Chapter Text
The sun dipped low in the sky, casting a warm glow over Ottawa as the city began to wind down on this spring day. It was 5 PM, and a sense of transition hung in the air. Amidst the gentle breeze, a 20-year-old girl hurried across the parking lot, her steps quick and purposeful. (sorry if you're younger or older! and i'm writing she, i'm sorry if those aren't your real pronouns!!)
(Y/N) was a college student juggling the demands of academia and part-time work. The weight of a long day at college rested on her shoulders, but the impending shift loomed ahead.
She had moved to Ottawa just a month ago to start her studies and instantly got a simple job at the local 7-Eleven. She reached the backdoor of the building and slipped inside and with a deft motion gathered her hair and secured it into a practical ponytail.
"Hey, Sweets, how're you?"
"Calvin-- yo, look who's on time for once."
"Miracles do happen."
"Right? If I wasn't a believer before I sure as hell--... sure am now. Or is this some sorta prank?" (Y/N) quipped playfully as she eyed over the counter top, squinting at the crumbles.
Calvin chuckled. "There's the hidden camera." He pointed in the direction of the door of the store and in the same second a customer just stepped inside, a cute woman. He gasped in horror.
(Y/N) let out a stiftled "Pfffftt!" While she grabbed a cloth to clean the counter.
Calvin was always late to work. He'd been working there for a year now and managed to keep his job somehow. He was a funny stoner in his mid-twenties, unfortunately a little bit too flirty and charming at times but usually he wasn't any threat.
Ottawa was a nice city. (Y/N) was getting to know it. She attended a recognized college in the city and stayed in a nice apartment that she just barely could afford, considering the fact that she lived there alone, without three roommates to share the bill.
"How many hours are you doing today? 4?" Calvin asked when the store got empty again.
"Uhh... I'm working 'til 12. What's that, 6 hours?"
"What a lovely way to spend our Friday night. Or well, I'm leaving early, I'm only working a swing shift 'til 10."
(Y/N) furrowed her brows. "And who's joining me then?"
"I think you're alone until you're off."
"Man..." She groaned. "Then you're mopping before you're leavin'."
"Course, Sweets."
"Calvin..."
"(Y/N)." He smirked. "Are you working tomorrow night, too?"
"No, I'm free for the entire weekend, dude. Unless JJ calls in sick again. Hopefully he won't cause I'm going out with my friends tomorrow."
Even if Calvin could be a pain in the ass, he was good helping the hours pass. And it did get a bit lonely once he left and it could be a bit creepy to handle the weird customers of the night single handedly.
~~
Hamzah groaned. He couldn't see shit through his windshield and barely managed to find his way to the nearest gas station. He half-walked, half-jogged the short distance from his parked car to the entrance. The bell jingled and the door swung open, signaling the entrance of a man on a mission. Hamzah headed directly to where he thought he'd find his specific item. Eyes darted from shelf to shelf, feet walked up and down the short aisles.
"Hi, you, do you need help?"
The soft voice startled him out of his focus, causing him to flinch before spinning around to see a girl around his age. She was beautiful.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to scare you." Her expression quickly turned worried.
Hamzah cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's not your fault! I'm sorry, too... uhh... I was just a little in my own world, looking for this-- yeah, I do need help, I can't find any wiper blades." Jesus Christ, just speak, man. He felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment.
"Wiper blades, huh?" The woman's soft smile returned as she stepped closer to his side to check the same shelf he'd been scanning over. "They should be here. Uhh... Right there." She pointed out the product for him. "Is that what you meant?" Wow. Right in front of him. Of course.
"Uh, yeah.." Hamzah nodded. "Thank you so much." He extended his arm toward the same shelf. However his (out of the frickin blue) nerves betrayed him and with a clumsy motion his hand brushed against a precarious stack of products, sending them tumbling to the floor with a melodious clatter.
"Oh-" The girl quietly exclaimed next to him.
"Fuck, I'm so sorry." He said, internally mortified of what he just did as he instantly bent down to gather the stuff.
