Rey run-walked quickly through the crowded streets outside the pub where she was meeting Kay and Rose at. Her mind was still a jumble of feelings and thoughts. That kiss… That kiss had been magical. She could feel a grin growing on her face despite herself. Rey found herself wishing she could relive that moment again, plummeting elevator and all. What a way to go, she sighed. She hadn't felt such a rush since the day she'd been hired by Ms. Netal last autumn. Maybe her friends were right; she had forgotten how to live.
She heaved a sigh and opened the door to the establishment. A rush of warm air enveloped her, raising goosebumps on her arms, as she peered around the packed tables looking for her roommates.
She turned at the sound of a familiar voice nearby.
"Hey! Rey! Over here."
Rey wound her way through the room to a corner booth.
"Hey, girls. Sorry, I'm late," she said, plopping down heedlessly onto a seat. "I just had the most unbelievable moment, in an elevator of all places." The words tumbled out of Rey, falling on astonished ears.
"Do tell," Kaydel purred, "I'm all ears. It's nice to see your cheeks pink from something other than stress."
"Okay, so after I finished my errand for Bazine, naturally, I got on the elevator-"
"I'm surprised she allows you to use it. I wouldn't put it past her to make you use the stairs," Kay interrupted.
Rose slapped Kay's hand, "Shhh. Let her finish."
"As I was saying…," Rey glared at Kay, "I got in the elevator and a few floors down another passenger got in." She sighed, dreamily, before continuing, "He was gorgeous. Dressed to the nines. I mean, his tux was obviously tailor-made for him because there's no way a suit off the rack would fit across those shoulders. You would be proud of me, Rose. I tried to make small talk with him instead of just drooling from a corner!"
The three laughed over that. Rey was loud, proud, and outspoken...until she met a guy she was attracted to. Then Miss Mouse came out. Much to Rey's dismay, she was a tongue-tied simpleton who wouldn't make an impression on wax.
"And then…," Rey paused dramatically, "the elevator started falling!"
"Oh my gosh!" Rose squeaked.
"You're kidding right?" Kay prompted. "You don't look like you just faced death."
Rey smirked, "That's because I was a little distracted at the time. The car started falling, and then I was being kissed." She ignored the startled gasps and continued on with her story. "It was magical. I just melted into him and it was like we were the only two people in the world. Time stopped...and then I felt it."
"What?" Rose queried.
"A spark. The spark. Years from now, when I am a wrinkled old cat lady, I will still recall the feeling of his lips on mine and know I lived well."
Rose sighed, "That's so romantic. When do I get to meet this hero?"
Rey squirmed in her seat for a moment before she answered, "I'm not sure."
"You're not sure? You got his digits, right?" Kay pressed.
"No. I- When- It all ended so suddenly! We were kissing and then next thing I knew the doors opened and people were singing and...I ran! But it's fate, right? If it's meant to be, we'll meet again." Rey looked at her friends for support, but they just looked back at her bleakly. "I'm never going to see him again am I?"
"I don't know, Sweetie. I wish I could promise you that. What I do know is that it has been nice to see old Rey tonight. You are glowing and laughing. I haven't seen that in a really long time," Rose said.
"Here's to a night of freedom!" Kay toasted, her cocktail held high.
"To freedom!" Rose and Rey cheered back.
A shrill ringing in her ear pulled Rey from a sound sleep the next morning. Bazine's ringtone; she had to answer. Strangling a whimper, she reached for the phone.
"Good morning, Ms. Netal... An emergency?... Of course, I'll be right there. Goodbye."
Hanging up, she glanced at the clock. 6:30 a.m. What was it they said? The early bird catches the worm. Rey didn't want a worm, she wanted to sleep longer. Giving in to the inevitable though, she crawled out of bed, hastily dressed, and headed to her boss' home.
Twenty minutes, and one Starbucks stop, later she was ringing the doorbell. Ms. Netal opened the door and handed her a list.
Rey looked down at the papers in confusion.
"What's the emergency?"
"Good morning. Jessika called in sick, and Benjamin is coming back into town this afternoon," Bazine replied, walking away to gather her purse off the credenza.
"Your traveling boyfriend is in town? That'll be nice for you, for Christmas."
"He is," Bazine smirked. "And I'm determined we'll be engaged by this one. It's time for him to settle down. And so, I need you to clean this place until it shines."
"Isn't Jessika your maid?"
"She's my employee, and so are you." Bazine pointed to the first page of the list, "Start at the top and work your way down. You'll have to work quickly too. I'll be back by noon; I'm off to the spa. I haven't seen him in four months and I want to remind him what he's been missing."
"But…" Rey began to protest, but her boss ignored her, leaving Rey alone in the empty condo once again.
Rey muttered a few choice words under her breath, kicked off her heels, and pulled her hair into a pair of messy buns. This was bound to be a sweaty, and thankless, job.
Five weary hours later, Rey marked off the last item on Bazine's list. She had scrubbed toilets, made beds, created bouquets, and lit candles. The place gleamed in the morning sunshine. Proud, but tired, Cinder-Reyla stood sipping a glass of water, waiting for Bazine to come back.
Promptly at noon, her boss breezed back into her home; hair freshly blown, nails painted a deep scarlet, and to Rey's intense irritation, looking like she hadn't a care in the world.
"Did you get it all finished?"
"Yes, Ms. Netal."
"Good. You can go home now. Benjamin will be here at any moment and you aren't looking your best, Dear. I'll introduce you another time."
"Of course, Ms. Netal. I'll just get out of your way," she forced out in a cheery manner.
A knock came on the door just as Rey reached out to open it. Crap! she thought. No way to avoid the meeting now. With a tug, the door opened to reveal not a stranger, but the mystery man from the elevator.
"Hi!" she chirped eagerly. "How did you fi-..."
"Benjamin, you're here!" Bazine sailed past Rey, wrapped herself around him, and pulled him down for a kiss. "I thought you were coming at one?"
"I thought I'd surprise you. Here," he said and pulled a fat bouquet of roses from behind his back.
"Thank you, Darling! Please," she turned to Rey, "put these in water and head home. You can have the rest of the day off."
"Who's this? You haven't introduced us, Bazine," Ben commented.
"Benjamin, this is Rey, one of my designers. She's just leaving," she glared ever so gently at Rey.
Rey, who had been rooted on the spot since adding two and two together, pulled herself out of her disappointed stupor. "Hi, I'm Rey. It's nice to meet you. Ms. Netal talks about you all the time. I'll just get out of your hair now. Have a good day. Bye," she threw over her shoulder, eager to escape her mortification.
As she closed the door behind her, Rey heard Ben's velvety laughter over something Bazine had said. Rey's hope crumpled within her. Some spark, she thought. He hadn't recognized her. And worse, he wasn't single either.
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A/N: Short, sweet, and angsty ;p Feel free to share your tantrums in the Comments section! A big thank you to my beta, Angela, who makes me laugh at my own mistakes. 3
