As they drove, Jane filled Evelyn in on the details of the company. "It's a huge corporation with hands in various businesses. We'll be applying to their marketing and advertising division."
Evelyn nodded, absorbing the information. "Sounds impressive."
They arrived at the office building, towering and bustling with activity. Jane led the way with an air of confidence, while Evelyn followed, intrigued by the unknown.
In the waiting area, Jane fidgeted nervously, her confidence wavering slightly. Evelyn leaned over, whispering encouraging words. "You've got this, Jane. They're lucky to have you."
Jane shot her a grateful smile just as her name was called. "Wish me luck!"
As Jane disappeared behind the door, Evelyn found herself alone in a room filled with strangers. The atmosphere was both bustling and awkward, a combination she wasn't used to. Feeling a tad out of place, she decided to explore the building a bit.
She wandered aimlessly, her steps taking her through hallways and corridors. Lost in her thoughts, she barely registered the route she was taking. After a few elevator rides and a quick coffee pitstop at the building's café, she realized she was in an unfamiliar area.
"Great, now I'm lost," she muttered to herself.
Evelyn retraced her steps, attempting to find her way back to the waiting area. But the building seemed oddly deserted, with doors closed and lights dimmed. Her heart rate increased as her surroundings grew more unfamiliar.
"What have I done again?" she hissed, berating herself for her lack of direction.
She stumbled upon another corridor, hoping it would lead her back to the main area. But as she walked further, her sense of unease deepened. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, and the silence was unsettling.
Just as her anxiety began to peak, she spotted an elevator. Relief surged through her as she pressed the button, eager to escape the disorienting maze. The elevator doors slid open, revealing a dimly lit interior.
But as she stepped in, her eyes met a pair of piercing blue ones. A tall man stood inside, his presence imposing yet intriguing. His jawline was sharp, and his attire exuded an air of confidence and disinterest. He wore a sleek black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his enticing arms that made Evelyn's mouth water. His hand was casually tucked into the pocket of his trousers treating her like invisible air.
Evelyn couldn't help but admire his dressing sense. Her thoughts wandered, contemplating what he might smell like. She gazed at him from outside the elevator, clinging to her coffee cup like a thirsty crow eyeing a pitcher.
"Damn, even his dressing sense is good. I wonder what he smells like," she thought, her attention fixated on the enigmatic stranger.
"Have you looked enough?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Evelyn's heart skipped a beat, snapping her out of her reverie. She quickly entered the elevator and pressed the button before standing there in silence, flustered and embarrassed.
"I-I was not looking at you," she stammered, her voice trembling as she tried to salvage her dignity. But once again, the man offered no response, his disinterest in her painfully evident.
As the elevator initiated its descent, an unexpected jolt sent shockwaves through the platform. Evelyn's heart raced as the world around her seemed to tilt and spin, the very air filled with a sense of impending danger. Panic gripped her, her hands instinctively reaching out to grasp anything for support. The lights flickered madly, casting an eerie glow over the small space, intensifying the feeling of chaos.
Amid the disarray, Evelyn's scream rang out, a piercing expression of her fear. Her body lurched, threatening to send her careening towards the man who remained an unmoving, stoic figure. His nonchalance only amplified her sense of desperation. It was as if the world had been plunged into slow motion, every second stretched to an agonizing eternity.
And then, in the split second before impact, he moved. It was a fluid, almost mesmerizing motion—a sidestep that defied the very laws of physics. As if choreographed by fate itself, he elegantly evaded her falling form, allowing her to crash unceremoniously onto the cold, unforgiving floor of the elevator. The cup of coffee she had been gripping tightly slipped from her grasp, its contents erupting in a chaotic dance of liquid and ice.
The icy cold seeped through her clothes, making her shiver uncontrollably, a mixture of cold and shock gripping her like a vise. The once-flashing lights stabilized, and the trembling platform steadied, leaving her disoriented in the aftermath of the sudden chaos.
"Did he just... step away?" Evelyn's mind struggled to accept the fact that he had allowed her to fall when he could have easily prevented it. She stared up at him, her eyes locking with his, and that's when it dawned on her why this man seemed so familiar. He was the one who had bumped into her at the hospital.
His eyes were fixed on her drenched dress, which clung to her skin, and the corners of his lips seemed to twitch ever so slightly, as if he were suppressing a laugh at her misfortune.
"You!" Evelyn felt a bitter curse building up in the back of her throat, ready to be unleashed. But before she could utter a word, the elevator doors opened, and the man casually walked over her and out of the elevator without even sparing her another glance.
Evelyn was left alone in the wake of the bewildering encounter, drenched and agitated. The lingering image of his retreating form, his aloofness and that infuriatingly smug expression, remained imprinted in her mind like an indelible mark.