My Angel

The sun hits me straight in the face letting me know that I have slept through my alarm – again! I check the time on the clock. It’s six am and I have to be at work in an hour, which would sound like no big deal since I live right around the corner’ but I still have to shower and wash and dry my hair.

Stepping into the elevator once I’m ready for work, I check the time again. I let out a sigh of relieve as I still have fifteen minutes to get to work. Gosh I hate elevators but since the stairs are under construction I had no choice but to get into this death trap.

One flight down a stranger gets in and I’m tempted to run, but where will I go since I can’t use the stairs? *Face it. You’re stuck.* a little voice in my head whispers. True, I had nowhere to go but I had to keep calm. I cannot let this man know that I’m afraid so I will just keep my distance and make no eye contact. This however seems to be easier said than done. There is just something about this man that lures me to him, I find myself staring at him, careful not to get caught.

He is very attractive. His entire posture give me a military vibe, strong and diciplined however there is no way of knowing for sure. I can clearly see the muscles in his shoulders tensing up. He must’ve realized that I can’t keep my eyes off of him – so much for being careful. I get yanked back to reality when the elevator suddenly ceases to move with a loud thud.

“This can’t be happening.” I let out, barely audible, wrapping my arms around me in hopes to keep myself calm.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they will have it moving again in no time.” The guy opposite me replies, his voice is warm and caring. I just nod and slide down until I’m seated in the corner in the back of the elevator.

The time ticks by and in twenty minutes nothing happens, I’m shaking so bad I can hardly contain it and the tall, lean guy with his nearly perfect hair next to me is getting restless, trying and failing to reach the manhole in the roof of the elevator over and over again, giving me the sense that he too has a fear of confined spaces. I wish so badly I could help him but I can feel myself starting to hyperventilate and I know if I try and stand now I will just faint and hit my head which won’t do any one of us any good.

Being late for work and having to take the elevator as the stairs are being tiled is a nightmare since I have a great phobia small moving platforms. I step into the elevator and as soon as I do I lay my eyes on the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. She is tall and fit with long wavy turquoise hair and chocolate brown eyes. Breathtaking!

I stand in the opposite corner of her, not wanting her to see that I’m afraid of elevators. My muscles tense as I get the feeling of eyes on me and since it is only me and the turquoise-haired beauty in the elevator I know it must be her staring at me. I wonder what she is thinking but I’m pulled back to reality by the loud thud and sudden stop of the elevator. I hear a soft " This can’t be happening.” from the girl and I realize she is equally as afraid of elevators as I am if not even more.

I try to find a way out but I keep failing. The door is a lost case since I don’t have anything with me to wedge it open and I just can’t seem to reach the manhole even though I’m 1.91 meters tall. I get the feeling that she is watching me again. I look down at her and see she is busy hyperventilating. I slide down beside her and pull her into my chest trying to calm her down.

I can feel her warm breath racing as she exhales against my chest. She smells so sweet and for a moment I get lost in thought again thinking how wonderful it could be to build a life with her. I simply can’t help myself but I don’t know what the future holds, not for me and certainly not for us. I close my eyes wanting to save this moment in the deepest part of my brain taking in every feeling, sensation and every part of her body touching mine. I don’t want to ever forget this moment shared with an angel.

The elevator door creeks open. I brush my finger over her face and whisper above her ear: " You’re going to be okay.”

“Guys I’m here to help you, but you’re stuck between floors so I can only take one of you at a time. Who’s first?”

I place a gentle kiss on the top of her head afraid I might never get the chance to do so again before I move her so I can stand up. I pick her up bridal-style and move to the open door. I have to lift her up so the medic can take her from me.

" Take her first she needs medical attention.”

While the medic puts her on a stretcher and straps her down I pull myself up and out of the elevator with what seems like the last bit of energy I have left. One of the other medics is at my side almost immediately, checking my vitals.

