He was grinning like an idiot. He'd been doing that all night, but if she's being honest with herself, she has too. She's never felt this instant connection with someone she's just met. It's perfect. Almost. Despite his trying to convince her all night that their meeting had been more than mere coincidence, fate seemed to say otherwise. Her mind flashes back to earlier in the evening. That delivery truck just had to rush past and rip the scrap of paper with her name and number from his hands. She knew a bad sign when she saw one. No, she didn't believe that there wasn't such a thing as free will. However, she did believe that fate sends little signs to let people know whether their decisions will make them happy or not, and right now fate was steering her away from him.Perhaps this handsome stranger was just someone passing through, never meant to be rooted in her life.
He had asked her if they were just supposed to wait around for fate to do its work. She had to admit that she wasn't ready just yet to let him go. Perhaps she'd give fate one more chance tonight.
She suddenly drags him into the nearby Waldorf Astoria. Their giggling most certainly upsetting the guests sipping champagne in the lobby. She spies the elevators and tugs him along after her.
"What's this about, love? Are we getting a room?" His toothy grin still plastered to his face.
Emma gives a small smile before taking a serious tone. "How about this? I'll take one elevator and you take the other. If we both pick the same random floor, then we're meant to be together now."
She quickly pushes the up button summoning the elevators while he's still obviously trying to wrap his brain around what she just proposed. She had been doing that all night, offering ways for fate to give them a sign, and she can tell he's frustrated by her resistance to just take the leap with him.
"I don't understand."
She distantly hears the ding of the elevators over her buzzing thoughts because this crazy, impulsive idea just might change her life forever.
"You don't have to understand. You just need to have faith."
"Faith in what?" His brows furrow.
"Destiny. See you soon," she says breathlessly before she walks backward into the awaiting elevator, not wanting to break eye contact.
"Aye, see you soon," he whispers, wishing desperately that that is the case because there is no way he can lose this beautiful woman who makes him feel like he's seeing the sun shine for the first time. He glances hesitantly at the elevator buttons.
"Hey! It's Emma. My name is Emma."
Blue eyes lock onto green as the elevator doors close.
She lets her body choose her destination, her finger pressing "23" with certainty.
Killian runs his hand through his dark hair as he stares at his options. Why did this hotel have to be so tall? He shakes his head before punching "23".
As the elevator glides smoothly upward, Killian plays through his mind the events of the evening. Never has he met a woman as intriguing as Emma. Since meeting her a few hours ago, his life has been a whirlwind. She was charming and beautiful. He could live off her smile for years. He's pulled from his thoughts as the elevator slows to a floor that is most definitely not the one he had chosen. He groans with impatience.
A small boy and his father step onto the elevator. The father gives a nod to Killian and he returns a tight-lipped smile. Killian looks down past the father and the frantic beating in his chest comes to an abrupt halt. The child slams his hands against the buttons successfully lighting up every floor from here to 23.
"NOOOO! Don't do that!"
The father turns on him quickly. "Relax, he's just a kid."
Killian balls his hands into fists at his side. "You don't understand. My possible soul mate is waiting for me."
Emma exits the elevator with hope in her chest but the quiet, lonely hall is all that greets her. She decides to wait for a few minutes in case his elevator is the slow one. She bites her lip as her eyes bore into the doors where she last saw him.
Killian, the boy, and his father exit the elevator quickly on 17.
"Is she here?" the boy asks.
Killian glances around quickly to confirm before herding them back into the car.
Emma is starting to feel the lightness she's felt this evening leave her and in its place the cold truth starts to sink in. Perhaps fate really didn't want them to be together. She hugs herself tightly as she prays for her loneliness to end. Come on, Killian.
Killian and the several passengers he's picked up along the way (they had become invested in his love life at record speed) poke their heads out on floor 21 before hurriedly hitting the button to close the doors. He lets out a heavy sigh. She wasn't there either. He's starting to regret letting her talk him into this game. How could he leave something as important as this to chance?
Emma picks herself up from the floor as the weight of reality settles in. It's over. He's not coming. They're not meant to be. This night was merely a fantasy. She drags her feet as she calls for an elevator down.
She leaves the Waldorf and the harsh December wind welcomes her into its embrace. She wraps her coat around her more tightly and turns around, realizing she doesn't know where to go from here. She already had walked away from him once earlier tonight. Really, doing so again shouldn't be so difficult. She sighs before deciding to head to the corner to catch a subway back to her apartment. Back to her now decidedly dull life. A life without him. As if he never existed.
But she would be haunted by his memory and he hers.
Haunted by Almosts, What Ifs, and Could Have Beens.
A/N: Yeah, sorry I know this was angsty. If you've ever seen this movie though, you know it has a happy ending, which is why I'm tempted to write a full multi-chapter fic. Let me know what you all think about that idea. Thanks for reading!