Rukiya squinted at the hairline scratch on the metal wall of the elevator. It was kind of shaped like the draco constellation. Or maybe it was someone's unfinished attempt at scratching a dick on the metal. Either way, it had occupied her attention for longer than it should've.
She'd promised herself she'd stop impulsively checking her phone, but there wasn't much to occupy her attention in the elevator. It was bad enough she was sitting on the disgusting floor, catching whatever diseases people tracked into the building. Going over her notes from the meeting was an option, but it was Friday night and she didn't want to work. She wanted to relax.
Her phone buzzed, and she snatched it up like the screen addict she was. Instead of a message from Ty, she'd gotten a text from Wendy: Call me. Wendy was her upstairs neighbour and unofficial wife. They'd met after Wendy had blocked off her parking space.
Rukiya hopped out of her car, ready to argue, but Wendy explained that someone had taken her spot. And what was supposed to be a fight turned into them roasting their shitty neighbours. Everyone had assigned parking and very few stuck to their spots. The next thing she knew, they were inviting each other over for ice-cream and Netflix binge-a-thons.
Rukiya dialed Wendy's cell and worried a loose thread on the hem of her sweater while it rang.
"Hey hey, wifey," Wendy answered. "I made carbonara. You wanna come up?"
Rukiya smiled. Wendy was always such a sweet soul. "I can't. I'm not home. I'm, uh... stuck in an elevator at Greyland Tower."
A muted pop came through the phone. "Shut the fuck up. I saw the lights on in your apartment and thought you were home. How long have you been stuck there?"
Her eye twitched. That asshole just straight up abandoned her. "The lights are probably on because Ty's home, I guess. I've been stuck here for over two hours now."
"Wait, he's home while you're stuck in a fucking elevator? Did he even try to help? I should go down there right now, I swear to god. He's such an ass to you." She huffed.
"Yeah, well." Rukiya shrugged as though her friend could see her. "I thought you were going to see your parents this weekend."
Wendy scoffed. "Yeah, but uncle Caesar's gonna be there and you know I can't stand that grifter. But this isn't about me. Is there anything I can do? Anyone I can call?"
"I don't know. We've tried calling 911, but it keeps ringing busy, probably because of the fire."
"Wait, we?" She lowered her voice. "Someone's there with you?"
Rukiya glanced over at Kadin and cursed herself for forgetting her earpods at home. "Yes, there's a guy here with me. His name is Kadin."
"Oh, my god. Is he cute? Be honest."
"I will not dignify that with a response. But I gotta conserve battery power, alright? I'll call you if anything new comes up."
"Alright honey. I'll see what I can do to help on my end. Kisses."
Rukiya breathed a laugh. She felt a little less heavy after talking to Wendy. It felt nice having someone in her corner. If only that someone was her boyfriend. She checked her phone battery. Fifty percent, not bad. Thank goodness she'd had the foresight to plug her phone in during the meeting, else it would've been drained by now.
"Rukiya?" Kadin cleared the gravel from his voice. "I, uh... have a bit of a problem."
"What is it?" she asked tentatively, and hoped it wasn't a medical emergency. She'd forgotten everything from her first aid and CPR training as soon as she walked out of the class.
He looked away. "I have to pee. Really bad."
Relief eased the tension from her shoulders. "Is that all?" She reached into her messenger bag and pulled out the bottle of water she'd gotten in the meeting. Only a negligible swallow was left in the container. "Here."
Kadin looked down at the bottle, then up at her, looking like a kid forced to sit through an unpleasant family interaction. "I... I'd rather not."
"We're gonna be stuck in this elevator for god knows how long. Now is not the time to get shy." Rukiya gave a playful smile. "Trust me. It'll be less awkward than pissing your pants."
"Fair point," he conceded, taking the bottle. He went to the far corner of the elevatorâall of three feet away.
While he took care of business, Rukiya rummaged through her bag, past the makeup bag full of lipstick and nail polish. Around the journal she used to take notes and deeper into the bag's depths until she found her tiny toiletry pouch. Inside was a mini toothpaste and toothbrush, soap tablets and hand sanitizer.
The sound of trickling liquid filled the elevator, and she tried not to think about the fact that a stranger was pissing in a bottle three feet away from her. She couldn't wait to tell this story out of context and freak a bunch of people out.
The quiet elevator amplified the sound of Kadin zipping his pants. He tucked the bottle of pee away in the Brew Crew bag with the rest of their garbage.
"I hope you still think I'm cute after this," he said with a sheepish smile.
Rukiya coughed and held out the sanitizer. "I will not dignify that with a response." She squeezed a glob into his hand, and the sharp scent of alcohol filled the elevator. Sure, he was cute, but she couldn't say that out loud, not when there was a whole boyfriend waiting for her at home. But she guessed it wasn't fair to call him a stranger anymore. They'd had dinner together. She'd heard him lie to his mom, and he'd heard her boyfriend being shitty to her.
Hell, they were practically besties now.