Norah pressed herself into the corner of the elevator as the usual crowd shoved their way inside. Like automatons, they mumbled out which floor to push so the person closest to the buttons could select it. She stood on her tip-toes, just waiting for that moment when Cole Collins would step inside. Seeing him always started her morning right. Not seeing him would offset the balance of her day. Things like spilling coffee on her blouse, having food stuck in her teeth, or worse, leaving the bathroom with half of her skirt tucked into her undies, was likely to occur. The doors started closing, and her hope began shrinking right along with the closing gap.

Then a hand sliced through, bouncing the doors open again and in squeezed Cole Collins. Norah's legs gave from balancing on her tip-toes for too long, but with it came relief. His smile as he begged pardons from the people he accidentally bumped was enough to make her sigh. She stared at the back of his head with the faded sides that gradually worked into a trendy pompadour. Usually, it was gelled and quaffed to perfection, but this time, pieces of hair slanted sideways like stems of wilting flowers.

It was Monday after all, and sometimes he looked a little rugged after a weekend. Norah sighed again. If only she could be part of his weekend. She was barely five feet and two inches. With high heels, she was a whopping five-five compared to the leggy bombshells she worked with. She doubted Cole even noticed her, and she convinced herself that he was too tall to see her from his eye level.

The doors opened on the sixth floor and out flocked a few people along with Cole. Norah held her breath while a chunk of her left with him. On good days, there were chances she might see him on the way to lunch or leaving work for the day. Those were the best days, but Norah kept the crush to herself because she couldn't bear the embarrassment if her coworkers ever found out. The women in her office were bold go-getters, not only in their work but in dating too. Just the year before, at a social event the building held, she watched in complete awe as her newly divorced boss close a business deal and then charm her way into a dinner date.

The doors opened again, but this time on the eighth floor where Norah worked. It was a small advertising company made of less than twenty people, but she liked it that way. She was able to make it to a copy editor in a short while working for them. She could never have accomplished that back home or with a bigger company. She loved her job, and her coworkers were pleasant, but they weren't close enough to call friends, which added to her lonesomeness at times. The office temp seemed to be the only one giving her the time of day when it came to socializing.

Trixy was a couple of years younger than Norah and was filling in for a coworker on maternity leave. She was the kind of person that did horribly at reading people. Someone could be in a crabby mood, yet Trixy would chat their ear off, completely oblivious to their clipped remarks. When she entered the breakroom, others would slip on their earbuds or leave so they could avoid the word vomit she was about to spew. However, Norah felt rude ignoring her, so she always tried her best to be polite.

"Hey!" Trixy leaned into the doorframe of Norah's corner office and began chirping away. "Why didn't you tell me about the hunk over in the art department!"

"There's a hunk over there?" Norah chuckled.

"Duh, Barrett! He's tall, lean, and has this dark hair I want to mess up. Plus, he says he prefers to be called Bear. How cute is that?"

"I refuse to call him an animal," Norah replied while reading through emails.

"Is he single? If he is, then everyone move out of the way because that tall hunk of a man is mine."

"I don't think anyone will really fight you on it, so he's all yours." Norah glanced up from the computer to stare at Trixy, who laid across the small grey sofa against the wall—like a patient ready for a session with a shrink.

"Wow, this is like one giant fluffy pillow."

"Trixy... I really need to get to work. It's Monday, and I have a lot to catch up on." She motioned over her desk to a small stack of folders.

"Right-O." She sat up. "I'll get out of your hair."

As she made her way to the door, she paused and plucked something from the carpet. Straightening herself, she skipped back over to Norah's desk, and with a squeal, she placed the item onto the desk, creating a clink. Norah looked up from the computer to see a wide grinned Trixy staring at her.

"I'm giving this lovely little gem to you." She bobbed her brows. Truly proud of herself.

"A penny?"

"Yes, ma'am! Haven't you ever heard that when you see a penny and pick it up, then you'll have good luck all day long?"

"I'm really not a superstitious person, so how about you keep the penny." Norah slid it back to her.

"It's a gift." Trixy huffed. "Keep it. You never know what kind of luck it'll bring."

