I carried the book box and the suitcases into the building one by one. But when I opened the tiny elevator and shoved the suitcases inside, there was no space left for the box.
I took whatever fit upstairs and opened the door of apartment number nine on the second floor. Then I pushed the suitcases inside.
After closing the door, I got back into the elevator to go down again. But just as I was about to press the ground-floor button, the elevator suddenly started moving up to the sixth floor. And my mood dropped instantly.
When the elevator stopped, I didn't even look to see who got in. Just kept fiddling with my keys. Because my mind was on the poor books I'd abandoned downstairs. God forbid someone messed with my precious books.
I was waiting impatiently for the elevator to go down when the giant metal box jolted to a stop with a loud, blunt thud, making me flinch.I lifted my head in confusion.
The guy next to me was staring at the firmly shut doors in the exact same way.
"Please tell me we're not stuck in here!"
Unlike me, he didn't look confused, he looked pissed. "I think we are."
I squeezed my eyes shut, exhaled sharply, and muttered a quiet curse. When he looked at me like I was some endangered species of panda, I snapped irritably: "What! Swearing under stress reduces pressure, okay? It's scientifically proven!"
He smirked, shook his head, and pressed the emergency button. "If the line's connected, someone will notice and call for help."
I nodded briefly, and he pulled out his phone to try something. He was probably trying to call someone.
Considering how tense he seemed, instead of asking 'Are you stupid?' I tried warning him nicely. "Have you never seen a movie? Phones don't work in elevators!"
"And you, got a better idea, genius?"
"Today is a weekday, and this is a mostly-student apartment building. Someone's bound to come by soon. We can yell for help when they do."
"In case you didn't notice, Einstein, yelling in a tiny elevator wastes oxygen and speeds up how fast we run out."
Only then did I realize how bad the situation actually was.
Perfect. I was going to die beside a man whose entire personality screamed 'annoyingly attractive.
I glanced around in panic before pointing upward. "Okay. In movies they always open that top hatch and climb out. You're tall enough. You should try it."
He raised an eyebrow and gave me a crooked grin. "Do I look like Jason Bourne to you? I mean, I'm hotter, sure, but I don't crawl through elevator shafts murdering people in my free time, shorty."
"Being handsome doesn't get us out of here!"
His lips curled into a satisfied smile. "So you are admitting I'm handsome."
I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Are you serious? That's what you're focusing on? Right now?"
He pointed to himself, then to the elevator, grinning. "You can't tell me you hate being stuck 'in this situation', with someone as attractive as me, sunshine."
"God, he literally breathes ego."
He laughed at my mumbling and returned to his phone.
I leaned back against the elevator mirror and slid down to the floor helplessly. I pulled my knees up, wrapped my arms around them, and rested my chin on my arms. Sadly, the only thing my brain could come up with was that classic 'depressed girl sitting pose'.
He sat opposite me, stretching his legs as far as the cramped space allowed. With his palms on the floor and head tipped back, he closed his eyes.
While we sat in that painfully quiet elevator, I kept telling myself not to stare at him. Naturally… I did.
His eyes were the first thing I noticed—dark caramel brown, warm at first glance but deep enough to make me feel strangely exposed. Unsettling… and annoyingly beautiful.
Up close, he was even worse. Handsome in that effortless, unfair way—sharp jawline, full lips, dark hair falling over his forehead like it had been styled by destiny just to bother me.
And he was tall. Really tall. Broad shoulders, solid build… the kind that made a tiny elevator feel even smaller.
He didn't just look good.
He looked overwhelming.
"Enjoying the view, sunshine?"
I jerked my head up. Weren't his eyes supposed to be closed?
"Stop calling me weird nicknames. My name is Duru. And for the record, I'm not interested in you, at all." Wow. I was apparently fantastic at lying.
In a sudden movement, he shifted and leaned forward, right in front of me. He stared at me with a challenging expression, way too close to my face.
"Still not interested?"