“You better ride along. I hesitate knowing full well that I am late for work, after being stuck in the elevator for nearly an hour, which is like breaking the only rule we have at work and then I realize that I am going to be fired anyway and at least if I go to the hospital I’d have a legit excuse for why I wasn’t at work and I’ll be able to see if the girl is safe.

The ride to the hospital seems like it is taking forever. I’m just sitting in silence holding her hand. She seem to be sleeping now. She looks so calm and innocent. The one medic is monitoring her vitals and checking for an ID. He looks happy with her condition.

“How did you manage to calm her down? From what I can gather here she was near the point of passing out and now she is so calm. I don’t think she can be any calmer.”

I shrug and take a deep breath before saying anything.

“I was busy searching for a way out when I saw the state she was in. She was shaking and struggled to breathe. I slid down to the floor sitting next to her. I pulled her in close and told her everything was going to be okay. At first her breath started racing but then it gradually calmed and I just kept holding her close to me until you guys arrived.”

“That is marvelous. I see this kind of thing often but usually the person who tried to hold the hyperventilating friend would tell me something like ‘I don’t know what happened, she panicked so I tried to hold her and it just got worse’, which is indeed what happens normally as these people with a fear of confined spaces feels even more confined when being held. In your case however it is as if you opened a whole new world to her when you decided to hold her. Ah an ID, Who are you little Miss?”

I sigh with relieve that I didn’t worsen the situation when I decided to hold her. The medic found her ID and I’m tempted to as what her name is but I stop myself. If she wants me to know what her name is she can tell me herself when she wakes up.

She is starting to wake up. The monitor is peeping faster and faster. I get the feeling she is going to panic so I get up and start talking to her softly.

“Hey. You’re okay. You have to calm your breathing.” She takes a deep breath which seem to help as the monitor is beeping slower again, I don’t want to get to close and frighten her so I just stand a few feet away from her hospital bed.

“What happened? Where am I? Who are you?” I knew she would have questions so I have prepared myself to answer them. She tries to sit up but she is a bit weak so I step closer and help her before stepping back to my original position.

“I am Chase Moore and you are in the hospital but doctor said you will be okay. We got stuck in an elevator together and you hyperventilated, don’t you remember anything that happened.” She shakes her head ‘yes’ and looks around. Her eyes settles on a glass of water and I know she won’t be able to reach so I step in and hand her the glass.

“Thank you.” I nod an wait while she drinks the entire glass of water.

“That’ much better. I’m sorry I didn’t recognise you my memory is still very vague but I do recall you trying to calm me down by holding me and it worked, I don’t know how because I usually panic even more if someone tries to hold me but I felt safer in your arms. Thank you for saving me.” She smiles and almost knocks me off my feet.

“I’m just happy I didn’t make things worse and I would do it again if I had to.” I return her smile and I realize now is the moment. If I don’t ask her, her name now and I might never see her again. I am nervous and can’t manage to form any words. I think she noticed, I can hear her voice breaking though my thoughts. When she sees she has my attention she repeats herself.

“How.. How long have I been asleep?” she asks with the same genuine and kind smile on her face as minutes earlier after she thanked me for saving her.

“Um, that would be eight hours which means I really have to get going so I can talk to my boss before he leaves and explain why I didn’t show up for work today and hopefully save my job. It was nice meeting you. I am glad you are safe now and I hope you get to go home soon.” I slime at her one last time taking in the picture of her beauty. I then turn to leave, satisfied that she will be okay but as I turn away she grabs hold of my hand and I turn back to her. She wants me to come close to her so I lean in. She whispers in my ear,

“I am Cassandra. Cassandra Knight but you can call me Cassy.” ,then she kisses my cheek and let go of my hand. I don’t know what to say or do so I simply turn around again and start walking out.

When I reach the door I hear her voice again.

“I’ll see you around Chase.” I am tempted to walk back to her, to say with her but I have to go so I just keep walking. I have to save my job so I can give her the future she deserves. I am totally and utterly, madly, deeply in love with her. I have never seen such a beautiful woman before in my life not just on the outside but also on the inside, to the deepest part of the core. She is an angel. My angel.

I love her!