Chapter Text
This morning couldn’t have started any worse. Caitlyn Kiramman, notoriously known for having an excellent work ethic, never forgetting a single detail written down in her files, and always being on time down to the second, had overslept.
Caitlyn was absolutely positive that she had plugged in her phone before going to bed, right after setting her alarm for 7 a.m.
The terrible surprise this morning proved her wrong however: She woke up at 8:32 a.m as the clock on her nightstand told her, her phone being completely dead, and she knew immediately she was royally fucked. The important board meeting dealing with the acquisition of Salo Inc. was set to start at 9 a.m., her commute to work took about 27 minutes on a good day and she hadn’t even gotten ready in the slightest.
Startling awake, she jumped out of bed, legs tangling in the sheets, causing her to almost crash face first to the floor. After catching herself, she quickly grabbed her charger and plugged her phone in, praying to get a few percent of battery to get her through the day.
“Shit!” she muttered to herself, as she tripped over the pants she had abandoned on the floor the night before, now in a hurry to get ready.
Caitlyn thought back to how she had spent the night before staying late in her office. Hunched over different financial reports and plans, along with the many different opinions of how to best secure a good deal with Salo Inc. She cursed herself under her breath in regret.
Salo Inc. had once been one of the leading companies in the fashion industry, but had been declining ever since Seymour Salo took over the company from his father.
Caitlyn remembered Hamish Salo as a great designer, perhaps one of the greatest of his time even, while staying extraordinarily humble despite his success
His son, however, was quite a different breed. Seymour Salo was known to be an arrogant and disdainful man. He tried to uphold his father’s legacy after taking over the company, wanting to continue the successful story of Salo Inc. He had failed miserably though. His despicable character paired with questionable fashion choices and horrible management of the business made the whole company crumble, leaving it in shambles. A husk of what Salo Inc. used to be.
Caitlyn was not surprised that Seymour Salo failed miserably at his - self-proclaimed - shot at glory.
She stumbled into the bathroom, rushing through one of the quickest showers she ever had, the cold water waking her up even more.
Luck was not on her side today as she slipped on a little puddle of water while getting out of the shower. Her elbow hit the sink hard, her eyes widened at the sudden pain shooting through her arm. Caitlyn cursed up at the heavens, mulling over what she had done to deserve this.
After fighting through the stinging feeling in her elbow, she wrapped herself up in a towel and went on getting ready at a record speed.
Quickly throwing on her favorite navy blue pantsuit back in her bedroom and adding a simple pair of black heels to her outfit, Caitlyn studied herself in the floor length mirror. Her outfit screamed professionalism, her appearance demanded respect and an air of authority surrounded her. If it weren’t for the few flyaway hairs sticking out of her ponytail, the tips of her dark blue hair still curled slightly from the damp. Frowning, she tried to adjust her hairdo, to slick back into a tidy style. Two tries later Caitlyn gave up with a big huff, deciding it would have to be good enough as it was. The meeting was most likely going to make her pull her hair out anyway.
Being CFO of Merdarda Corp. meant Caitlyn had to know all the financial figures and elements they had to consider in the process of the acquisition. Her best friend and boss, Mel Merdarda, had started her own fashion business from scratch, cutting any ties to her mother and fashion mogul, Ambessa.
Mel’s talent and eye for trends was incredible and her business soon grew from a dark horse to respectable contender until it was the biggest and most sought after fashion brand in the U.S. A smile crept up on her face as she remembered how hard Mel had fought to get to the place she was now. Pulling all nighters, struggling to get the funds for her ideas, nights spent crying in Caitlyn's arms... But Caitlyn had always believed in her, knew that it would all be worth it, proving all the doubters wrong. And when Mel had her big break and offered her a job, she didn’t have to think twice. Working together, growing their success, being each other's biggest supporters, had only deepened the bond between the two friends.
Caitlyn could not be more proud of what her best friend had accomplished.
And Mel not only had a talent for style, no, she also had a shrewd eye for business, expanding her company and growing her influence in the few years it had existed. Salo Inc. was her next big step in securing her number one position in the industry.
Unplugging her phone - at nineteen percent battery now - she shot a quick text to Mel, letting her know she was most likely going to be late for the meeting. She snatched her purse on the way out of the room and made her way to the front door.
Grabbing her keys out of the bowl on the small table near the entrance, she was almost out of the door when her azure eyes fell back onto her beloved coffee machine. Working long hours, she had developed a slight addiction to caffeine. A strong coffee, brewed with Ethiopian arabica beans, a splash of oat milk added, really kicked off her day.
Glancing at her watch, a scowl rose up on her face. Caitlyn knew she had no time for her cherished morning treat. Sighing, she turned to the front door to start her journey to the office. The coffee there would have to suffice for today.
By the time she finally arrived at Merdarda Corp., her mood had soured even further. The streets had been clogged with every type of vehicle under the sun, pedestrians had squeezed their way through stopped cars, the sound of honks had formed into a symphony of maddening noise. No amount of yelling, swearing and praying during the drive had helped with New York traffic.
As she sprinted into the foyer, frustration was pulsing off her in waves. Her watch read 9:42 a.m. She was forty-two minutes late. Her pace quickened as she made her way to the meeting room on the 8th floor.
Staying late the night before had seemed like the best option. Staying late to brace for the meeting today in hopes of finishing it sooner. Caitlyn was now regretting every minute of it. The headache she had hoped to avoid with all her preparation was now already throbbing behind her eyes.
And she still hadn’t had a single drop of coffee.
_____
It felt like her head was splitting apart.