The woman giggled. "Don't worry, dude." She said as she joined the task of picking up the products.
"Both my wiper blades, and I kid you not, were gone when I came out the bar tonight to drive home." Hamzah explained but quickly added, "I didn't drink! I didn't, I'm not drunk-driving. Despite this," he motioned to his mess, "I swear I'm 100% sober."
"Calm down, I'm not a cop, I'm not a cop." The girl said.
Hamzah laughed at the reference, understanding the joke that would've worked either way, and placed the last product in its place. "And it's raining so bad. Of course. I guess that's why some poor dude took mine."
"Mh-hm? That's crazy."
"I waited for it to pass, but..."
"They said on the radio that it was going to rain all night." The girl told him as she walked him to the counter.
"Aw, man. Yeah. So I tried to drive slow but I couldn't see anything. Cause of all the rain. So then I got here."
"I think driving without wipers is illegal here." She grinned.
"Thank God you saved me tonight, then."
The woman let out an unimpressed scoff as she scanned the item and Hamzah remembered the embarrassing scene that just happened. She probably thought he was some tipsy idiot. He hadn't been drinking but he had been an idiot. So yeah, he wasn't exactly in a spot to rizz anyone up. But man, this woman was gorgeous. Her messy ponytail had strands of layers framing a face adorned with delicate features and kind big eyes with long dark lashes.
"That'd be 27.99, sir."
~~
(Y/N) basically passed out as soon as she returned home after the long day. She slept until 12 which she really needed but was extremly unusual due to her sleeping issues. Canada was treating her good, she just wasn't good at treating herself... good. Making friends at college had been easy. People were friendly. So long no drama, just humans there to do the same thing; study and get to know each other.
And the fact that she'd scored a cozy beautiful apartment in one of Downtown Rideau's old big buildings right next to the canal was awesome. Life was pretty okay. Though, stressful, and school was only going to get more and more intense.
A bit over a week passed, and (Y/N) had finished another day at uni. She was going to work in a few hours but had some free time between 12 and 3PM, and would take the opportunity to grab lunch with two friends at the mall. Maybe a little shopping spree. She parked her car on the lowest floor and closed the door with a bang, looking around for an elevator that would take her directly to the mall's second floor. And there it was with a man approaching it too.
(Y/N) picked up her pace to get there in time. "Hey, hang on." She yelled. Social anxiety, what's that? She slipped inside and looked at the floor the guy had pressed. 3. So she pressed 2. The doors closed and she felt the elevator lurch into motion. Then she glanced up to see a somewhat familiar person.
He looked up from his phone, directly at her, with blinking dark eyes.
(Y/N) squinted her eyes for a second. She didn't want to seem crazy but he was familiar.
The man awaited her first words.
She cleared her throat. "You look oddly familiar." She explained, then realized. "Ohh! It's the wiper guy! Right?"
A relief combined with awkwardness spread across his face. "Riiight. The wiper guy, that's me."
"How you doin? You got home safely, huh?"
"Yeah, yes, I did." He chuckled awkwardly.
"That's..." She anticipated the elevator doors to open so she could leave, but there was a sudden jolt and the elevator came to an abrupt halt. "Were... we supposed to stop here?" Panic fluttered in her chest. She didn't have anything more to bring to the short interaction and expected it to be over by now.
The man waited a second to reply, expecting an answer to come to them. "I... don't think so."
(Y/N) raised an eyebrow and stepped to the floor selection buttons. "Uhh." She pressed the second floor again. And again. She spammed pressed the button for a short moment before stopping and turning her face at him, both snorting loudly at the comedic timing.
"Maybe it'll, it just needs a second?"
"I hope so." (Y/N) sighed and took a step away from the buttons, leaving some more space between her and the guy again. "Should we wait and then like, press the... is this an emergency situation?"
"I don't know, I've never done this before."
She giggled and shrugged. "That's crazy. Stuck in an elevator." Then she tilted her head slightly. "I'm relieved you're not some uh, panicky dude. It'd be a nightmare to be stuck with one of those."
