What Goes Up…

“So, what’s a single guy gotta do to get rejected by a gorgeous girl like you?”

The question caught her off guard. Bree tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers brushing the unruly curls she hadn’t bothered to tame. She glanced up, her eyes meeting a tall, confident man in a crisp navy suit, his grin as sharp as his tailoring. They stood alone in the office building elevator as the doors slid shut, sealing them off from the world outside.

Flustered, her brows knit together as indignation bubbled up. “You can start by not asking,” she snapped, her tone sharp yet hesitant. “I have a boyfriend.”

“That’s my luck,” he said with a chuckle. “The good ones always do.”

Before she could fire back, the elevator lurched, throwing them both off balance. Bree flailed, yelping as she grabbed for the wall, while Navy Suit reached out instinctively, his hand steadying her by her upper arm.

“Let go,” she yelped, jerking her arm free, her thick lashes narrowing in distaste—until a flicker of something unidentifiable crept through her.

The lights flickered once, twice, and then dimmed to a weak glow.

“Oh, come on,” Bree groaned, shaking off the uncomfortable feeling as she marched toward the button panel like it owed her money. She jabbed at the buttons with the ferocity of a caffeinated gamer, but nothing happened. Drawing back her fist as if to punch the panel, she paused, then let it drop with an exasperated sigh.

“Well,” Navy Suit sighed, leaning back against the wall with exaggerated ease. “This is cozy.” He folded his arms. “Guess I’ll just wait for you to reconsider—silently and uncomfortably.”

“Wait as long as you want,” she retorted. “I already told you I’m not going out with you.”

He laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender before extending one toward her. “I’m Seth, by the way.”

Bree eyed his outstretched hand, hesitating before slipping hers into his. For a brief moment, their clasp sent a flicker through her—an unexpected pulse of warmth, subtle yet entirely too pleasant.

He seemed to feel it too, his grin softening for a moment before he masked it with a casual, “I couldn’t care less” shrug.

“Bree,” she said, clearing her throat as she pulled her hand back. She busied herself brushing nonexistent lint off her pants. After a beat, she added, “By the way, you don’t seem to be the least bit panicked.”

“Is that what I’m supposed to be doing? Panicking?” he said with a teasing smirk, leaning back against the elevator wall, hands in his pockets and one foot casually crossed over the other.

“Maybe,” she replied, her voice pitched higher than usual, before sinking to the floor with a sigh. “Or you could do something like—I don’t know—help me figure out how to get the hell out of here. Now that would be a sensible solution. Don’t you agree?”

“Fair point.” He grabbed the emergency phone, frowned, and stared at it when it produced nothing but silence. “Well, looks like it’s just you, me, and this…” He gestured broadly at the dim interior with a flourish of his hand. “…inspiringly romantic—oops, I mean, fluorescent—glow.”

“Fantastic,” Bree muttered, slumping further. “Fine. Tell me something while we wait—something that doesn’t involve me pretending to be interested in a horribly persistent guy who thinks he has even a sliver of a chance. And for god’s sake, make it interesting.”

“Something interesting?” Seth asked, sliding down to sit across from her. “All right—how about this? I once convinced my brother that hot dogs were made of bull testicles. The funny part? He believed me for two whole years—until our priest set him straight during a church cookout.”

She snorted. “That’s disgusting—and absolutely hilarious. Also, mean.”

“Yeah, but he deserved it,” Seth said, his grin widening. “He still can’t eat anything on a stick. What about you? Tell me something about yourself—level the playing field a little.”

“Why?”

“Why not? I’d rather know more about you than just the fact that you have a boyfriend.”

She hesitated, then exhaled dramatically, sinking back a little. “Fine. I’m a graphic designer. I love an ice-cold beer during a football game, hate the hangover afterward, and somehow have an impressive collection of cacti that I’ve miraculously kept alive for three years.”

“Cacti, huh? Let me guess—you stick googly eyes on them,” he said, framing his eyes with his fingers and rolling them dramatically, “and give each one a name.”

“Of course I name them,” Bree said, sitting up a little straighter. “They’re an integral part of the family.”

“Okay, okay,” he said, holding up his hands. “I’ve gotta ask—do you have one named Barb?”

“Barb?” she scoffed. “No way. My pride and joy is named Sir Needledick.”

Seth laughed, his chuckle echoing softly in the elevator. “Fair enough. So, what about the boyfriend?”

“Oh no,” she said, closing her eyes with a smile. “Not at all, even when he’s completely soft.”

