[debut - Serena and Beat]
Dan didn't know why he'd thought it was a great idea to try and climb out the elevator shaft. It was the sort of thing that people did in movies, not in real life. He just knew that he needed to get away. If he didn't get away, out of this elevator, he was going to say something he regretted. He already had said things he regretted.
"But why are you always right?" Serena's voice disrupted his thoughts, his hands still pushing at the plate, trying to make it budge.
"You know I never-" He pushed the panel. "I never said-" Dress shoes never were very good for much, other than looking nice. They certainly weren't good for balancing precariously on a metal rail on the edge of an elevator, trying to escape. That he fell shouldn't have been a surprise. In fact it wasn't. There wasn't that much about this night that was a surprise. The blackout, being stuck in an elevator, alright, surprises; but the fight, they both knew this had been brewing. They'd both been trying to pretend that it wasn't the storm cloud hanging on the horizon. Pretending only got them so far, apparently.
Trying to climb out of an elevator shaft only landed him on the floor of the elevator, Serena hovering over him. "That hurts."
"Are you okay?" She was on her knees, their argument forgotten for a moment and replaced with worry.
Dan grimaced as he sat, his pride wounded more than his body, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
He was sore, and tomorrow he'd be bruised, pulling a breath in through clenched teeth, "I think so, yeah."
"I forgive you for Georgina."
There were a lot of things he expected to hear from Serena at that moment; Reproach, recrimination, more worry. That, however, had not been one of those things, even though it was something that needed to be said. Something that he needed to hear. "And I forgive you." He looked up to meet her eyes for just a moment before glancing away again. It was hot in the elevator, and he was tired, shaking his head. Tired of this. Of not dealing with what had happened. Of pretending everything was okay. "But- I don't know."
"We keep having this same fight," Serena shifted, her back to the wall of the elevator as she sat beside him. "At Bart's brunch a year ago. At the wedding-"
"Where we talked about the fight at Bart's brunch." The irony would have been amusing, if this had been someone else. If this was a movie, and not their lives.
"Now here." For the first time Serena sounded defeated by it all. "I can't change who I am, Dan."
"Me neither." The words felt inevitable. Final. As if something had been decided in this place, the two of them unable to escape, so forced to face reality. Dan turned to her, already knowing the answer to the question he was asking. "So what happens now?"
Her head moved almost imperceptibly, her mouth pulling down as she tried to think of what to say. "I don't really feel like talking."
"Yeah, me neither." There wasn't anything more to say. Nothing that wasn't too depressing to consider. Dan leaned into her, his head resting against hers. That was it then. They'd decided. Outside of this elevator it was over, at least for now.
It wasn't an easy thought.
He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, with their arms together, breathing in the stale air. It could have been five minutes or fifty. It was somehow both not nearly long enough, and far too long, each moment interminable. The lights did come back on, the elevator whirring back into life. The sudden movement shocked Dan from his silent reverie.
"I guess this is it then," he stood, his arm slipping from her hand, though he offered it to her to help her up. She took it, and they stood close, but still not touching as they moved past the floors. The elevator bell rang, the door opened.
That was it.
"I'm scared," she said to him, not moving except to glance into the empty hall.
His fingers caught hers, holding onto each other tenuously. "I know, me too."
"When I step out of here, it's over."
Hearing her say it was harder than he'd thought it would be. Dan swallowed before he could speak, "I, I think it was already. It just took us this long to realise. To get used to the idea."
She kissed him then, her hand cupping his cheek. He let her, reaching out for her only as she pulled away and stepped out. "Serena -" He had to say it, as hard as it was to even form the words. "I still-"
Serena cut him off, her eyes wet, "I know. Me too."
Dan watched her as the door closed. That was it then. It was done. Just under a year since their first date, and things were done. They couldn't make them work.
The elevator moving again, Dan scooped his jacket from the floor. He needed to get out of here, to get back to Brooklyn and get home. Too much had happened tonight. Maybe he'd find Vanessa, maybe he'd just go home to bed. It had been the right choice. It just hadn't been an easy one.
The bell went off again, the doors opening. "Finally." He scrubbed a hand through his hair as he stepped out, the climate controlled air a welcome change. Only, this wasn't the lobby. This was definitely not Serena's building, his hand stopping the doors before they closed. "I must've gotten off on one of the service floors," he muttered, casting a quick look around. Except the elevator wasn't even the same. "Great, now I'm hallucinating." He jabbed at the ground floor button, closing his eyes and hoping that this time, when the doors opened, he'd be on the right floor.
