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"It'll be fine. No one ever died in an elevator."
"I don't think that's true..."
"No one important ever died in an elevator."
"Oh so you'll be fine then," I said, rolling my eyes even if he'd never see it. We'd both been in this same elevator hundreds of times before, together and separately, and today it decided to break down. Granted, the weather was horrendous, and perhaps it was even reasonable for it to break down under the circumstances, but it annoyed me none the less and terrified me all the more.
"Niki, we will both be fine. We just have to wait it out. I'm sure they're working on it. I mean, these things are monitored, right?" Oh so now he wasn't sure.
"I don't know, I bloody hope so!" I could feel my breath hitching in my throat and my heart starting to race. My panic must have been evident in my voice as I felt Gerard's hand on my shoulder briefly, giving it a gentle squeeze before taking it away.
"It'll be alright. Here, let's sit for a bit. Standing up in the dark feels a tad strange." I followed his lead and sat down beside him on the metal floor, scooping my jacket up under myself to provide some padding on the cold, hard surface.
"I wish I had a pack of cards," Gerard lamented after a long moment of silence.
"What's the point, you can't see anything."
"I'm sure we could work around that." I thought about it for a while and really couldn't see how.
As suddenly as the first time that presumably got us into this situation, a huge crack of thunder and the unsettling vibrations from the accompanying lighting hit us, rattling the elevator, and I felt Gerard jump this time, too.
"Oh, so you are human."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh you know, just the usual rumours."
"Honey, if I were a vampire I wouldn't be stuck in an elevator with you. I would simply rip the doors open using my superhuman strength and disappear into the night to feed on my victims." For a moment there I wished he had been an unholy creature of the night, if it meant our freedom from what felt like our cold, metal grave.
"Or maybe I'd take the opportunity to corner you in here and drain your blood instead." I felt as he tickled his fingers across the side of my neck and flinched, not expecting the sudden touch, and although I was annoyed at his attempt to scare me, I couldn't help the heat I felt in my cheeks at the feeling of his fingertips against my skin.
"Do it again and I'll break them off," I warned, but knew I hadn't meant it.
"Promise?" I could hear the smirk in his tone as he spoke, and even in the pitch black I could somehow sense as he moved his hand back towards me. His fingers touched my neck where they had before, gentler this time, stroking the fine hairs that had risen on my nape.
I closed my eyes as he continued, bringing his hand behind the back of my head now as I felt his weight shift so he was facing me, his other hand caressing my cheek. Suddenly his lips touched to mine, and I found myself parting my own to accommodate him.
Almost the exact instant he pulled himself gently away from me the lights flickered back on and the elevator came whirring back to life. We both squinted as we adjusted to the sudden light and as soon as I could clearly see again, I could see that he was gone, facing away, frantically pressing the button for the ground floor. Once the doors finally opened, Gerard was gone quicker than I could find my words, leaving me sitting on the floor with the feeling of his lips still lingering on mine.