"Ohhh, hello there, Mr. and Mrs. O'Toole!" Hazel practically squealed at the couple.
"Hello, Hazel!" Shane replied, stepping up beside Oliver as he stopped.
"It is good to see you, Ms. Obacheena," Oliver greeted their colleague.
Hazel giggled. "So formal. Speaking of, your wedding—that was the most touching wedding I have ever been to. And your vows! I still cry when I think about them." She touched her fingertips to the corner of her right eye. "You two are just perfect for each other—so adorable!"
Oliver and Shane cast smiles at each other then looked back at the woman who was blubbering in front of them.
"Thank you, Hazel. I am so glad you were able to come and share our special day with us," Shane told her sincerely.
"Oh, I had the best time. But I bet it wasn't half as interesting as your honeymoon!" she exclaimed, winking at Shane.
Shane widened her eyes. "Oh-ho," she laughed. "The trip was very nice."
"It was a lot of fun," Oliver added, his eyes twinkling. "A lot."
"We—uh, we have an errand to run," Shane blurted, pulling Oliver away from their colleague. "See you later, Hazel!"
"Okay, bye!" Hazel scrunched her nose as she grinned excitedly and gave them a little wave with her fingers.
Shane and Oliver walked briskly out of the mail room floor and down the hall to the storage rooms.
"Does no one know how to be subtle anymore?" Shane questioned.
"She is quite inquisitive," Oliver replied.
"I was referring to you," Shane countered.
Oliver laughed. "Times have certainly changed. We're not living in the nineteen fifties, my dear."
"Then you might want to tell that to your pocket watch, Oliver." Shane smirked, and her remark earned her a sideways glance from Oliver.
A few minutes later, after walking down a couple of abandoned hallways, they approached their storage room.
"It is eerily quiet back here." Shane glanced around and shuddered a tad, thankful that Oliver was with her.
"There's not a lot of traffic on this side of the building, that is for certain," Oliver commented.
He eyed the door as the box in his arms rendered him useless. Instead of setting the box down, he allowed Shane to fish the key from his pocket, a grin plastered on his face. She shook her head yet chuckled at his boyish manner and unlocked the door, turning the handle to push the door all the way back. They stepped inside.
Oliver found an open area and placed the box on the floor. He grunted and sighed as he stood.
"I'm sorry, Oliver. I guess that box was a little heavier than we thought." She grimaced.
"Happy to do it, sweetheart," he told her. He glanced around the room. "A lot of this stuff will never be used again. We really should get rid of most of it."
"That is true," Shane concurred, seeing only worn out, obsolete items and pieces of furniture about the room. "Unless we decide to make the DLO look a little more...dead?"
As she surveyed the area, Oliver watched her intently. It had only been a couple of hours since he had held her in his arms, but to Oliver, it felt like a lifetime. He shrugged his way out of his suit jacket, throwing it down on a pile of junk without hesitation.
"Oliver, what are you…."
Shane watched as he wordlessly closed the distance between them, his eyes locked to hers the entire time. He laced his fingers with hers and held her arms up so that her hands were at either side of her face and gently but firmly eased her back against the wall. Giving her a serious smile, he held her hands against the cinder block, then his lips sought hers in a fiery passion that made her weak in the knees.
A few moments later he released her hands but continued their kiss as he cradled her face. If anyone had asked at that moment, Shane would not have been able to tell which way was up. Her senses were reeling at her husband's touch.
Neither one of them heard the door click shut.
Oliver finally—and reluctantly—backed away to look at his wife's beautiful blue eyes once more.
"Wow..." she whispered, stunned by her husband's boldness in their workplace. "Where did all that come from?"
"I cannot stand to be away from you so long, my Shane. Working so closely together but having to hold back from showing you love is more of a challenge than I anticipated. I love you dearly, Mrs. O'Toole."
"I love you so much," Shane returned, still whispering as she could barely speak. The last several moments had seemed to zap her of her energy completely.
"We could stay in here for a while, but I'd hate for people to talk. We probably should get back to work." And although no one was around to hear, Oliver leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I promise you that tonight, I'll finish what I started."
Shane stood frozen and was still trying to catch her breath moments later when she heard Oliver mutter, "What the Sam Hill!"
