"I don't wanna be cruel or vicious"

~ All I Ask (25)

men, one fireman and one paramedic, rushed in almost immediately. One of them hunched down before me and grabbed my shoulders, worry evidently visible on his features. The noise from outside of the elevator was buzzing in my ear, but I couldn't concentrate. I was in a haze of disbelief. I stared into the paramedic's dark eyes, not really seeing him.

"Ma'am?" his voice called from a distance, blending in with the buzz from the outside. After three more calls, he shook my shoulders lightly. I could see his eyebrows furrowing, his worry increasing as no answer came from my lips. "Ma'am, are you alright?"

I blinked at his words, regaining focus of my senses. I shook my head and answered, "Yeah, I'm alright. Thank you."

At that, the man's features softened and he looked to the side, catching a relieving sight, for his eyes brightened. I followed, finding Harold standing with his hands in a shaking grip with the fireman. My lips couldn't help but curve into a smile of something I couldn't name; I knew that I was happy we'd made it out okay. And for some reason, my heartstrings tightened at the knowledge of the short time I'd spent with Harold in that elevator. The sense of home I felt radiating from him was still present regardless of the two men that accompanied us. I followed the man at my side as he stood up, but I kept my eyes locked on Harold, even though he didn't notice me.

"We are so glad you both are safe," the fireman named Brain, an information I gained by squinting my eyes ridiculously to read his name from his nametag, said.

I smiled sweetly at him. "So are we! Thank you so much for getting us out of there," I chuckled, trying to play off an incident I'd first thought would lead to my ultimate death as nothing but a minor event.

Brian and the other man, whose name is Davin now that I looked closer to his name tag, nodded.

Then he spoke. His voice almost startled me, coming out of nowhere with its deep authenticity and lush. My eyes darted to him almost immediately, catching a glimpse of the small smile he'd continuously shared with me earlier when we were alone. "What happened, if you know, that is?"

I wanted to keep looking at him, to keep taking in his divine vibe. However, I had manners and in nowhere in mannerism is staring, especially at a stranger, okay. Thus, I peeled my eyes from his un-looking ones and turned them to Brian, who had begun talking.

His fingers were intertwined, his stance assured and almost comforting. "We haven't come to that conclusion yet, but we will contact you when we do so."

I nodded, finally aware of my surroundings and the cold air that'd pushed into the elevator. My mind cleared and I spoke with purpose. "Please do. Is that all?"

He smiled back at me and said, "of course. Unless, Doc, you have something to say?" He turned to the paramedic and gestured for him to speak.

However Devin shook his head. "Nothing seems wrong here, but I do recommend getting a checkup with your primary doctor as soon as possible. Accidental bruises surface a bit late, especially the pain aspect of them so they might creep up on you a week or so later. Just be aware."

"Will do," I extended my hand to each of them and continued with a genuine laugh, "thank you so much. I thought we'd have to sleep in here or something."

Brian shook my hand second, and he did so with firmness. "Absolutely. I hope you guys have a good day," he turned to Harold and shook his hand as well.

I basically muttered a "bye" afterwards and walked out without glancing back. I didn't know where to go. Should I continue with business matters and attend to my duties I'd come here in the first place to finish or just call it a day?

You can alw-

"Adele!"

I stopped dead in my tracks towards the front doors of the building and slowly turned around to the source of that voice I'd become accustomed to in the past hour or so.

Harold walked towards me with a questioning smile, his strides large and graced. He stopped a few inches in front of me before speaking. "You left without saying goodbye," he tried saying it with humor, but his voice was empty; void of any emotion.

Well, shit. I'm an ass.

I guess I was so caught up on getting out of there, I hadn't considered saying goodbye to Harold.

I blinked slowly and readjusted my thoughts to focus on what he'd just said rather than how good he looked in natural lighting. "I-I didn't mean to. I think I just got sidetracked and forgot. I'm sorry."

He shrugged and offered me a smile that wasn't of the same nature as the ones from previously. "No foul."

I bit my lip, not knowing what else to say. He seemed different; at least from what I've come to know from the elevator incident.

When he took in a breath and spoke, I almost let out a sigh of relief. To say it was getting awkward would be saying the least. "Can I buy you lunch?"

Say yes.

I froze. "Um no."

He didn't seem fazed from the blunt rejection my lips had worded without my brain's approval. "Well, alright then," he smiled thinly and patted my shoulder, "I'll see you around, Adele."

Wait. What?

Stop him. You need to stop him.

I knew I should've stopped him from leaving so awkwardly, but I didn't. I could've done so much; I could've reached out and taken him up on his lunch offer. I wanted to. I wanted to do so badly. Yet I passed on it.

He walked out of my view quicker than I expected and my heart dropped, its muscles tightening in a way that was painfully taut. I knew why this was happening, why my entire being was negatively reacting to the way I'd rejected Harold, no scratch that, to the fact that I rejected Harold. What in the hell was I thinking? He asked me to lunch, not his playroom. My rejection made me feel more and more idiotic the more I thought about it. So in order to not drown in my own misery, I quickly walked out of the building and headed for my car.

I shouldn't have let him walk away.

I should've followed him.