Page 81 of That Reunited Feeling

“What did you order?” she calls as we head in opposite directions, her to the kitchen, me to the lift.

“Chinese. And you can open anything you fancy from the wine fridge.”

“On it,” she replies as the doors glide back, and I step inside.

After racing across the lobby to make the quickest tip and food exchange in the history of deliveries, I jump back in thelift. Maybe we can pick up where we left off and reheat this food later.

When I reach my floor, the chime beckons me toward the doors. I’ll be back with Hannah in a matter of seconds.

About half an inch before I smack my nose, I process that the doors haven’t opened.

I do what any sensible person would and prod the Door Open button approximately 4,723 times in the space of two seconds.

Nothing.

Well, if I’m trapped in a lift, I guess at least I have food. But what I don’t have is Hannah. And all I want is Hannah.

Fucking hell.

I press the Ground Floor button to see if I can get out down there.

Yup, sure enough, a few seconds later, on the ground floor, the doors glide open perfectly happily.

Right. Let’s try again.

Back up I go.

Chime. Door not moving.

Fuck, fuck,fuck.

Maybe there’s something the concierge can do.

Hannah will be wondering where I am, but I can’t call her because I left my goddamn phone with her.

“Hello again, Mr. Dashwood,” says Carlton, who nodded politely at me just minutes ago when I came down to collect the food.

“Hi. The lift doors aren’t opening when I get to my floor. Do you know how to fix that?”

Carlton furrows his brow. “But they open okay down here?”

As desperate as I am to get back upstairs to the sexiest woman alive, I resist snapping that of course I can get out down here or I wouldn’t be standing right in front of him.

“Yes. Yes, I can get out down here just fine. But the doors won’t open at my place.”

“Hmm. Curious.” He gets to his feet. “I’ll come with you and take a look.”

He walks around the desk to accompany me.

“Shouldn’t you bring something with you? Tools or something?” There’s no point wasting time having to come back here again for whatever he needs to get me inside my flat and wrapped around Hannah.

“I have these.” He holds up a set of keys and key-like things.

“Oh, okay.” I guess they must be the magical door-opening implements.

“Nice evening,” Carlton says as we step into the lift and I tap my fob on the pad. “Not too chilly for January.”

If only he knew exactly how hot it had been in my apartment just moments ago and how hot I was very much hoping it would be around about now. “Yes. Not too bad at all.”

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