With that, Trixy spun around and left to go back to managing the reception desk. The day dragged on, and by lunch, Norah shuffled into the breakroom to eat leftovers from dinner, grilled chicken breast with rosemary and parmesan seasoning. As it heated in the microwave, Norah poured herself a cup of coffee. It was quiet in the breakroom, and Norah currently had it all to herself since most of the girls left to grab takeout. Working in San Francisco's financial district meant there were a plethora of menus to choose from. But, Norah learned the hard way how expensive it could become. She stared out of the large window, which gave a great view of the pedestrians hustling about like ants. Sometimes she could see Cole Collins on his way to grab lunch. She inhaled the aroma rising from her cup and took a sip.

"That smells amazing!"

Startled by the voice, Norah flinched and spilled coffee down her white blouse. She rushed over to the counter to grab napkins and was met with Barrett holding out a wad of them to her.

"Sorry..." He scrunched his face. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine." Norah frowned, dabbing at her chest while thinking of the permanent stain it would leave.

"I really am sorry."

Barrett began helping her wipe the coffee from her shirt until Norah froze and slowly brought her eyes up to his. He immediately stopped dabbing at her chest.

"Aaaand I'm sorry for accidentally touching your..." He pointed with a gulp, "your um, girly bits."

Embarrassment stained her face in crimson as Norah shook her head. "It's fine."

"Well, in that case, I'll continue!" He laughed and pretended to bring the paper towel up again.

Norah swatted his hands away, laughing too. "Cut it out!"

"Ok fine." He smiled and then offered, "Can I buy you a new shirt?"

"Really, it's ok. It's just coffee." Norah shrugged.

"Yeah but, it's a nice blouse. Looks expensive."

"Honestly, Barrett, don't worry about it."

After a few more times of apologetic tug-of-war, Barrett finally gave up. He sat at the table with Norah, and they chatted lightly about the project they were working on, but he mostly let her eat lunch in peace. Barrett was definitely the office jokester, but Norah liked that he often toned it down for her. She was a quiet person, shy mostly, so she appreciated moments in the day where she could think to herself. As much as she hoped to see Cole Collins in the elevator after work, she dreaded running into him now. She sighed for the umpteenth time and reminded herself that even if she saw him, it wasn't as if he would see her. She had allowed herself to blend into the walls of the elevator whenever he was around. 

If only she could be bolder like the people around her?

At the end of the day, Norah huddled into the elevator with the rest of the flock. She leaned against the corner wall, counting down the seconds it took to reach the sixth floor. It took thirty seconds, give or take, and Norah always waited in anticipation for the moment Cole might walk in. Even today, with a stained blouse, she couldn't deny the flips her belly made with the possibility. She let out a calm breath as he stepped inside, and her tummy did those marvelous somersaults that turned her cheeks rosy. Norah often daydreamed about standing next to him and holding his hand. Or making him laugh over something silly and then him bending to give her a quick kiss because of how adorable he finds her. If only she had the guts to talk to him, then perhaps it could become real.

The elevator finally landed on the lobby level, and everyone shuffled out. Suddenly Norah felt a hand pull on her arm. She spun halfway to see Trixy latched onto her with a mouth gaping open in amusement.

"You're totally into that guy, aren't you!" Trixy exclaimed, not even bothering to whisper.

"What!" Norah pulled her arm away and backed up defensively.

"You are!" Trixy accused with a poke. "Look at you, all flushed!" She leaned in and winked. "You know, if you don't want people to know your secret, then maybe you shouldn't gawk at him."

"I don't!"

"Riiiight. Ok. We'll keep that between us."

Trixy practically skipped away, and with every thump, her feet made on the marbled lobby floor, Norah's heart pittered faster with panic. What if Trixy were to blab about it to their coworkers? She pictured herself walking through the office, fingers pointing at her, muffled mouths while whispering to one another, and Barrett giving her crap over it. Horrors of high school bullying flashed into her mind. Norah did not move to a new city to relive her teenage years! She was different now. Successful and a damn good Copy Editor! Norah closed her eyes, and her shoulders dropped, but who was she fooling? She was still just as lonely, shy, and dorky as she was back in her hometown. It was so much better when the crush was just a secret.

***

Originally this was an entry for the #OnceUponNow contest. Since then, I've expanded the chapters a bit and have been slowly working on edits. Hopefully, you'll like the changes.

Please remember to vote and comment too :)