Leaning back in her chair, Caitlyn gave a hard exhale while looking up at the ceiling.
It had taken three hours for the board to decide on the next steps and the general direction to take in the acquisition. Every single board member had a different approach to it, leading to different things for Caitlyn to consider with the financial aspects with their ideas. And a few ideas made her question how these people got their positions on the board with how irrational and downright insane they were.
Caitlyn’s hectic morning was also catching up with her, her stomach growling loudly, a desperate plea for any kind of food and even now, she still hadn’t had a coffee to brighten her mood.
She could hear the other members leaving the room, their chattering getting more quiet with the distance and for the first time today she had a minute to herself and let her eyes close to enjoy this rare moment of peace.
“So, what happened this morning?” A melodious voice snapped her out of her reverie.
Caitlyn jumped slightly in her chair when she also felt Mel’s hand on her shoulder, her eyes snapping open.
“Jesus!”
Caitlyn’s heart was pounding, not having noticed that her best friend was still in the room, let alone standing close enough to touch her.
“Just call me Mel, honey. That works just fine,” Mel replied with a smug grin, taking her hand off Caitlyn’s shoulder.
“So, care to explain why you were so late this morning?” Mel asked again, one hand propped on her hip as she looked down at her best friend. Caitlyn saw that teasing glint in Mel’s golden eyes. “Did anything happen last night?” she questioned her again, wiggling her eyebrows a little.
An exasperated groan left Caitlyn’s lips. “Oh my god, Mel, I just overslept! This meeting was a pain in my ass before it even happened and I needed to prepare as best as I could to get through it.” Running her hand down her face for the umpteenth time today, she slowly pushed off the chair. “Besides, you’d be the first to know if anything happened,” she said, gently nudging Mel’s shoulder.
“Mmmh, hopefully something does happen soon, Cait.” Mel made her way to the door of the meeting room, before calling back over her shoulder, “You really need to get laid, honey, you’d be much more balanced if you did.” Shooting a wink at her, her best friend turned back and left Caitlyn standing in the room, alone, jaw slack at the audacity her best friend possessed.
Slowly picking her jaw back off the floor and blinking away the stupor she was just in, Caitlyn grabbed her bag and slowly trudged out of the room as well, stomach gurgling again to remind her of the basic human need for food. She lightly rubbed at her stomach, hoping to appease the famished feeling.
She thought about the last time she ate, which was probably the fried noodles she ordered to her office yesterday afternoon. It was certainly time for some hearty lunch by now. And coffee. So much coffee.
She saw the elevator come into her view. The gateway to get far away from stuffy meeting rooms to the sanctuary of her office. The gateway to her own little coffee machine she put into her office. The gateway to finally relaxing just the slightest bit for today.
That elevator was heaven-sent.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket just as she pressed the call button of the elevator. She quickly reached for it, checking the importance of it.
Of course.
Not even five minutes out of the damned meeting and Grant from Marketing had another question. Basically the same question he already asked twice during the meeting.
Caitlyn heard the distinguished sound of the elevator arriving. She quickly stepped inside, laser focused on her phone and furiously typing the same response she’s given Grant before, and pressed the button to the 32nd floor to reach her office.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone else in the elevator but before she could fully look at them her phone went off again.
Grant.
Again.
Her mouth pulled into a tight line, trying to keep the ever growing irritation in check. It also didn’t help that the other person in the elevator had started whistling and was tapping their foot like crazy.
She quickly shot Grant another text, explaining the same thing to him - again - and saw that the reception in the elevator was so bad, her text didn’t even go through. Perfect. It seemed that for the remainder of the elevator ride she would be left alone and could just enjoy a little moment of bliss without distractions.
If it weren’t for the stranger with her and the damn commotion they were making.
Caitlyn turned to the other person in the elevator to ask them to stop their whistling, but once she looked at their face she stopped dead in her tracks, mouth hanging open, words and annoyance forgotten.
What she saw was one of the most beautiful butch women she had ever seen.
She was a little shorter than Caitlyn, but she had a stunning physique. Muscular arms straining against the hem of her short-sleeved polo shirt, a logo of what seemed to be a café stitched onto the chest. A small tattoo of a cog adorned the side of her neck. Her broad shoulders carried a bulky looking backpack with ease. And whatever she had in this backpack smelled delicious. She also had powerful legs, thighs pulling at the material of her pants. She looked a little rugged and rough around the edges, but she held herself with an air of confidence, looking utterly gorgeous.
What captivated Caitlyn the most, however, was the stranger's face. The heart-shaped frame showed signs of battles of the past, a strong but slightly crooked jaw, a small cut on the woman's left eyebrow and another scar just on the edge of her upper lip, almost distracting her from how kissable her plump, slightly asymmetric lips looked. She had another tattoo, a the roman numerals for the number six on her left cheekbone. But the woman’s eyes were the most mesmerizing. Her irises were somewhere between ice blue and grey, giving them a steely look while still radiating warmth. And on top of that her red hair screamed for attention, the left side shaved down to a few inches while the right side was left longer, a few single strands falling in her face.
She looked like a lesbian’s wet dream.
Caitlyn’s heart had started pounding as she regarded the woman next to her. She realized she had been looking just a little too long when she saw the smirk appear on the attractive stranger’s face.
Caitlyn felt the furious blush rising up on her cheeks as she tore her gaze away, the sleek grey wall of the elevator suddenly being very interesting to her as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers. When was the last time she had blushed like this? She felt like a schoolgirl all over again simply because a handsome woman looked at her.
“You okay over there, Miss?”
