezed his hand and set her head on his shoulder again. Boom, just like that, the monster in his stomach became less important. Sure, it was there, but it was slowly being replaced by that soft, fluttery feeling. Maybe he should be a bit more concerned about what that feeling meant. It was probably nothing, right?
(It was definitely not nothing.)