He chuckled, looking a bit more relaxed now than before. "Same to you. But uhh, yeah, so I got the wipers on and they're working perfectly. Thank you." It was an attempt to small talk.
"Yeah, uh, thank you for spending money at my job." She said with a playful smile. "Kidding. How do you even put those on? Or take them off? Stealing someone's wipers is unhinged."
"Right?" He laughed. This guy was very handsome, just like the night he had stressed into the store to get his stuff. Now she actually got a good look at him and he was even prettier. "I just assumed people working in gas stations would know how to change or put on wiper blades. I was about to ask you for help back there in the parking lot but I figured it would be best to end the interaction. Caused too much trouble already."
(Y/N) snorted. "It's alright, man. You weren't bothering. And I get that you were stressed out driving in that weather."
Yeah, that was totally the entire reason he got so flustered when she came to help..
"Anyways. It's not like you need any sort of car education when you apply to work as a cashier at a 7-Eleven." She said and he snickered. "I'm just a normal girl tryna get some extra cash."
"I know how it is."
"Hm. You think we should press the emergency button?"
"I think so."
"Wow. It's like I'm in a movie, dude." (Y/N) mumbled as she did it. "I hope it won't happen ever again but it's kinda... exciting. Don'tcha think?"
"Yeah, I'm like, so stoked." He said dryly with his deep monotone voice.
(Y/N) gave him a glare with a giggle as they waited for any type of response. "This mall looks all modern yet they got elevators from what, 1975? Not worth the aesthetic vibe, dude. Anyways. Sooo what brings you to the mall today?"
The man had a small but genuine smile on his lips. He looked friendly but, you know, a bit tired. "I was just gonna go grab something to eat. I've been to the gym."
Ugh. Never mind. Gym rat? "Ohh. So just in and out real quick? Like, the store?"
"Yeah, just a quickie."
The two stood quiet for a second before they snorted and snickered. Dirty minds.
"Sorry." The guy grinned.
"Ah, too bad that's not happening now." (Y/N) said, still smiling, pressing the emergency button again.
"Right. Should've just swung by another place and saved me the trouble. How bout you?"
"I'm gonna eat lunch with some friends." She explained. "Had a pretty short day at uni and I'm headed for work in the afternoon."
"Alright." He nodded. "What do-"
"Hi. We're sorry for the inconvenience. It's an issue in the system. Our maintenance staff is on it. It's a minor, so don't work yourselves up."
(Y/N) and the man looked at each other, "It's a minor?!" They both whispered at the same time.
"A minor issue. Keep calm and you'll soon be out."
The two of them snickered when they realized they could be heard, and then burst into giggles when they realized they had said the same joke.
"Alright, alright," (Y/N) said through her giggles, "So we won't be stuck in here forever."
"Phew." He grinned. "Anyways, so, what do you study? Or first of all, what's your name?" He stretched an arm forward to greet her.
She accepted his firm but somehow still gentle handshake. "It's (Y/N). You?"
"I'm Hamzah. It's nice to meet you. Again."
"Hamzah." (Y/N) repeated, to remember it. "Nice to meet you, too. I study behavioural science at the university over at Sandy Hill. You know it?"
"Yeah, alright." Hamzah nodded. The elevator jolted back into motion signaling their release from temporary captivity. "Well, uhh..." It kinda stressed him out that the elevator was functioning again cause he was contemplating asking for her number. Obviously they had the same vibe.
"So, Hamzah. Before we part ways again." She said, acting cool even if she had to work up a courage to ask this, "You seem cool. I moved to Canada just a month ago or so. And I'm happy to meet new friends. And you seem like a chill dude. Would you uh, like to exchange socials or a number or something? Hang out sometime?"
Hamzah lifted his eyebrows. "Uhh, yeah, for sure. I could, you know, I've lived her for a while now. I know the good places and where not to go. Me and my friends know our way around. You know." His hand darted in his pocket in a flurry motion, picking up his phone as he wondered what socials to reveal. Snap?? Felt safer than his number. "Snapchat?"
"Snapchat's fine, yeah." She nodded. "Uhm, my username is (whatever yours is)."