Naturally, the woman who had reduced Caitlyn Kiramman to a flushed mess also had a charming voice. The slight rasp to it almost made her swoon.
Looking back over to her, the rosiness still prominent on her face, Caitlyn saw that the damned smirk was still on her face, it appeared to have gotten even bigger. God, someone save her from the embarrassment. If only she could get off this elevator instantly.
She cleared her throat before answering, hoping to gain back a bit of her composure.
“Yes, I am quite alright, thank yo-”
Suddenly the elevator shuddered, the light overhead flickering, before it came to a screeching stop. The lights flickered once more before giving out completely.
Caitlyn reached for the walls, trying to hold on to anything to avoid falling to the floor. The stranger beside her let out a short string of curses, a dull thud could be heard as she seemingly hit a wall while she stumbled around the darkness as well.
This had to be a nightmare.
After a few disorienting seconds in the dark elevator the emergency lights came on. Both women tried to gather themselves quickly, Caitlyn wiping imaginary dust off her sleeves . Caitlyn looked back over to the redhead and saw her rubbing her elbow. More concerning, however, was the look on her face. Her eyes were wide open, mouth slightly agape and a fearful expression painted on her features.
“Are you alright?” Caitlyn stepped a bit closer to the woman, concern written on her face.
The stranger straightened up and squared her shoulders, quickly trying to school her expression.
“Yeah, yeah, all good over here” It would have been almost believable if it hadn’t been for the slight wobble in her voice. “How about you? Are you okay?” She tried to sound reassuring, but the strained smile she shot at Caitlyn was not convincing.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Caitlyn was already turning to the button panel of the elevator. “Seems like the elevator got stuck, they better get us out of here quickly”, she said as she pressed the emergency button.
She heard the shaky exhale of the redhead behind her, a nervous sound left her as she muttered her agreement.
Caitlyn turned her head back to the attractive stranger and gave her a smile, hoping it came across as comforting and eased some of her anxiety.
The grating crackling of the intercom coming to life turned her focus back to the button panel. Soon they’d be getting out of here, she thought, the amount of work waiting for her at her office needed her attention. And leaving the embarrassing encounter with the other woman in the elevator behind would also be nice.
The monotonous voice of the person on the other end of the emergency line brought her out of her day dreams, “Hello, how can I help you?”, came out of the intercom, sounding as bored as could be.
“Yes, hello, we are in an elevator in the Merdarda Corp. building and it is stuck, can you help us get out? she asked.
“Let me see what I can do”, he replied, still sounding incredibly bored and disinterested. “On which level are you and how many people are in the elevator?”
Caitlyn was so preoccupied with the hot butch that she had no idea on which level they were on. She quickly tried to calculate, her brow furrowing. She got on the 8th floor, her office was on the 32nd. She must have been staring at the other woman for a bit of time so they might be close to level 27? Her face scrunched up with the thoughts, but it should be good enough.
“We’re two people in here and we are close to the 27th floor,” she told the emergency line operator, “I think ...” She hoped the quiet mumble of her uncertainty wouldn’t be heard.
The operator, for how disinterested he sounded, had pretty good hearing though. “You think? Lady, I gotta know where to send someone,” he shot back gruffly, “ you gotta know where you are.”
“Well, I wasn’t fully focused on that”, heat crept back up her face as she remembered the reason for her distraction, especially because said reason was still standing quite close to her in this damn elevator. She carefully turned her head back to the butch with her, trying to see if she could see Caitlyn’s humiliation.
The woman was already looking in her direction. She was, however, very focused on the button panel and seemed to listen very closely to what the operator had to say. Caitlyn saw too just how pale the woman had gotten. She looked far from the confident person that had smirked at her. There was a slight sheen of sweat at her brow as well. Caitlyn would have to check on her in a second once the operator was dealt with, the woman’s appearance worried Caitlyn.
“Look, Sir, we’re close to the 27th floor, that is a good starting point for someone to get us out of here, isn’t it?” she snapped into the little microphone as she turned back, her voice rising in anger. “And I think whoever gets here will be smart enough to figure this situation out should we be a little higher or lower in this shaft, so would you please just send someone over here?”
Caitlyn felt this man getting on her last nerves as he argued back. “Goddamn, Lady, you have to know better where you are or are you stupi-”
“Just get someone here to get us out of the fucking lift!”
Caitlyn startled as the stranger suddenly appeared next to her and growled into the intercom. She put her hand on the wall above it, her fingers curled tightly into a fist, so much that her knuckles turned white. Her mouth had pulled into a grimace.
Her little outburst seemed to have an effect on the emergency line operator. He let out a sigh of resignation before slipping back into the bored tone. “I’ll send someone over, might take a while with these instructions.” The intercom clicked as the line went dead.
Caitlyn couldn’t believe this guy. Her eyebrows pulled together, mad at the absolute gall this man had to talk to them like this. He was supposed to help them, for goodness sake, and all he actually did was act like a rude jerk.
She saw the redheaded woman turn away from the intercom, her shoulders tightly pulled together, anxiety seeping off her.
Caitlyn took a deep breath to get her own emotions under control. The other woman seemed to be having a tough time and she was gonna try to make this situation better for both of them.
She cleared her throat and took a step towards the stranger. “I’m sorry, but are you alright?”, she asked, albeit a little cautiously, “I know this isn’t an ideal situation, but we’re gonna be out of here in no time.” Caitlyn tried her best to sound positive for the irritated woman.
The redhead stemmed her arms into her hips, broad shoulder squaring up even more, as she glowered at Caitlyn.
