Hi. Sorry for not making it dialogue only, I started writing and then I realised it would've been wasted potential mid-way. You can disqualify my entry, but I thought it would be a shame that this story wouldn't have been read and that the person who gave the prompts (and inspired this story) wouldn't be able to see the fruits of their work. 330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HvUydZ8Am
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7nSrAc2Kb
Shameless plug, but if you like what you read, please take a look at my other works. I'm going to be posting lots more of these practice prompt tasks and other stories.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxfuOuenu4
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGe8fIkHpMX
Enjoy! And thank you for reading.
“Who would've thought we'd meet like this?” she said.330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpG3sO7jNsM
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW2nJwsWpR
“Don’t ask me about it. I pressed the close button so many times, but clearly it didn’t work.” A beeping noise echoed in the small, enclosed space. A sigh could be heard. “See, nothing.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡua0cW4O4tX
“Why are you pressing the close button? Shouldn’t you be pressing the open button at least? That’ll probably have a better chance of opening these doors, so I don’t have to be stuck in here with you.” The woman pushed him away and the same beeping noise echoed again. Another sigh could be heard.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rPPuhckFg
“You really want to nag me now? You really haven’t changed. And it doesn’t matter what button we press, we’re stuck. I was just showing you what I did when I saw your dumb ass run towards the elevator.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAL2U4mBgwh
“Dumb ass? Do you think I actually wanted to see you again? I couldn’t afford to miss this meeting. Otherwise, I would have caught the next one.” She glared at him before mumbling under her breath, “And… you loved this dumb ass.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHEq3P1pVS
Daniel flinched before slowly looking over at her. She still looked the same from the last time he saw her around 2 months ago. The same shoulder-length hair and pale skin; they made her eye bags obvious whenever there was an upcoming deadline.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoJ8WAcdb1
Is she sleeping well?
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGF9tvPYsmp
Her unpainted manicured nails: she said she hated painting her nails, but it was because she bit them whenever she was stressed, and those black heels; he would have to massage her feet whenever they got home because of them. She was still even wearing those golden stud earrings he gave to her when she was promoted.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfhtzW5sCz
She said she hated the way they looked. What a surprise.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e1Lmg3Q0Q
He shook his head and looked away. “Yeah, that’s why it’s in the past.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiAuaYEuWO
Daniel didn’t see her hand ball up into a fist or the shudder of her shoulder. Jennifer felt the hairs on her skin rise. “You know what else I remember too? Someone crying and clinging onto me, begging for me not to leave them.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2Sj8BQXsn
Instantly, Jennifer was dumped in cold water and paralysed by the numb shock, unsure of why she even said that. After all, she knew they were already non-existent in each other’s lives.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdEH9shoLh
His neck snapped towards her. “Jennifer…” Daniel glared dull daggers; traces of pain burned onto his face.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsslCBLK6M
“Ah…” Jennifer stared back; there was an inexplicable understanding between the two before she turned away. Jennifer could see her own eyes, murky and water-like, reflected off the metallic surface of the elevator. “Sorry.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDb7BcrDriL
The humming of the fluorescent light was suffocated by the silence. Daniel glanced at Jennifer before turning and leaning onto his side of the elevator. The coolness of the metal didn’t help disperse the heat that was building up. Even though they were a couple of meters apart and unable to look at each other, they felt as if they were shoulder to shoulder, trapped with barely any space to move.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56MZZkYWkJ
“When do you think they’re going to come and get us?” Daniel asked, while tapping his finger against his arm.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWl9x2s1AcL
Jennifer glanced at Daniel’s reflected distorted figure before looking back down at the ground. “I don’t know, but hopefully sooner rather than later. Or else… I have a feeling something bad is going to happen.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMyTf8qxWzA
“Like?”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRndA0pVCu
The emptiness of the elevator didn’t help the increasing number of thoughts that rebounded in both of their heads. Jennifer opened her mouth, but no witty comment came. Instead, something she promised she wouldn’t let happen again occupied her mind.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhdXI6IcHW
Daniel once again looked at his reflection. His mouth drew a thin line across his face, and he couldn’t make out his eyes, but he was sure he knew what they were saying. “I think what you said before is a good example of what will happen. Completely unnecessary.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAstqAXQWA
“I already said sorry. What else do you want?” Jennifer turned her head giving him the side-eye. The ruffling of her clothes filled the space as she crossed her arms and looked ahead. Silence filled the void.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZDs4Zx45N
In the corner of her vision, Jennifer saw Daniel leaning against the wall. He didn’t look incredibly different from when they last saw each other. He still had his clothes neatly ironed and tie properly done; a surprise to her because he was a mess when she first met him.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvq4lWxEFjD
Is someone doing that for him now?
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQj0muzsPh
The calluses on his hands: she always complained about how rough they were whenever they held hands, but it gave her an odd comfort; it was because she knew that the hand she was holding was his. And the burn mark on his neck. Jennifer remembered her attempt to make her mother’s signature noodle dish which somehow ended up as a trip to the emergency room.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSpinItAjL
Did I ever apologise for that?
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7t9DcTVYZ
Unspoken words lingered, wishing to be communicated somehow. Who knew that something so quiet could be the loudest if given the chance?
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnrRmlyASf
Daniel closed his eyes and massaged his temples. He clenched his teeth and took a deep breath in before mumbling something to himself. The thumping of his footsteps could be heard as he traversed the small distance between them. Jennifer slightly tilted her head up in alarm, an action her body instinctively remembered from all the times they were close together.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AHBbPgVqI
Their eyes tugged at each other.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16dObDeMbZ
I want you to love me again.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRgKUAMxUu
Those words tried to make their way, unsure if they would even complete the journey. It travelled along the fine, fragile threads that remained, dancing, hesitating and teetering on this incredibly thin tight rope; the same incredibly thin tight rope that would not let either of them go.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6x13h5teGy
“Why did you cut all communication with me?”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92aQYdcV7K
Whirrrr. Clatter. Clatter.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWVC0y3BEU
The whirring of the gears could be heard again as they began to feel the elevator move. They both felt the vertigo from the sudden movement but were unsure if that was the reason behind their nausea.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaJYlowD6j
The intercom blared, “Apologies for the inconvenience. We have fixed the issue and operations will resume as normal.”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqErTXfN9Oc
Jennifer couldn’t look Daniel in the eye, and she prayed that they would go up quicker; that the gears would somehow cycle faster, and the ropes would somehow be pulled harder. She couldn’t bear to see the look on his face. She didn’t want to see the look on hers.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0ibGW2mrq
Whissh.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKIJ4oIqrl
They both heard the rolling of the elevator door as it slid open. The fresh air hit both of them in the faces, and they found it hard to breathe.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIH2CHGNfi
“Wait!”
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRjVvqoAaY
Jennifer ran out of the elevator; she wanted to run somewhere, anywhere that wasn’t near him. However, she suddenly realised she could see her heel wedged into the gap between the elevator and floor. She realised she was falling.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTeVzImemd
Daniel grabbed her arm. Jennifer grabbed his arm. Both of them held each other as hard as they could, pulling as if there was a rope latched onto both of them, a rope that could snap at any moment.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8058FZW0kv
“Are you free for coffee later?” They couldn’t look each other in the eye. Daniel cleared his throat, but still struggled to get his words out.
330Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOogLQceUP
“A-After your meeting of course.”
ns216.73.216.35da2
然後按「加至主畫面」