He wasn't. He wasn't, and what he was faced with was the last thing in the world he expected.
"Serena?"
"But why are you always right?" Serena's voice disrupted his thoughts, his hands still pushing at the plate, trying to make it budge.
"You know I never-" He pushed the panel. "I never said-" Dress shoes never were very good for much, other than looking nice. They certainly weren't good for balancing precariously on a metal rail on the edge of an elevator, trying to escape. That he fell shouldn't have been a surprise. In fact it wasn't. There wasn't that much about this night that was a surprise. The blackout, being stuck in an elevator, alright, surprises; but the fight, they both knew this had been brewing. They'd both been trying to pretend that it wasn't the storm cloud hanging on the horizon. Pretending only got them so far, apparently.
Trying to climb out of an elevator shaft only landed him on the floor of the elevator, Serena hovering over him. "That hurts."
"Are you okay?" She was on her knees, their argument forgotten for a moment and replaced with worry.
Dan grimaced as he sat, his pride wounded more than his body, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
He was sore, and tomorrow he'd be bruised, pulling a breath in through clenched teeth, "I think so, yeah."
"I forgive you for Georgina."
There were a lot of things he expected to hear from Serena at that moment; Reproach, recrimination, more worry. That, however, had not been one of those things, even though it was something that needed to be said. Something that he needed to hear. "And I forgive you." He looked up to meet her eyes for just a moment before glancing away again. It was hot in the elevator, and he was tired, shaking his head. Tired of this. Of not dealing with what had happened. Of pretending everything was okay. "But- I don't know."
"We keep having this same fight," Serena shifted, her back to the wall of the elevator as she sat beside him. "At Bart's brunch a year ago. At the wedding-"
"Where we talked about the fight at Bart's brunch." The irony would have been amusing, if this had been someone else. If this was a movie, and not their lives.
"Now here." For the first time Serena sounded defeated by it all. "I can't change who I am, Dan."
"Me neither." The words felt inevitable. Final. As if something had been decided in this place, the two of them unable to escape, so forced to face reality. Dan turned to her, already knowing the answer to the question he was asking. "So what happens now?"
Her head moved almost imperceptibly, her mouth pulling down as she tried to think of what to say. "I don't really feel like talking."
"Yeah, me neither." There wasn't anything more to say. Nothing that wasn't too depressing to consider. Dan leaned into her, his head resting against hers. That was it then. They'd decided. Outside of this elevator it was over, at least for now.
It wasn't an easy thought.
He wasn't sure how long they sat like that, with their arms together, breathing in the stale air. It could have been five minutes or fifty. It was somehow both not nearly long enough, and far too long, each moment interminable. The lights did come back on, the elevator whirring back into life. The sudden movement shocked Dan from his silent reverie.
"I guess this is it then," he stood, his arm slipping from her hand, though he offered it to her to help her up. She took it, and they stood close, but still not touching as they moved past the floors. The elevator bell rang, the door opened.
That was it.
"I'm scared," she said to him, not moving except to glance into the empty hall.
His fingers caught hers, holding onto each other tenuously. "I know, me too."
"When I step out of here, it's over."
Hearing her say it was harder than he'd thought it would be. Dan swallowed before he could speak, "I, I think it was already. It just took us this long to realise. To get used to the idea."
She kissed him then, her hand cupping his cheek. He let her, reaching out for her only as she pulled away and stepped out. "Serena -" He had to say it, as hard as it was to even form the words. "I still-"
Serena cut him off, her eyes wet, "I know. Me too."
Dan watched her as the door closed. That was it then. It was done. Just under a year since their first date, and things were done. They couldn't make them work.
The elevator moving again, Dan scooped his jacket from the floor. He needed to get out of here, to get back to Brooklyn and get home. Too much had happened tonight. Maybe he'd find Vanessa, maybe he'd just go home to bed. It had been the right choice. It just hadn't been an easy one.
The bell went off again, the doors opening. "Finally." He scrubbed a hand through his hair as he stepped out, the climate controlled air a welcome change. Only, this wasn't the lobby. This was definitely not Serena's building, his hand stopping the doors before they closed. "I must've gotten off on one of the service floors," he muttered, casting a quick look around. Except the elevator wasn't even the same. "Great, now I'm hallucinating." He jabbed at the ground floor button, closing his eyes and hoping that this time, when the doors opened, he'd be on the right floor.
He wasn't. He wasn't, and what he was faced with was the last thing in the world he expected.
"Serena?"