“Am I alright?” she spat in her direction. “What kind of stupid question is that?” She flung her arms up in irritation, as Caitlyn stepped back again. “We’re stuck in a tiny metal death trap, 30 floors or whatever in the air and you ask me if I’m alright?”
Caitlyn hadn’t expected this outburst, her hands coming up in front of her in a pacifying gesture.
“I’m sorry, it’s just, I wanted to help, since you seemed a little…” Caitlyn hesitated, trying to find the right words.
The woman glared at her. “ A little what? Huh? Spit it out.” Turning fully to Caitlyn now, her hands balling into fists again. “Am I not proper enough for you stuck-up business people? Am I not abiding by your rules,” her breathing got heavier as her eyes looked frantically across the tiny space, “ of being calm and perfect? Huh?” Caitlyn saw more sweat gathering on her face, a single drop sliding down her temple. “Sorry for not sticking to your stupid little rules while we’re locked into this fucking cell with no way out!” As she yelled out these words, her breaths came in short quick puffs, chest rising with effort to get air into her lungs.
Caitlyn saw her knees wobble as the woman started hyperventilating. She could see the panic on the woman’s face now even as she turned her head slightly to avoid Caitlyn’s piercing, worrisome gaze.
Suddenly, the woman fell to her knees, wheezing breaths could be heard, as she clutched at her chest. She had her eyes screwed shut now, trying to block out the world, as sweat was beading down her face and the side of her neck.
Caitlyn sprung back into action. She had to calm the woman down and she had to do it swiftly.
She, again, took a slow step towards the stranger, trying not to startle her. “Hey, look, I wasn’t trying to attack you or anything. Please, take some deep breaths for me.”
She wasn’t sure if the woman even heard her, but she thought she saw her trying to take in a big gulp of air before she went back to quick and erratic breaths.
“Can I come a bit closer to you, is that alright?” The woman gave a small nod, the only indicator that she had even heard her.
Caitlyn walked two steps closer to her, light on her feet, and tried to stay somewhere, where the other woman could see her so as to not startle her more.
Kneeling on the floor next to her, she thought about her next steps. She had to get her breathing under control before she passed out. She had never dealt with a situation like this, her thoughts were running a hundred miles an hour. She was getting anxious too, she did not want to be stuck in an elevator with an unconscious person.
She thought of an idea. “Okay, what’s your name, can you tell me that?”
“Vi,” the other woman croaked out in between ragged breaths. She had opened her eyes at this point and tears were gathering there.
“Okay, Vi, listen, take a deep breath in like me,” Caitlyn reached out to grab the woman’s hand, but then she hesitated. What if randomly touching her set off more? “Is it okay if I touch you, Vi?” she asked.
Vi shot her a questioning look out of the corner of her eyes, but gave another small nod nonetheless.
Caitlyn reached for Vi’s hand, softly grasping it and uncurling her fist. She struggled at first with how tightly it was wound, but softly running her fingers across her knuckles seemed to do the trick. She felt the dampness of sweat in her palm as they touched. Vi’s wide eyes were flickering from their joined hands to her face.
She took Vi’s hand and laid on her sternum. Vi followed the movement with her eyes.
“This way you can feel me breathe. I want you to try to match my breathing, okay?” she said and took a deep breath in, slowly breathing out after. Vi was trying to follow her instructions, eyes pressed closed and a frown on her face as she concentrated. Repeating her breathing, several more times, Vi’s palm still flat on her sternum, she could finally see Vi’s breathing slowly return to a normal rhythm.
Relief flooded her senses once she saw it was working. She couldn't stop the little smile that appeared on her face.
“You're doing great, keep on breathing like that.” She started stroking Vi's hand on her chest softly and saw more of the tension leave her body. Caitlyn kept a close eye on her and after a few minutes it had seemed that Vi could breathe normally. Her eyes were still a bit wet after watering in her panic and her shoulders were still pulled up too tightly but the worst had passed.
Vi cleared throat self-consciously and pulled her hand off Caitlyn's chest. She hadn't realized it, but she had still been stroking it. A rosy tint appeared on Vi’s face, Caitlyn wasn’t doing much better.
“Thanks for that,” she said. Her voice was a little hoarse. She sat up slightly on her knees and shrugged the backpack off her shoulders. Her neck tattoo shifted slightly with the movement. Caitlyn's eyes were drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Once the backpack was off, she turned around and leaned her back against the wall of the elevator. She sighed loudly, her head tipped up. Her legs had been spread out before her, spread apart just enough for Caitlyn’s focus to jump again.
“It was nothing,“ Caitlyn brushed her off, slightly embarrassed by the praise and the effect of the butch woman before her.
Vi, however, was not done. “It was not nothing to me,” she replied, her eyes snapping to Caitlyn's face as her blue-grey gaze focused on her. “What's your name?”
“Caitlyn.”
“Well, Caitlyn, thanks again,” Vi smiled, small but genuine.
Caitlyn shifted off her knees and sat down beside Vi, keeping a polite distance between them. The attraction to Vi had flustered her enough, no need to make it worse by sitting so close to her.
“What brings you here today?” she cringed internally at her poor attempt of small talk.
Vi chuckled, pointing to the backpack she put down beside her. “I work at a café downtown, someone here ordered some stuff and here I am,” she explained. “How long do you think it will take to get us out of here? Wouldn't want the coffee to go cold.” There was a slight nervous edge to Vi's voice as she asked this.
Coffee. Caitlyn’s mind started screaming at the mention of her favorite drink.