"Alright." He mumbled as the elevator doors opened and he found her user. "That's you?"
"Uh-uh." She nodded.
"Great. Uhh, add me back and I'll hear from you, yeah?"
(Y/N) nodded with a smile and said, "Yeah. See ya." Before she exited and headed to the place she'd meet her friends. She found them at a corner table.
Emily and Imani were 20 and 21, her closest friends, and had met through college and instantly clicked. Two sweet and hilarious girls. Their friend group consisted of 2 more girls but (Y/N) had grown closest to Imani.
"What took you so long? You're late." Emily said with an accusative tone, sarcastic as usual.
"I cannot make this up. I literally got stuck in the elevator."
"You actually can make that up."
(Y/N) rolled her eyes and sat down. "It's such a weird coincidence as well. Like, a week or two ago, I met-- this guy came into the store to find a specific item while I was working."
"And?"
"He was-- now we went into the elevator together at the same time. What are the odds?.." She continued. "And got stuck there. Together."
Imani gasped. "That's actually crazy."
"So?" Emily's play-pretend cold demeanor shifted, genuinely intrigued. "What happened?"
"Okay, so he's like, our age. And he's kinda pretty. Like, big brown eyes, curly dark hair, taller than me." She said, recalling the GORGEOUS boy that had accompanied her.
"Oh, my God!!" Imani squealed.
"No, stop, not like that." (Y/N) shook her head. "Shush."
"You just described faith yet you still don't believe in it?" Her friend questioned.
"I just don't... I just want to get to know the guy and maybe I've found a new friend, okay? I have no idea if he's single. That's not my motive." She defended, beating any 'new crush'-allegations. "He added my Snap. Right! I should add him back."
Emily leaned in to look at her phone. "Make him send a selfie, puh-lease."
"Stop. Calm down." She flinched away from her. "I just thought it was a funny coincidence."
"It is." Imani agreed.
"I'm starving though. Let's order." (Y/N) closed the topic.
You see, (Y/N) was not interested in dating anyone at the moment. First of all, SCHOOL AND WORK!! Second of all? Avoidant attachment issues. Third? 99 out of 100 men sucked. And she wasn't a part of hookup culture. She liked being on her own, liked her own company. Nothing could ever make her desperate enough to drop her standards or fold. She just didn't have that intimate need. And she wasn't even sure if she'd ever find love. Blah, blah, blah.
~~
Leaned back into the plush cushions of his friend's sofa, Hamzah sighed, a leg propped up on the coffee table while the other remained planted on the floor.
"That's like, fate, you know?" His friend returned from the kitchen with two cups of coffee. "Who gets stuck in an elevator and who gets stuck in it with the cute cashier you embarrassed yourself in front of?"
"Oh, stop it, Martin, I don't know who the hell she is." He sighed again, dropped his leg down to lean forward and take his cup. "Thanks."
Martin sat down next to him. "But she seemed cool, though, right?"
"I'm open-minded, I think she's a cool person. But I don't know."
"You should invite her out for a drink then."
"What if she doesn't drink?"
"Then grab a non-alcoholic beer while she grabs a virgin mojito? Or go to a café?"
"But what if-"
"Shut up, dude. Jeez. Listen to yourself." Martin snickered.
Hamzah snorted, taking a sip from his coffee. "She was literally gorgeous, man."
"So what happened after you got her Snap? Have you texted her?"
"No, man... I... Well, we did. I sent her a picture of the food I bought with like, a thumbs up, and she sent one back of her plate. Not much more than that. She left me on opened after a few pics back and forth.."
"What were she eating?"
"I don't remember. Like, chicken and pasta with a sallad?"
"Green flag, dude."
"How is that--??"
"I was gonna say green flag regardless. Text her. Ask her for drinks."
"You better come with then."
"You want me along?" Martin chuckled.
Hamzah shrugged. "Yeah, I don't want to go alone, man. I don't want it to be a date. She had cool clothes and a cool vibe to her. Like, an approachable friendly person. Plus she's new in the city and probably wants to find new friendgroups."