He looked at it and smirked. "And why exactly do you carry a Spiderman plaster around?"

"I have a wee nephew, who's very much into Spidey right now." It sounded a bit defensive and embarrassed at the same time.

Her cheeks were burning.

"You have a nephew?"

"Yes, his name's Alfie. He's six." Warmth flooded her at the thought of the little man.

Jared watched her with a smile. Holy smokes, was he hot when he smiled.

"Do you think Alfie would mind if I got his plaster instead?"

"No, I don't think he'd mind," she said, thankful it didn't come out as a stutter.

"Would you do the honours then?" He held the plaster out to her.

She traded the plaster for the phone. She could feel his eyes on her the whole time as she peeled off the wrapper and then carefully placed it over his cut, making sure it had enough tension to help the stitches pull the skin together.

"There," she said. "All done."

Her eyes drifted to his. His eyes held a challenge.

"And what do you do after you've put the plaster on for Alfie? Do you kiss it better?"

Was he flirting? Surely not. She swallowed hard.

"Um, no. Actually, I give him a cuddle and sing him his favourite song."

"Will I get the same treatment?"

The devil knew why she actually considered doing just that. Was he mocking her? His face was hard to read, so she decided to take a leap.

She scooted closer, kneeling next to him, her hands going to his shoulders as she brought him closer to her, carefully guiding his head in the space between her shoulder and her neck, his beard tickling her skin. Her fingers automatically found the nape of his neck and ran through his hair.

Goodness, he felt good. Solid, warm. Manly. It had been a long time since she'd been close to a man, let alone held one.

She cleared her throat, before she softly began to sing.

"I'm having trouble trying to sleep,

I'm counting sheep but running out,

As time ticks by, and still I try,

No rest for crosstops in my mind,

On my own, here we go...

My eyes feel like they're gonna bleed,

Dried up and bulging out my skull,

My mouth is dry, my face is numb,

Fucked up and spun out in my room,

On my own, here we go..."

All the while she held him gently, like she would Alfie, one hand drawing soothing circles on his back, the other caressing his neck. She felt his arms slide around her in the middle of the song.

When she'd ended she wanted to pull away, but Jared tightened his hold on her.

She could feel his warm breath on her shoulder.

"Green Day?" he asked simply, pulling away so he could look into her eyes.

"Well, yes, it's sort of... well, a rather inappropriate lullaby, really. But it still works today. Of course the f-word was replaced with fudge. Sorry if I made you feel awkward-"

His finger on her lips stopped her. "You've just done an amazing thing, Nina. I haven't been held like this in a very long time. You made me feel... comfortable and warm. Loved." He almost sounded amazed. "Thank you."

She lowered her eyes and stared at his t-shirt instead. She'd never been good with niceties. Probably because most of her life she'd been exposed to criticism and scrutiny, so it was difficult for her to hear something nice about her. "You're welcome."

She was about to scoot back into her corner, when his hands on her arms stopped her. Her eyes shot up to his.

"Do you think you could keep doing that?" He sounded a bit nervous. "Holding me?"

She tried to hide her surprise. "Of course, let me just turn off the torch. Don't want to run out of battery when the networks are up again," she rambled.

Darkness engulfed them and this time he pulled her into him, her head resting against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat. It was strong and steady. His scent engulfed her, making her feel even more aware of how long it had been since a man had held her.

Her hands slipped around his torso, mindful of his bruised ribs on his left, then up his back, continuing where she had left off moments earlier.

She could feel him breathing in and releasing a long breath in almost a rumble.

She didn't know how long they were sitting this way, when he finally spoke.

"You smell lovely," he whispered next to her ear. His hands that before had held her still were now slowly tracing up and down her back. "And you feel so... soft."

She gulped at the sensory overload and his words.

"I moisturise professionally."

It was out of her mouth before she realised. She cringed at her own words.

He laughed warmly.

She turned her head, nuzzling into his neck. He felt so good, so warm. Real. He almost made her forget what situation they were in.

And then her thoughts caught up with her.

"This is a good hotel, yeah? They'll find us?" she whispered.

She could feel him sigh more than hear it.

"I hope so."

"What if not?" she voiced the unspoken fear.

His hand came up to her head, stroking her hair. For a long moment he said nothing. Then he moved her legs so she was straddling his lap now, pulling her closer.

"Then I'm in the best company to die."

She felt his soft lips press onto her forehead.

Suddenly, it was all too much. They were stuck in a lift, hanging goodness knew how many floors above the ground, held only by the emergency brakes. They currently had no way to communicate with the outside world. It was the middle of the night. It could be days until they were found.

She might never get to see Alfie again. Or her brother. Or a sunrise. A sunset. The mountains. Snow. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her breathing becoming more and more erratic. She felt the first tear roll down her cheek. It fell onto Jarod's t-shirt.

And then the air suddenly felt like tar creeping into her lungs, too slow, not enough.

"Breathe with me, Nina," she heard from what appeared to be far away. "In, out, in, out."

She concentrated on the calm voice, trying to do what it told her to.

She felt a set of hands gently cradling her face. She shakily drew in a breath and exhaled as instructed. And again. And again.

Her breathing calmed down, the ringing in her ears was gone.

"I'm so sorry," she croaked.

He pulled her head back into his chest. "It's okay, Nina. The situation's just catching up with you."

"Thank you," she whispered into his chest.

He hummed, kissing her temple. "It's alright. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I did."

She shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. I was just... having a moment."

He held her for a moment longer. "You feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," she automatically replied.

She thought about her words. Yes, she did feel fine. Surprisingly.

"Do you think we could lie on the floor? I'm knackered," Jared suddenly said.

"Of course," she agreed and quickly shuffled away to make space.

His hand shot out to hers in the dark, making her bite her lip hard, as he'd captured her aching left hand.

"I want to feel you next to me," he said. "If that's okay?"

She nodded her head, before she realised it was pitch black and he couldn't see her.

"Okay," she said quietly and let him pull her to him. They were lying on their right side, his body moulding into hers from behind. His arm snaked around her waist, splaying on her tummy, his head nestled into the crook of her neck.

She could feel his warm breath puffing against her sensitive skin, his beard scratching it, sending shivers down her spine.

He sighed and after a few minutes she could feel his breathing evening out. He was asleep. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off as well.