“So, how are you?” Lily looked up from her phone and turned to see a tall guy, she approximated to be around her age, enter the elevator. Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone else the guy could have been addressing. A slight smile spread across her face; that was the first time someone asked her how she’d been all day. 

“Been better. A bit of a rough day, though. Bumped into my boss on the way to my desk this morning. Literally bumped into him.. and maybe spilled some coffee, too. But besides that, no complaints!” she said sarcastically. Lily turned again to find the mysterious guy staring at her. Laughing, he pointed to one of the airpods in his ears, a silent explanation that he wasn’t talking to her. Flushing with embarrassment, Lily’s already rosy cheeks turned scarlett. Covering her face with her hands, she muttered, “So spilled coffee on my boss and my life story to a random stranger. Nice going, Lily.” Trying to focus her attention away from the man standing next to her, Lily willed the elevator to reach her floor faster. 

“Lily. That’s a pretty name,” a man’s voice said. “You know, if it makes you feel any better, today has not been my day either. I had an interview an hour ago and just freezed when asked why I wanted to work there. Pretty easy question too,” the guy continued, laughing. “Hey, at least I didn’t spill coffee on him though.” Lily turned and gave the man a thankful smile. “Oh, and I am talking to you now by the way, just to clarify. Sorry about that before. Why don’t we restart?” he suggested. “Hi, I’m Austin. Ironically I’m from Texas, although not Austin. Houston, actually. I live with two roommates, my favorite food is tacos, and I really suck at interviews.” Austin held his hand out to Lily, which she tentatively shook. 

“Hi Austin from not-Austin Texas. I’m Lily, and I’m from San Francisco. I have two dogs, love to bake, and am very, very clumsy.” 

“So what brings you to New York, Lily? California not the dream it’s said to be?” Lily shrugged. 

“Needed a change of scenery, I guess. I went to school here and just never really felt the need to go home. What about you? Not a fan of the south?” She asked, secretly more focused on his fluffy brown hair rather than his reason for moving states. 

“Actually, my brother moved to New York, and I sort of just followed him. I miss Texas everyday though,” he answered, glancing down at his watch. “It was nice talking to you Lily, but it looks like this is my stop. See you around sometime.” Lily started to wave goodbye, disappointed to end the conversation so soon. But as the elevator came to a halt, the doors refused to open. Austin pressed a few buttons, yet the doors still wouldn’t budge, even an inch. “Looks like you’ll be stuck with me for a bit longer,” Austin joked, flashing a smile. Unable to control herself, Lily burst out laughing. 

“Typical,” she said. “Yet another item to add to my never-ending list of Lily’s Bad Luck: getting trapped in an elevator,” Lily quipped, frantically pressing all of the buttons in hopes that the doors would magically open. As if matters couldn’t get any worse, the lights then began to flicker, until eventually the small space was covered in darkness. In a small voice, Lily whispered, “I think I may have made it worse.” 

“You think?” Austin replied. Although she wasn’t looking at him, Lily knew he was smirking from the tone of his voice. “Next time you get stuck in an elevator, maybe try the emergency button,” Austin explained, pressing the button for her. Lily smiled sheepishly. 

“Noted,” she answered. “So what now? We just wait?” Her arm brushed against Austin’s, feeling electricity course through her body despite the lack thereof in the elevator. She felt him nod next to her. 

“I guess,” he answered. “Help should come soon enough. Why? Tired of my company already?” Lily blushed, secretly thankful that the lights went out. 

“I was planning to meet my sister for dinner,” she paused, checking the time on her phone, “in forty minutes. Not sure if that’s still going to happen, but oh well.” Lily sighed but turned her attention back to Austin. “Now that we’re stuck here together, you might as well tell me a bit about yourself.” Austin hesitated.

“You mean you want to know more about me than my favorite food?” he eventually joked back. Lily rolled her eyes. 

“See! This is what I’m talking about. Every other word out of your mouth is a joke. Not that I don’t like your jokes,” Lily rambled. “But I don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here, and I think I’ll eventually need more conversation than silly banter.” Austin nodded. 

“You’re very forward,” he began. “I’m not used to that. Maybe it’s why I don’t like interviewing. I guess it can be hard for me to talk about myself so openly.” Austin shuffled uncomfortably, but Lily only smiled. 

“That might be the first real thing you’ve told me. Well, besides loving tacos of course.” Grinning, Austin replied, 

“That line seems to work for me.” An uncomfortable silence filled the elevator, and the two glanced at each other, eyes meeting. He’s kinda cute, Lily found herself thinking, feeling heat rush to her cheeks at the thought. Austin raised his eyebrows. 

“It may be dark in here, but I can still see that you're blushing,” he smirked. Not breaking eye contact, Lily opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a rumbling beneath their feet as the elevator began to move, quickly rolling to another stop. 

