He was funny, smart and TALL! That was always a big deal to Donna. She remembered a story CJ told her once about Simon Donovan: she had liked that he was tall. Donna's thoughts drifted briefly back to that night when she and CJ had shared some beers, and shared some tears, over the "might have beens" in their lives. She quickly pushed the stories out, squelched the emotions that were threatening to rise up in her chest, and focused on Bram.
He hadn't seen her yet. He was still across the lobby, shaking a few more hands, smiling that "we couldn't do it without you smile" that she recognized so well. Donna waited by the elevator but she hadn't pushed the button. She was waiting for him to get a little bit closer, waiting to ensure that they would be sharing the ride up to their respective floors. She took the extra minute to straighten her skirt, smooth her hair and, yes, take a sniff of her pit, which was, fortunately, not half bad (she had, after all, been up since 5:45 and it was now well after midnight).
It was at that very moment, as she lowered her arm and tried to scream casual that she was met with the grinning like an idiot face of Josh.
"Whatcha doing there Donna?" he asked, although it was obvious.
"Shut it Josh" she shot back, eager to send the message that she did not care to discuss it. She wasn't even embarrassed, just annoyed.
"No, really" he continued, his smirk giving way to full dimples for the second time in 10 seconds.
"Josh!" She stated emphatically in a low and serious tone as Bram approached the elevator bank.
"Hey Donna…Josh" He began with a sincere and quite handsome smile.
"You two planning on pushing this elevator button sometime tonight?" With that statement he leaned with his left arm between Josh and Donna and as he pressed the "UP" circle his face was just inches from Donna's and she took in his cologne as his lean seemed to linger for a few seconds more than completely necessary.
This action was not lost on either Donna, who now stood feeling more than a little flushed, OR Josh, who also looked flushed for a very different reason. Josh could feel his eyebrows raised disproportionably high for his head and concentrated on closing his gaping mouth.
"Oh, you know how we get" Donna was saying, her voice a few octaves higher than usual and her rosy cheeks complementing her wide grin. "Just talk, talk, talking away and the next thing you know…"
"You're standing in a hotel lobby for the rest of the night!" Bram generously interrupted her little ramble with a not so funny joke but he and Donna laughed whole-heartedly and looked expectantly to Josh.
He mistook their glances for an invitation to join in the joke and began to force a chuckle that sounded more like whooping cough before Donna cut him off to spit "Josh, get in the elevator." She looked at him, her face full of embarrassment as if Josh were her father talking about his shotgun in front of her high school boyfriend.
Josh stepped on the elevator and with his back to Donna and Bram listened in agony as they continued their giddy conversation.
Donna continued in her excitable tone, "Yeah, I pretty much got the talking thing down pat, it is that whole elevator edict I need to improve on!"
Josh winced but he wasn't sure if it was because of her ridiculous attempt at conversation or the obvious fact that she was trying to be flirtatious. He really felt like he was going to puke.
Bram, however, always the perfect gentlemen and yet enjoying a good flirt when he got the chance countered with this: "Well, at least all that talking is good for increasing a girl's lung capacity! What will my elevator skills earn me in the real world?"
At this point Josh felt he must step in. He felt a cross between anger and annoyance at their obvious lack of professionalism despite his presence. He was, after all, their supervisor, shouldn't they consider that he is standing only inches away from them?
He decided to interject, "Bram, don't be ridiculous. Surely you are familiar with the Aerosmith classic 'Love in an Elevator'? There is a life skill to go along with Donna's 'increased lung capacity." He said the last part, "increased lung capacity" by making little quote marks in the air with his fingers, something he swore he would never do. His statement also had sarcasm and arrogance dripping from every syllable.
"JOSH!"
"Oh great", he thought, "now she's gonna yell at me, at least she would be acknowledging my presence!" His body stiffened as he prepared for her lashing.
"Isn't this your floor?" Donna's exclamation was more a statement then a question and he let out an audible huff before hesitantly taking a step towards the parting doors, she had obviously pushed his floor button for him, "Glad she was able to find that button" He thought to himself as he began making a slow move to get out.
He glanced at the control panel. She and Bram still had 8 more floors to ride up together. 8 floors! He considered saying that that he left something in the lobby and needed to go back down. He wanted to be sure they got off on different floors, but his thought process was just one second to slow for getting his arm up to stop the closing doors.
As the heavy metal sides began to close, he distinctly heard Bram comment: "Now what was that song he was saying?" And he was certain he heard Donna answer with a laugh as if Bram was the funniest man on earth!