Page 131 of Happiness for Beginners

“Were you jealous?”

The elevator dinged then, and the doors opened. I went ahead and got on. Jake followed. But neither of us thought to press a floor number.

“Everybody was jealous!” I answered. “You gotinfinityHeartbreaker points for that. How is it possible you didn’t know she liked you?”

“I did kind of know. But I thought it was just a time-killing, nothing-better-to-do thing.”

“No,” I said, mad now for Windy’s sake. “It was a just-found-my-future-husband thing.”

Jake looked around then, seeming to notice for the first time that we were in the elevator. “Where are we going, by the way?” he asked.

I pushed theLOBBYbutton. “Down,” I said.

He shrugged. “Once I figured out her deal, I told her I didn’t like her like that.”

I felt protective. “You didn’t ‘like her like that’? What’s not to like? She’s adorable! And awesome! And wise beyond her years! Every single guy on this trip had a thing for Windy. She picks you and you don’t want her? Doesn’t that seem a little ungrateful?”

“I didn’t ask her to pick me.”

I pushed theLOBBYbutton again.

But the elevator wasn’t going anywhere. I pushed it a bunch of times. We still didn’t move. Then I pressed theOPEN DOORSbutton, but the doors didn’t open. “I think we’re trapped in this elevator,” I said.

“Good,” Jake said.

I frowned at him. “Not good.”

“Now you’re stuck with me,” Jake said.

“I was stuck with you before.”

His eyes crinkled at that. “Really?”

But I peered at him. “What about Windy? I can’t figure you out. Is it a dopamine addiction?”

“Why are we talking about Windy?”

“Do you only want what you can’t have?”

“I don’tonlywant what I can’t have.”

“Because my ex-husband was like that, and it is no way to go through life. Count your blessings! Be satisfied with what life gives you!”

“I’mtrying!” he burst out then, slamming his palm against the wall of the elevator. Just as he did, the elevator dropped about six inches.

In the seconds that followed, we both stayed frozen, crouched down, waiting for it to happen again. It didn’t.

“That was weird,” I whispered.

“Did I cause that?” Jake whispered back.

“Maybe it was a coincidence.”

Now the elevator had his attention. He reached out slowly to press theOPEN DOORSbutton, but the doors didn’t open. He pressed theLOBBYbutton, but we didn’t move. He pressed all the buttons at once, but nothing happened. So then he pressed the alarm.

A voice came through the loudspeaker. “Do you need help?”

“We seem to be stuck in the elevator,” he said.

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