THE GHOST IN THE ELEVATOR
The soft glow of the smartphone screen illuminated Kei's face as she reclined on her bed, the silence of her room humming with the mundanity of a Tuesday night. Then, a notification chimed a sharp, digital intrusion that changed everything.
BREAKING NEWS: RENOWNED SURGEON DR. FAY STERLING RETURNS TO THE COUNTRY
The accompanying photo showed Fay at the entrance of Sterling Hospital, looking every bit the formidable professional she had become. A slow, deliberate smile spread across Kei's lips. It wasn't the smile of someone surprised; it was the look of a person who is no longer can't wait.
"I'm ready," Kei whispered to the empty room.
The following morning, the lobby of Sterling Hospital was a hive of sterile efficiency. Kei moved through the crowd with purpose, carrying a neatly packed container of barbecue skewers charred to perfection and seasoned by her own hand. Atop the container sat a small, handwritten note
Don't stress at work, and don't forget to eat. Love, - K.
She left the package at the reception desk with a polite but firm request that it be delivered personally to Dr. Fay. As she walked away, heading to her own workplace, she felt lighter than she had in a decade.
Upstairs, Fay stared at the container on her desk. Her assistant, still buzzing with excitement, chirped, "The person who brought this had black hair and striking eyes… she was really beautiful, Doctor."
Fay's brow furrowed. Beautiful? Black hair? She picked up the note, her eyes lingering on the single initial. K?
"Take it," Fay said abruptly, pushing the food toward her assistant. "I've already eaten."
"But Dr. Fay, are you sure? It smells amazing!"
"I'm sure," Fay replied, her voice clipped. She didn't need distractions, especially not mysterious ones wrapped in the scent of grilled meat and nostalgia.
The afternoon brought a different kind of tension. Fay stood before the elevator bank, her mind racing through patient charts, until the doors slid open. Her heart stopped.
There, leaning casually against the back wall with a bouquet of fresh flowers, was Kei.
Fay's expression hardened into a mask of ice. She stepped into the car, staring straight ahead, treating Kei's presence as if it were nothing more than a glitch in the atmosphere.
"Hi," Kei said softly.
Silence.
"Don't be so cold," Kei teased, though there was a tremor of nerves beneath her playful tone.
Fay's grip tightened on her tablet. She was a volcano on the verge of eruption. Just as she opened her mouth to snap, a violent BANG echoed through the shaft. The elevator jolted, shuddered and died. The lights flickered once before plunging them into a heavy, suffocating darkness.
"Wha… what happened?!" Fay's voice lost its edge, replaced by a sharp note of fear.
"Looks like the elevator is broken," Kei remarked, her voice remarkably calm in the dark.
"What? No! This is great," Fay hissed, her anger returning tenfold. "Now I'm stuck in the dark with a ghost."
"There's no ghost here, Fay."
"Yes, there is! It's you!" Fay yelled.
A small click sounded Kei had turned on her phone's flashlight. She held out the bouquet, the petals vibrant even in the artificial glare. "Here. These are for you."
"Why are you giving me flowers?" Fay demanded, backing into the corner.
"Well, am I not allowed to get you flowers? Hmm~~~"
"No!" Fay's voice cracked with ten years of repressed rage. "You have no shame! You ghost me for a decade, disappear without a trace and then just show up with a 'hi' and some flowers? Do you have any idea…"
The light caught the sudden shift in Kei's expression. The playful smirk vanished, replaced by a look of raw, aching regret. "I'm sorry," Kei whispered.
"Don't be sorry! Just get out of my life! Stop bothering me!"
The silence that followed was heavy, cold and absolute. They sat in the dim light of the emergency bulbs for minutes that felt like hours. Finally, the curiosity and the hurt became too much for Fay to bear.
"Why?" Fay asked, her voice quiet now. "Why did you leave without saying anything?"
Kei looked up, meeting Fay's intense, searching gaze. "Because of pride," Kei said, her face dead serious.
Fay leaned in, her breath hitching. "Pride?"
"Yeah," Kei nodded solemnly. "Pride. It's the best brand of soap. I had to go find the factory."
The transition from heartbreak to fury was instantaneous. Fay lunged forward, grabbing Kei's cheeks and pinching them with enough force to turn them tomato-red.
"Ouch! Fay! Stop!"
"You think this is a joke?" Fay screamed, her frustration boiling over. "Do you think ten years is a joke? Am I a joke to you?"
In her fervor to punish Kei's insolence, Fay's foot slipped on the smooth floor. She tumbled forward, pinning Kei against the floor of the elevator.
The world narrowed. The distance between them vanished until they were breathing each other's air. In the cramped, dimly lit space, their eyes locked telling the stories their lips had spent years hiding. Kei's chest rose and fell in jagged heaves.
"I…" Kei panted, her voice breaking. "I… miss… you."
Fay's eyes sparkled, a flash of something unreadable crossing her face. Then, as quickly as the moment had ignited, she killed it. She scrambled to her feet, smoothing her white coat and turning her back as if the intimacy of the last ten seconds had been a hallucination.
Kei remained on the floor, her face burning not from the pinching, but from a blush that radiated through her entire soul.