"What is it?" Shane looked over to where he stood, his hand on the doorknob. He looked up at her and sighed.
"I don't remember closing this door," Shane stated.
"Neither do I," Oliver declared.
"Oliver, do you think someone saw us and closed us in here?" Shane inquired, a blush rising up her neck as she placed a hand on her forehead.
"I suppose it's possible," Oliver replied, his brows knit together as he stared at the door.
"Well, that's just great!" Shane exclaimed, placing a hand on her forehead. "If so, we'll end up the subject of gossip throughout this whole post office."
"Well at least we're married. To each other," he quipped. "I'm quite certain that most people don't find it too entertaining to gossip about actual married couples."
"But if they saw us—"
"Shane," Oliver interjected. "I really hate to tell you this, but we have a bigger concern than that right now." Oliver glanced up and around the room, his eyebrows still furrowed.
"What do you mean?" Shane questioned him.
"This door—," he replied. "I can't get it to open."
"No," Shane exclaimed, reaching for the handle and testing it herself. "No no no no no no no!"
"Did you not...believe me?" Oliver inquired, tilting his head in disappointment.
"Oh, of course I did, Oliver," she insisted.
"But you checked it," he responded.
Shane sighed. "I don't know why I checked it," she stated. "That was just a natural response, I suppose."
Oliver nodded and sighed, fiddling with the knob again. "I cannot believe there's no physical lock on this knob. Obviously the only way to lock and unlock it is with a key from the outside. That could be a serious safety hazard."
"Could be? Or is?" Shane spurted. "I'll call Rita. It's a good thing I have an Apple watch now, considering I left my phone in the DLO." She looked at the tiny screen and amended, "Uh-oh."
"Uh, what is the problem?" Oliver asked.
"I don't seem to be getting any service in here. Let me see if I can get it to connect to anything."
Shane worked with her watch for a few minutes, attempting to call their colleagues, send a text, and, as a last resort, even post to social media. She walked around the room, holding her wrist up in the air, as if she could find a perfect spot where the signal would come through. Nothing was successful.
Shane stopped and watched with anxiousness as Oliver checked the door frame for any possible way of getting the door open. The thought of being trapped in the unit for an extended period of time caused panic to set in. As much as she didn't want to think about it, she found herself pondering how much time it might possibly take before they would be found—and how much time they could even survive in such a space.
"Shane."
The sound of Oliver's voice pierced her thoughts. She looked up and into his serious gaze fixed on her.
"Yes?"
Oliver sighed again. "I feel fairly confident that Norman and Rita will begin looking for us later today. After they wake from their nap, that is."
"If they even wake up today," Shane mumbled.
"However, should that not be the case, we could remain in here for quite some time. I don't mean to alarm you, but that could present a problem after a while. This is not a bank vault. It's a fairly airtight room that is not climate-controlled and this door is really the only way out."
"Oliver?" Shane's voice cracked, as she suddenly became emotional, and Oliver's heart plummeted. He immediately regretted being entirely truthful with her. "Oliver, I'm scared," Shane told him, a stricken look on her face, the same one she had given him in the bank vault years ago.
"Shane. Sweetheart. We're going to be fine." Oliver walked to her and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close. "You know I would not allow anything to happen to you, as long as I can help it."
"I know," she replied, biting her lip. "But what if—"
Oliver stopped her by gently placing his finger to her lips.
"Someone will find us. Norman and Rita will figure it out. I'm certain we won't be here more than 24 hours, if that long."
Oliver carefully drew her into his arms, cradling her head with one hand and holding her tightly around the waist with the other. He whispered into her ear, "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
Shane held her head back to look in Oliver's eyes.
He smiled lovingly at her. "He's here. He entered this space before us."
Shane inhaled, nodding. He then kissed her forehead and continued holding her firmly. Oliver had quite a few scripture verses that he was able to recall from memory that would apply to their current situation. He recited several of them, as tears threatened to escape Shane's eyes and roll down her cheeks. She buried her head in her husband's chest, listening intently to his deep, soothing voice until her fear turned to peace.
The four walls of the small area had closed in on them ominously, yet miraculously, held tight in her loving husband's arms, Shane O'Toole felt safe and free.