She checked the time on her phone. They had been in here for some time now. Surely help had to be on the way already.
“I'm sure they will get us out in no time.” After a beat, she noticed something else. “Do you have any service in here?”
Vi took her own phone out of her pocket, the screen smashed to bits. Somehow it fit her, Caitlyn thought. “No, nothing in here. You?”
“No, haven’t gotten any service since I’ve gotten onto this elevator.” Another sigh left her lips. Oh, how glad she was to have a moment of peace from Grant, but now just about any help would be appreciated to get out of here.
“You work here, Caitlyn?” Vi had turned her head to the side to look at her. Her eyes wandered up and down her body. Caitlyn felt herself flush. “You know, with the suit and all, you do look like you belong here.”
Caitlyn chuckled lightly. “The outfit does give it away, doesn’t it?” she looked over at Vi. “Yeah, I work here. CFO.”
She heard Vi let out a low whistle.”Damn, could be worse, being stuck with one of the bosses.”
Caitlyn shook her head slightly, a small smile playing on her lips.
Before she could answer, Vi asked again. “How did you get to be the CFO? With the way you’re looking you might as well be modeling for this company.”
Was Vi flirting with her? Caitlyn was too shocked to react, her mouth opening and closing over and over again. Her face felt immensely hot. She was probably beet red right now.
“Do you say that to everyone you meet?” she finally managed to splutter out. “And my best friend is Mel Merdarda, I’ve been with her ever since she founded this company.” She had to look away from Vi, the mirth on the other woman’s face was too much.
“I’m not saying that to anyone, just beautiful women that look as good as you,” Vi’s grin could almost be heard. Caitlyn made the mistake to look back over to her. That damned grin almost split her face in two - and it did nothing to calm Caitlyn’s beating heart.
“Well, thank you then.”
Vi seemed to have calmed down after her panic attack earlier, her posture much more relaxed.
With her calmness came curiosity apparently. “Do you have a favourite sport?”
“What?” Caitlyn had not expected this question next. “Why do you want to know that?”
Vi didn’t seem phased by her stupor. “I don’t know, we’re stuck in here, who knows how long it is going to take to get us out of here,” she shrugged her shoulders. “Best way we can pass the time is getting to know each other a little bit.”
“Hmm, I guess you’re right”, Caitlyn agreed. She couldn’t deny that she liked talking to Vi, and her apparent interest in her was very welcome. “I actually love shooting. I’ve been doing it since I was a child.” She thought back to all the times she was out in the woods, scrambling through the thick underbrush, mud caking her boots, even splashed up to her hunting pants. Out there in the woods, away from all the expectations, away from the calm and secure city life, she could truly let go and be herself. “It just makes me feel free, I guess.”
Vi’s eyes were wide open when Caitlyn looked over. Now it was her own grin that spread across her face. “You didn’t expect that, huh?”
A short barking laugh left the redhead's mouth. “No,” she shook her head. “I would have expected anything from ballet to table tennis, but shooting?” Another surprised laugh left her. “I wouldn’t have guessed that, ever. But I gotta say, it’s kinda hot.”
Caitlyn couldn’t help but groan, as she blushed again. She buried her face in her hands, trying to escape Vi’s confident flirting. But who was she kidding? She actually loved this.
_____
Fifteen minutes of questions later, and Caitlyn didn’t want anyone to ever get them out of this elevator.
Vi was funny and caring. She had made Caitlyn laugh more times in their conversation than she had on her last five dates. She also told her about her sister, Powder, who is studying Engineering at College right now. The way her eyes had softened whenever she mentioned Powder was endearing. Vi might look like a tough woman - and with the workout routine she had mentioned, she definitely was - but deep down in her heart she appeared to be a big softie.
Caitlyn wanted to know more and more about this woman.
But she had to ruin it with one, thoughtless question.
“So, I take it you're not a fan of elevators? I wouldn’t have expected that from you.”
Vi's expression hardened as she heard the question, the ropy muscles of her shoulders tensing again. “No, can't say I am,” came the clipped answer. Suddenly, Vi had closed up, all signs of the pleasant conversation they had before - gone.
Caitlyn was stumped. She hadn’t meant for this to happen, but she had hit a nerve with Vi. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything. Have I said something wrong?” She needed to know how to fix this. She did not want one stupid question to blow all the chances she might have had with Vi.
“You’re fine. I just don’t like elevators. Drop it please.” Vi had not looked at Caitlyn again, checking her phone instead.
Neither of them had any service in here.
Caitlyn’s mind was racing, attempting to find anything to get back into Vi’s good graces. Anything to start up the easy-flowing talk between them again. Anything to have Vi looking at her again. But she came up short.
Vi also didn’t seem to mind the silence that had settled between them, she made no attempt to talk to Caitlyn either.
Five antagonizing minutes of awkward silence lay between them. Caitlyn had alternated between fidgeting with her fingers, tucking her hair behind her ears every two minutes and checking the time on her useless phone.
She had accepted that they would spend the rest of their time in the elevator in silence. And once they were out of it, that would be the last time she’d have ever spoken to Vi.
Then, the silence was broken. Caitlyn’s stomach grumbled. Loudly. It sounded like a dying whale, amplified by the silence between them.
“Was that … your stomach?”
Vi had looked up from her phone, shock written across her face.
All it took, Caitlyn thought, was her body betraying her like this to get Vi to talk to her again.
With a soft groan she mumbled a quiet confirmation, refusing to keep eye contact with the other woman. “I haven’t eaten anything today, okay? I was planning on getting lunch before this stupid elevator got stuck.” Frustration seeped into her voice. Her whole day had been awful and the only thing she wanted right now was to climb into her bed, hide under the covers and ignore the rest of the world.
