Going Down

“Hey, gorgeous.”

The red-haired woman briefly glanced at Tim over her wire-rim glasses as she entered the elevator, barely stepped on, and pressed the button for her floor.

“Oh.. hey,” she softly replied.

Standing behind her, Tim smiled longer than the full 30 seconds it took for the doors to shut.

“So!” he said as if they knew each other and had already been in lively conversation. “How is your day coming along? Beautiful out, isn’t it?”

“Uh.. yeah,” the woman all but whispered.

He paused for a brief moment as she watched the numbers slowly climb.

2…

3……

“Although, not nearly as beautiful as you, of course,” he then said to her red hair, so far the only part of her he knew.

“Ha.. Thanks,” she replied.

Sigh. One of those days, she thought, I really regret moving to a higher floor….

4……….

5……………..

6……………………

“Ya’know, you really are cute. Ya’ know that?” he followed, her back still turned to him.

Pfft. He probably doesn’t even know what color my eyes are…

“And you smell good. Mmm, what is that? Rose-scented shampoo?” He let out a deep, audible inhale and exhale. “I’d love to have a whiff of that every day…”

The woman shifted a little and plunged her eyes hard to her side, trying to make sure he remained a comfortable distance behind for the rest of the ride.

10……………………………………

11……………………………………………….

12………………………………………………………..

“You hear me?” he asked when she didn’t answer.

Before the elevator began its next climb, she jammed a button, causing a thump and jolt at number 13.

Ding.

Welp. Guess I live on this floor today, she decided and hurried off as soon as the doors crept open.

She walked quickly but soon realized her footsteps were echoed by another, slower set, making hers suddenly rivaled only by her heart’s skipping beat.

Slowly, she turned her head, afraid yet sure to find him close.

She was relieved to see him still near the elevators, with his eyes firmly settled on her.

Her pulse soon eased when Tim hit the down arrow, catching the neighboring elevator headed in that direction.

“Well, I have no reason to ride all the way up to the 27th!” he seemed to say to himself but loud enough for her to hear.

“You have a nice day!!” he shouted in a friendly tone as the doors nearly closed.

She practically walked backwards to watch them do so fully.

Just then, another woman—one with black, wavy hair—ran up from around the corner.

“Wait!! Hold it, please!!” she yelled out.

“Well, hey, gorgeous,” he intensely grinned. “Delighted to, my dear.”

“Thanks,” she said in exasperated breath as she nearly collapsed through the doors. “I thought I’d brave the stairs for a change, but think that’s enough for the day.”

She hit the lobby floor, and the doors finally closed.

“Of course, anything for a pretty lil’ lady like you,” Tim said as 13 slowly descended to 12. She politely chuckled.

“What?” he said. “You don’t think you’re a pretty lil’ lady? I think you are.”

11……

10………….

“Umm, sure? I guess,” she said as she briefly looked back at him, smiling politely.

Maybe the stairs wouldn’t have been so bad after all, she mused internally.

“Oh yeah, you’re real cute,” Tim said and paused a few beats before following up. “And that beautiful dark hair. Mmmm….”

8………………………

7………………………………

“Can I have your number?” he asked in a friendly tone.

“Oh, I actually have a boyfriend,” she said and looked back up at the creeping numbers.

6………………………………………

“Okay? And what’s that got to do with me??”

5……

4…………

“Hmm?” he followed. “You can’t have friends?”

No, her mind answered definitively.

“Umm… Yeah, it’s just that I umm… I have, ummm…”

Ding.

The doors opened on the third floor, and a blonde-haired woman walked in.

After pressing number nine, she leaned against the side of the four-walled space, smiling towards Tim and the black-haired woman, and made herself comfortable for the few more floors down before it headed back up.

Tim barely noticed this new woman, his gaze till fixed on the other who was relieved she was no longer the only one.

The three stood in silence for the remaining ride.

The shaft didn’t stop completely before the black-haired woman practically pried open the doors to be let out and exited in an instance.

The blonde-haired woman looked over at Tim as if she expected him to also get off. Instead, he stood just as still as she, grinning in her direction. She grinned back politely.

Tim definitely noticed her now, including that she looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

He also couldn’t help but notice she was the hottest woman he’d seen all day—maybe in years. Tall, blonde, and voluptuous.

“Hey, gorgeous,” his voice dropped a few octaves just as the doors were almost shut. “You sure are a nice piece of somethin’, you know that?”

“Right back at cha, sexy,” she said, her bedroom eyes digging into his.

“Oh, is that right,” he asked, finding his excitement growing more quickly than he was ready.

“That is so right,” she crooned through her bright red lipstick. “So right that I think we could probably…do something…about that.” She stepped closer to him.

“Oh yeah? Do something like what?” he played dumb, his heartbeat pounding faster and faster each second.

“Well,” she said. “You live on the sixth floor, right? How about we go to your place?” She banged on number six, just as they passed the fourth.

“Heyyy, alrigh—” he began. “Wait. How do you know what floor I live on?”

The lady raised her eyebrow.

“Oh, Timmy,” she chuckled. “Stop being funny!”

His footsteps and nearly his heart stopped mid-step and beat. “Wh— Ho—- How do you know my name?”

Ding.

“Timmy, stop, silly! It’s me! Your mom!!” she laughed harder than before and her grin held for the full 30 seconds it took for the doors to open.

His eyes widened, as he noticed his late mother’s unique beer tattoo, as well as an inverted pentagram branded on her inner left arm.