“Hello? Is anyone there?” the two heard over the intercom. Austin immediately took action. Crouching down to talk into the mic, he said, 

“Hi. There are two of us here. Any updates on what’s going on?” Lily crouched next to Austin to hear what the technician had to say. 

“There seems to have been a malfunction with the elevator’s wiring. We’re working on it and should have you out soon. Just hang in there and let us know if anything changes.” Austin sat down in defeat, Lily joining him on the ground, quickly texting her sister that she may be a little late to dinner. 

“You know, you’re awfully calm for someone trapped in an elevator with a complete stranger,” Austin observed. Lily smirked. 

“After years and years of bad luck this doesn’t even phase me,” she explained. “I could say the same about you,” she taunted. Austin laughed. 

“This may sound weird, but sometimes I feel like I need a bit of adventure to make life more interesting. It’s kinda nice to have a day that’s different from normal.” Lily contemplated his answer, running her fingers through her wavy brown hair. 

“I can relate to the feeling,” she finally responded. “A cynic and a daredevil,” she hummed. “Good combo for elevator mishaps.” Just as the two were falling into a familiar pattern, the elevator yet again began to shift, this time falling indefinitely. Lily’s heartbeat sped up with fear as she screamed in terror. Her body rolled into Austin’s as the elevator continued to fall, gaining speed with each passing second. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Austin’s presence helped to comfort Lily, despite only having known each other for a mere twenty minutes. The elevator came to an abrupt stop, Lily’s head slamming into the wall behind them. Austin immediately turned his body to focus on the limp girl sitting next to him. 

“Are you alright?” he asked gently, concern evident from his tone of voice. 

“Been better,” she joked. “I’m sure you’re loving the adrenaline rush right now.” Austin smiled in response. 

“In all seriousness though, you’re okay?” Lily felt dizzy, unsure if it was a result of the head injury or the butterflies fluttering around her stomach. 

“I’m fine,” she mumbled, slumping her head on Austin’s shoulder as he calmly pressed “call” on the elevator’s emergency button.

“What’s going on?” the technician’s familiar voice asked.

“We need immediate medical assistance,” Austin requested, his voice strong and clear. “The elevator just fell, and someone hit their head.” He paused, waiting for a response.

“See if you can get the door open,” the technician replied. “We think you’re between floors, but we’re sending some firefighters to help with a safe evacuation.” Austin thanked the technician and wiped some sweat from his forehead. 

“How’s sleeping beauty doing?” he asked Lily, who had closed her eyes and was drifting in and out of consciousness. Lily mumbled an incoherent response. Following the technician’s orders, Austin pressed the “open doors” button, and sure enough, the technician’s concerns were proven correct; they were trapped between floors. Austin cursed under his breath, scanning the floor below. “Hello?“ he called out to the firefighters. “We could use some help!” Immediately, several men in black and yellow gear ran into action. 

“How many of you are there?” one of the men called out. Austin replied, filling the firefighters in on what had happened. The man nodded in response. “I’m going to need you to listen closely,” the firefighter began. “We have a blanket set up to catch you, but we’re going to need you to jump. Is she strong enough to stand?” Austin licked his lips nervously, nudging Lily awake, who felt a throbbing pain in the side of her head. 

“Lily, listen to me. I’m going to need you to jump. I’ll be right there behind you and someone will be there to catch you. Do you think you can do that for me?” Focusing on Austin’s tight grip on her arm, Lily nodded her head. I can do this, she told herself. Walking to the edge of the elevator, she hesitated. 

“Austin?” she whispered. “Thank you for making this day more interesting.” Austin smiled. 

“Thank you for sharing some of your bad luck with me.” Lily considered Austin’s words, feeling as if something he said wasn’t exactly right. 

“More like lemon luck,” she finally replied. “Because a sour situation somehow ended up sweet.” And with that, she jumped, feeling a soft blanket engulf her body before falling unconscious from the excruciating pain. 

* * *

Two years later and she still thinks about the same memory of a mysterious man she once met in an elevator. Even after all the chaos from the event, and the severe concussion, the most important part of the story still appeared to be the caring daredevil who loved tacos and was awful at interviews. A bit pathetic, she knows, but she can’t seem to get Austin from not-Austin Texas out of her mind. Strolling down the streets of New York, Lily stops at a bakery, turning her key, and unlocking the door. A sweet lemony scent fills the air, and she flips the door sign to “open,” smiling. Walking behind the register, she hears the bells on the door chime, and she calls out,

“Lily’s Lemony Luck, how can we help you?” 

“Though I’m eager to spend some time with you, I really hope we don’t get locked in this bakery.” Recognizing the voice, Lily immediately turned around, too stunned to speak. “It’s been awhile. So, how are you?”