She did the next best thing and hid her face in her hands, her knees pulled up to her chest.
She heard rustling coming from Vi’s side. A minute later there was a little nudge to her shoulder that made her look up.
A cupcake, pink frosting with sprinkles on top, and a cup of coffee, a heavenly smell, were thrust in her face.
“Here. It might not be the best lunch, but it’s better than nothing.” Vi was still a bit guarded, but she was making an effort to reach out to her.
Caitlyn fumbled around for words, trying to wrap her head around this situation.
“But that was for your customers?” was what she settled on and cringed internally.
Vi just shrugged. “Yeah, but honestly? Who knows how long we’re gonna be in here for? They’ll throw out the coffee if it’s cold. And the cupcakes - well - I don’t care if they’re gonna complain.”
She kept holding out her offer for Caitlyn and hearing her stomach grumble again, she reached for it with a grateful smile. Her fingers brushed Vi’s as she grabbed the cup of coffee, a jolt of electricity running up her arm. She let out a soft gasp, Vi’s fingers feeling so soft, so right, in this short moment of touch. It startled her. A blush spread on her face again. She quickly focused on the food and drink in her hands and not on the woman next to her.
But she swore she saw a faint rosy tint on Vi’s face as well.
The first sip of coffee today felt like entering Heaven. The bitter taste, the warmth spreading in her stomach. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this moment of bliss.
The cupcake was, surprisingly, even better. Spongy cake, the pink frosting - cherry flavoured - sweet and calming her nerves. And best of all, finally some food for her hungry stomach. She let out an appreciative moan at the first bite.
“Wow, Vi, this is so good!” she said in between bites. “You are honestly a life saver. Thank you.”
The redhead nodded at her. “Still have a few more, just say if you want another.” The atmosphere in the elevator had turned friendlier again, the silence had gone from awkward to almost comfortable.
Vi grabbed a cupcake for herself and tore into it. Caitlyn was more transfixed on Vi eating than she cared to admit. Somehow this woman could make everything sexy. Shaking her head, she tried to get rid of these thoughts about Vi. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter.
“I’m sorry about the joke earlier,” Caitlyn broke the silence a few moments later, “I really didn’t mean to offend you or bring up bad feelings for you.” She gave Vi a tentative look, trying to gauge her reaction. Would she close up again or would she accept her apology?
Vi heaved a heavy sigh. “Thank you, but I guess I reacted harsher than I should’ve. I am not a fan of elevators, but you didn’t know and were just making conversation,” she played absentmindedly with the wrapper of her cupcake. “So I guess we’re even.” She shot Caitlyn a lopsided smirk.
Caitlyn returned her smile, relief flooding her. They ate their cupcakes in silence, only broken by the crumbling of the wrappers or a quiet slurp of coffee.
Caitlyn wanted to keep the conversation flowing. But luckily Vi beat her to any poor attempt on her part.
“So, what is your biggest fear then?”
“My biggest fe- What?” Caitlyn had not expected this. “Why do you ask?”
“You know one of my fears, saw me having a panic attack,” she shrugged. “Seems only fair to know some of your fears as well,” she finished with another shrug and a small smile on her lips.
As much as the question had surprised her at first, it made a lot of sense. Vi had been very vulnerable earlier, even if she didn’t want to. Asking for a bit of vulnerability in return was understandable. Caitlyn had to calm Vi down, the other woman had to trust Caitlyn in this situation but it was obvious how uncomfortable it had been for her. Exposing something fragile to Vi would help even the situation between the two.
Caitlyn took a small moment to think about it. “I guess I am scared about being forgotten, you know? Just going through life but having nothing people will remember me by, having no relationships so deep that people will be heartbroken once I’m gone.” She thought back on her childhood and teenage years. She was a Kirraman, always part of the high society. She had met with important people early on in her life, made friends with politician’s daughters or the children of business magnates. But no-one ever seemed to be interested in her, no, it was the Kirraman name that drew people in. She always had felt invisible in some way. No-one seemed to know who she really was. No-one except Mel and Jayce, whom her parents had sponsored in his science endeavors and who had become like a brother to her. But everyone else saw her as the Kirraman heir. No-one seemed to know who she was deep inside.
She realized she had been lost in thought for a while and shook herself out of her stupor. She looked over at Vi. “So that is my biggest fear I guess. That, or butterflies.”
Vi let out a huffing laugh. “Butterflies? Why’s that?”
“I’ll let you know that I had a traumatic experience as a child, okay?” Caitlyn explained, exasperation evident in her tone. “There was a swarm of them and they attacked me without warning.” She let out a huff, but couldn’t stop the small shudder that went through her as she remembered the whole incident.
To Vi, it must have seemed like the funniest story ever, judging by the giggles coming from her. Caitlyn shot her a glare as she crossed her arms.
Vi held up her arms in defence. “Sorry, Caitlyn, but that is so cute actually,” she said between her giggles. She composed herself quickly though, clearing her throat. “Thank you for sharing it with me. Not the part with the butterflies,” she clarified, “but the part about being forgotten. It can sometimes feel like this, right?” She looked a bit lost in thought as she said that, as if she herself was now reliving some past memories.
She shook herself out of it quickly and shot her a grateful smile.
“Anyway, what are you doing this weekend?” came Vi’s next question.
Caitlyn’s mind went into overdrive. Was Vi gonna ask her out? Was she overthinking this and she was just making conversation?