It took him a second to process what just happened. “No, I don’t care about your boyfriend’s junk,” he said, bursting into laughter. “I meant, does he make you feel proud and joyful?”

She smiled at the thought of Alex. “He’s thoughtful. Ambitious. Knows exactly what he wants and works hard for it. And he always makes me laugh.” Her smile grew as her thoughts drifted, her eyes closing as if savoring a happy memory.

“Hmm, stiff competition for sure,” Seth rolled his tongue around in his cheek, his expression turning thoughtful. “Honestly, I don’t think I can compete with that. He sounds like the Beau of the Ball.”

“Yeah, he is,” she said, though her voice wavered slightly under his steady focus.

“Too bad,” he said lightly, leaning back against the wall. “I was starting to think I was making progress.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” she said with quiet resolve, though the corners of her mouth tugged into a reluctant smile.

The elevator shuddered and groaned to life, crawling up the remaining floors. Seth pushed off the wall and held out his hand to help her up. She hesitated, but his lopsided grin was impossible to resist, and she accepted, feeling that same infuriating tingle from before. His hand lingered for a moment longer than necessary before he let it slip away, the deliberate motion leaving her with a faint, unexpected sense of desertion.

“Finally!” Bree exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm, brushing herself off as the doors slid open with an apologetic ding.

“Guess this is where I bid adieu,” Seth said, stepping aside with a slight bow and extending one arm. “Good luck with Alex.”

She smiled with her whole face, ready to reply, but her phone interrupted with the smooth rhythm of a hip-hop love track.

“Speak of the sexy devil,” she said, pulling it from her pocket. She glanced at the screen, her grin widening. “Here—listen and learn.”

She tapped the speakerphone button, expecting Alex’s warm voice. Instead, a girl’s breathy giggle echoed through the speaker, followed by Alex’s unmistakable voice murmuring, “You’re so good at that,” punctuated by heavy breathing.

Bree instantly stiffened, her horror freezing her in place.

“Oh, am I?” the girl purred, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “Mmm.”

“Bree would never even—” Alex’s voice cut off with a guttural moan, and Bree’s jaw dropped.

Seth’s brow arched, but he stayed silent as Bree fumbled with the phone like it was a live grenade. Finally, she screeched, “ASSHOLE!” and hurled it to the floor, the device skittering across the tiles with a sharp clatter.

“Well,” Seth said after a moment, his voice deadpan. “I guess Alex isn’t quite as considerate as we thought—unless this is some bizarro version of a heartwarming invitation.”

Bree glared at her phone as if it owed her an apology, her mind reeling, completely forgetting about Seth’s presence. Then, to her own surprise, she laughed—sharp, incredulous, and unexpectedly free. “You’ve got to be shitting me. Our anniversary is this weekend, and I had this huge surprise planned.”

“Is it bigger than his?” Seth asked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “The surprise, I mean. Because his surprise seems pretty hard to top, if you ask me.”

Bree shot him a quick look before rolling her eyes and coming to a halt. She drew in a deep breath, only for it to escape in an unexpected whoosh, leaving her momentarily deflated.

“You okay?” Seth asked, his voice tinged with seriousness and sympathy as he bent down to pick up her phone from the floor.

She straightened, brushing her hair back with a curt grin. “Yeah. Better than okay. I mean, if he’s going to cheat, at least I found out before naming a cactus after the prick.”

She glanced at Seth, her smile shifting into something mischievously dangerous. “Pa-dum-pum!” she said with mock enthusiasm. “You missed your cue.”

He wagged his head back and forth slowly, the grin on his face growing wider as he extended his fist. She bumped it without hesitation, content playing on her lips.

“So,” she said, tilting her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “what’s a girl gotta do to trade up from a cheating boyfriend?”

Before Seth could respond, her phone buzzed again. She glanced at the screen, expecting another blow from Alex, but her face pulled up awkwardly in confusion.

“It’s my mom,” she muttered, swiping to answer.

“Hey, sweetie,” her mom’s voice chimed, cheery and a bit rushed. “Just a heads-up—your doctor’s office called the house earlier and left a message. Something about a positive test result? Anyway, I figured it might be important. I sure hope it’s nothing serious.”

Bree’s blood turned to ice, yet somehow flooded her cheeks. “What?”

“Have you had a test?” her mom inquired, but before she had an opportunity to respond, her mom continued. “Oh, and before I forget, I’m reminding you not to forget to call Grandma back about brunch this weekend. Bye!”

The call ended. Bree stared blankly at the phone, her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.

Seth raised a brow, his grin still annoyingly intact. “So… does the trade-up option include kids, or…?”