“Oh, uh, nothing planned yet, I guess,” she stuttered out, face flushing out of embarrassment.
A big smile spread across Vi’s face. “Okay, good to know.”
“What do you mean, good to know? Why did you ask tha-”
Suddenly the intercom crackled to life again, the bored voice of the emergency line operation coming through again. “Ma’am, are you still there?”
Caitlyn and Vi jumped up, leaning towards the panel.
“Of course we’re still here! Where else would we be?” Vi had beaten Caitlyn to an answer, obviously not happy with the man on the line.
The operator, however, was not fazed. “Oh, good. So, you guys are actually stuck between floor 26 and 27. The firefighters are informed of the situation,” he drawled on, “all you guys have to do–”
The line went dead with another crackle.
Caitlyn pushed the emergency button again and again but the operator did not come back on the line.
Caitlyn’s head dropped against the panel as Vi kicked the wall. “Shit!” came her frustrated growl.
Caitlyn turned to her, placing her hand on her shoulder. “I think we’re almost out of here,” she tried to pacify the other woman.“He did say that the firefighters know about our situation, so they should be here soon.”
Vi did not look fully convinced. She was about to retort when the elevator creaked loudly above them, surprised gasps leaving both their mouths as they turned their eyes to the ceiling. Vi’s hand had shot over to hers and gripped it tightly, seeking comfort.
After a few seconds another louder creak could be heard. Vi’s grip on her hand tightened even more. She looked at Caitlyn, an alarmed look in her eyes.
Before either one could say something, the elevator jolted. Hard. It seemed to drop for a second before coming back to hard stop.
Out of instinct, both women grabbed onto each other. Vi’s strong arms circled around Caitlyn’s frame, almost as if to shield her from any harm. Caitlyn’s hand gripped hard at Vi’s upper arms to keep her steady.
Despite the plunge only being short, both women were shaken, frazzled looks on their faces.
Caitlyn took a closer look at Vi. Vi’s arms were still holding her close, fisting into the back of her blazer. It felt like her grip was close to tearing the material. Her eyes, however, had a faraway look, glazed over. Her breathing picked up quickly again. Caitlyn knew the signs better now, Vi was headed for another panic attack.
She sprang into action immediately. “Vi? Listen to me, we’re both fine, okay? Keep breathing, deep and slow breaths.”
Her eyes moved quickly across Caitlyn’s face, unable to focus on anything. She couldn’t get any words out with how fast she was breathing. Worst of all, Caitlyn wasn’t even sure if she even heard her at all. Sweat appeared on Vi’s forehead again.
Without thinking, Caitlyn cradled Vi’s face in her hand and leaned closer.
“Easy, easy,” she said softly, her thumbs running across Vi’s cheekbones. Vi’s eyes found her own, her hands coming to rest on Caitlyn’s wrist in an almost bruising grip. ”I’m here with you, focus on my breathing again, please. Deep breaths in,” Caitlyn instructed, taking a deep breath herself, “and deep breaths out,” as she let out her own breath.
Vi started following her instructions again. “You’re doing great, Vi. Keep on breathing for me.” Her fingers kept running in soothing motions across Vi’s cheeks. Vi closed her eyes, her stiff shoulders sagging a bit. It seemed much easier to calm her down this time. Her breathing, albeit still way too quick, had slowed down already. There was, however, still a frown on Vi’s face with how hard she was concentrating on her breathing.
Caitlyn couldn’t look away from her face. Even in this moment of distress Vi looked absolutely beautiful. Her nose scrunched just a tiny bit. Her eyebrows drawn together, accentuating the scar in her left brow. Her lips pulled in a thin line. Her lips still looked so enticing. So tempting.
All Caitlyn wanted to was kiss Vi at this moment. A soft promise that everything would be okay. A small gesture that Caitlyn was here for her. A little praise to show Vi how good she was doing right now. And most of all, a sign of how much Caitlyn liked the woman before her already.
Subconsciously, she leant forward, their faces getting closer and closer. She was still looking at Vi’s face. She could now feel Vi’s breath, still too quick to be considered calm, fan across her face.
Just then, Vi opened her eyes. One heartbeat long, the two of them stared at each other. Vi’s blue-grey eyes boring into Caitlyn’s azure ones. Caitlyn’s finger still cradling Vi’s face, thumbs still making calming notions.
The moment was broken with a blink. Caitlyn jumped back with a gasp as Vi drew in a big gulp of air, choking on it and turning into a cough.
Caitlyn felt the violent blush on her face as she realized what had happened. She almost kissed Vi. She almost kissed Vi!
“I am so sorry!” She sputtered out. She had almost kissed a woman while she was having a panic attack. What kind of depraved person would do this to a person in such a vulnerable state? “I don’t know what came over me – I just – You – I’m sorry,” was all she could come up with at that moment.
She dared to meet Vi’s eyes, hoping the other would see the sincerity behind her poor excuse of an apology.
Vi was rubbing at her pants as if she wanted to wipe sweaty hands. Her face was almost the same color of her hair, her blush extending down to her neck, as she stared at Caitlyn, jaw slack.
“Uuh, don’t worry, it’s, uhm, yeah, it’s all good. You’re good.”
Both women could not seem to hold eye contact with each other, blushing too hard to keep looking at each other.
The elevator creaked again, breaking the awkward spell between them. This time, however, the noise came from the direction of the door. They turned towards it and saw the doors opening just a crack.
“NYFD, we’re here to get you out,” came the deep booming voice of a firefighter. “Are you both alright?”
Vi sighed a giant breath of relief. “Yes, we are all good. Get us out of here now before this stupid thing drops all the way down.”
The crack in the doors became bigger, a firefighter coming into view. “Drop down? Why would it do that?” The firefighter gave them a puzzled look, as Vi and Caitly looked at each other, just as puzzled at his surprise.
Caitlyn looked at him incredulously. “The elevator dropped a bit! Not even five minutes ago?”
Something seemed to click inside the firefighters head. “Ah that! Yeah, that was us,” he scratched at his face, “I mean, we had to get you to a level where we could reach you by opening the doors.” A nervous chuckle left him.
Caitlyn saw Vi’s furious expression. She was growling out her next word.
“So, you’re telling me that you drop this giant junk of metal, without telling us, and expect us not to freak out?” Her hands were clenched at her sides, her brows furrowed in anger.
Caitlyn’s hand reached out and wrapped around Vi’s biceps as she took a menacing step forward. Vi’s face softened as she looked back at Caitlyn, a cute, confused expression on her face.
Caitlyn shot her a reassuring smile and turned to address the firefighter. “Just let us out of here, please.” Caitlyn grip tightened on Vi’s arm to keep her from saying anything stupid.
The firefighter eyes flicked from one woman to the other, an amused glint in them, before shrugging.
“Sure, let’s go. But we’re gonna have to check you real quick, see if you’re both alright.”
_____
Caitlyn sat in the waiting area of the 26th floor. The medics had checked her out and gave her the all clear. Vi was sitting two chairs down, almost done with her check too.
She wanted to talk to Vi, keep in contact with her, anything. She could not just let this woman walk away.
While waiting for her, Caitlyn checked her phone. Now that they were out of the elevator, they both had service again and Caitlyn’s phone had been vibrating up a storm. Mostly messages from Grant though, he could wait some more.
She was just mindlessly scrolling through Instagram when she heard Vi get the all clear too.
She stuffed her phone into her pocket and turned to Vi, surprised to see her already looking at her, a small smile on her lips.
“This is it. Thanks for riding that one out with me,” she joked, pointing into the direction of the elevator.
“You made a nice partner for being stuck in an elevator with,” Caitlyn chuckled and gestured to the backpack at Vi’s feet that contained their emergency snacks. “I guess the coffee and cupcakes helped, too.”
Vi laughed lightly and reached into her backpack.
“Here, have one cupcake to go, they remind me of you.” She held out one more cupcake to Caitlyn, same pink frosting as the one she had earlier.
Caitlyn looked between the cupcake and Vi. Vi had a sincere expression of thanks on her face.
“Why do I remind you of a cupcake?” She asked with furrowed brows.
The wolfish grin appeared on Vi’s face once more. “Cause you’re sweet, like a cupcake,” she replied. “And also, when you’re blushing, your cheeks turn the same color as the frosting”, she added with a mischievous wink.
As if on cue, Caitlyn’s blush appeared again, heat rising up to her cheeks, her mouth going slack at Vi’s straight-forward flirting.
“And there it is again, very cute.” Vi’s grin got impossibly wider.
Caitlyn groaned and hid her face in her hands.
“You can’t just do this to me!” she said, peeking through her hands and sending a harmless glare in Vi's way. With another groan she let her hands fall from her face and grabbed the cupcake that Vi’s was still offering to her. “Thank you.”
With another smile Vi grabbed her backpack and got up from her chair.
“Maybe I’ll see you around, Caitlyn,” she said with a small wave and turned to leave, heading in the direction of the staircase.
Caitlyn looked after her for a second before her mind went into overdrive. She was about to let this amazing woman leave. Without getting her number. Or any kind of contact information. Like an idiot.
She jumped up from her chair and all but ran after Vi.
“Vi, wait!”
She skidded to a stop before the butch woman. Vi had turned around at her yelling and was now looking at her expectantly with those beautiful eyes of hers. Those eyes that seemed more grey than blue in the light of this office building. Those eyes that reminded her of the sky just after a storm had passed and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds. The calm after the storm.
Vi tilted her head like a puppy and the damn smirk appeared for the umpteenth time, jolting Caitlyn out of her reverie of falling into Vi’s eyes.
“Did you forget something?”
Yes. Caitlyn forgot all her manners it seems. She was raised in upstate New York, knew about the ins and outs of posh table etiquette at the ripe age of eight and yet…
Yet she was staring at the beautiful woman in front of her, even though it had been drilled into her that staring was rude and unbecoming.
“Uh yeah, sorry,” she stammered. She had asked out women before, why was Vi making her so nervous?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Upon opening them again she put on a brave face.
“Do you want to go on a date with me?” She smiled shyly at Vi. “I really enjoyed the time with you, even if it wasn’t the best situation to meet, and I would like to get to know you more?” It came out as more of a question, under Vi’s gaze she had lost a bit of her confidence.
Vi’s smirk had, however, turned into a soft smile the more Caitlyn had rambled on and she was now looking at her tenderly.
“I’m so glad you asked, Cait,” Vi chuckled. “I was too much of a chicken to ask you.” She scratched at the back of her neck embarrassment.
Hope spread through Caitlyn’s chest. “So, is that a yes?”
“It’s a date.”
Caitlyn fished her phone out her pocket, still holding the cupcake Vi gave her made the whole task harder. They both giggled at Caitlyn’s clumsy attempts until she made it. Caitlyn handed her phone over to Vi, letting her put her number in.
“Call me soon, Cupcake,” Vi said with a wink as she gave back the phone.
A large grin appeared on Caitlyn’s face. “Don’t worry, I will.”