Copyright Marie-Gail Stratford
The elevator takes three minutes to reach the 183rd floor.
Long enough for eyes to meet, and lips to smile.
“Monday,” he sighs.
“Soon comes round,” she says.
“Have a nice day!” they chorus.
By Tuesday they’ve exchanged names, and by Wednesday they’re lunching.
Thursday night they leave together, and Friday morning they enter the lift flushed, wearing the same outfits as the day before. Intimacy hangs like a steamy shower curtain within the confines of the whispering elevator.
Monday, she swerves abruptly towards an adjacent elevator.
He rolls his eyes.
“Needy,” he says.
“Aren’t they all?” agrees his colleague.
Hope everyone had a lovely Easter. The highlight of mine was finding out I’d been awarded second place in the Magic Oxygen Literary Prize 2015/16 with my story Finn. Aside from that, it was a cold, but sunny Easter with occasional heavy showers. Thanks to Rochelle for all her work on Friday Fictioneers. This week she’s reminding us about the courtesy of keeping our stories as close to 100 words as possible, so I’ve been sure to hit the wordcount squarely, even adding an adverb to do so. 🙂
castelsarrasin 
Congrats! I liked this story too.. whole lot of things left unsaid but implied.
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Thank you Lata. 🙂
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Ha, another short-lived office romance. I like the way you progressed it through the week. I’m imagining these guys as brash young “suits”.
Congratulations on your second place!
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“suits” is exactly what they are. Well-spotted. 🙂 And thank you.
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Dear Sandra,
Subtly layered with a stinging ending. You show us all how it’s done. Congratulations again on Finn. Stellar story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle. I’m coming down to earth now. 🙂
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Congratulations, Sandra on winning 2nd Prize in the Magic Oxygen Literary Prize 2015/16. You’re just winning these prizes right and left. That’s great! This was a good story, very realistic. Dating is certainly different than when I was doing it. I guess in a large city people feel more of a need to connect and stay connected. I loved the body language you used. Well done as always. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you Suzanne, glad you liked it.
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What a superbly crafted story! Loved it. Congrats on your 2nd Prize, going over there to read it.
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Thanks Lore, and thanks for taking the time to read Finn, too.
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Loved the hidden “steaminess” and the unsaid “need”.. Loved it..
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Thank you!
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Congratulations, and also on this steamy little piece
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Thank you Neil. 🙂 I like a little steam on Wednesdays.
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Men are pigs. Well done.
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Not all, I’ve found. But enough. 🙂 Thanks.
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First off: Congrats!
Second: What a great story… He got what he wanted; just took him a few days….definitely a playa!
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He was certainly a contender! 🙂 Thanks Dale.
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Love to hear her thoughts on him. Lovely take on the prompt
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Maybe I’ll do her side next week. Thanks Mike.
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Oh this is very written.
Loved the descriptions.
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Thank you!
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You go right ahead and add those adverbs, I don’t think writers don’t like adverbs, per se, I think it’s because they are so overused and used wrongly. 😉
Congratulations on the award, Sandra! Well-deserved, I’m very sure. And what a wonderful story for this week as well. I like the rhythm of it, the comedic feel and the conclusion satisfies. I give it five staircases.
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I’ll see your staircases and raise a smile. 🙂 Thanks Kent.
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Love your writings!
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Thank you Jude.
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Another great story, Sandra! One could write books and books about the things that go on in skyscrapers.
All my best,
Marie Gail
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Thanks MG – great photo.
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Thanks, Sandra. It’s by far not my favorite from our Chicago vacation last fall, but I’ve learned that the most polished, well-framed snapshots don’t always inspire the most fantastic stories.
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A very enjoyable story to read. So many things implied it stimulates me to add words for an even wordier story. Very crafty for a 100 word or so piece!
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Thanks Graham, glad you liked it.
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Love this short story, Sandra. Congrats on your award. Very exciting for you indeed. 🙂
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Thanks on both counts. 🙂
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That really is a whole story in few words. Excellently done.
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Thank you Mick. 🙂
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Geez..imagine spending every day now avoiding a certain elevator. You’ve set this up so I can do just that, imagine.
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A lot of wit and biting realism in this one. Well played madam 🙂
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Great snapshot of office life Sandra. I particularly liked the line ‘Intimacy hangs like a steamy shower curtain within the confines of the whispering elevator.’
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She’ll sure realize that he’s no loss. This is another fantastic story, and I laughed about the added adverb. Congrats on the award, I’ll go reading right away,
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Congratulations on Finn! I just read it, and it’s fascinating. I like the hopeful ending, too.
As for these office lovers, they must be very young. Once you’ve achieved a certain age, you’ve seen (or had) enough affairs to know how most of them end….
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Wonderful story and congratulations on your award!
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That title really sets the tone, doesn’t it? Anatomy of a relationship in one week. In a very, very tall building.
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Inside the spaces and secter places. Well done!
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Wow! Such a skillfully assembled a collage of gestures and dialogue. So much more than 100 words accomplished in that. Plus, I’m blushing.
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Sounds to me as if he’s the needy one – needing constantly to assert his macho self.
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Another great story for the prompt from you! Perfect word choices and such a complete story as well. Well done!
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Wit and wisdom in so little words. Another excellent piece Sandra!
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Another master class in short story writing.
Chapeau!
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Ah, the modern relationship:) Great story.
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Flash affair? 🙂
Lily
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easy come, easy go….
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I like the use of the week format here as if it’s just another week in the office. Here we go again. Well done, Sandra. Congrats on your award!! Excellent. You’re really cooking now.
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Congratulations on the award! You are a wonderful story-crafter. Good job this week!
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The incisive zip-zip of every word puts me in mind of the House of Flying Daggers film. Such economy. Such a vivid slice of life – and in several senses 🙂
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Oh, this is wonderful. What an ending! I actually said, “Oh, come on!” out loud to my screen when it finished, because honestly, that guy! And his colleague! I wanted to find your woman and give her a big hug. The movement in time through the week was beautifully done—so spare, yet it conveys an entire (albeit short) relationship. I loved the moment in the elevator, the steamy shower curtain, the whispering elevator—that whole moment is sensual, palpable. Lovely.
And congratulations on your short story success!
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Nicely written Sandra: “Intimacy hangs like a steamy shower curtain” was an excellent line
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A fast-paced story that lets us read between the lines–well done!
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everything is turning out to be ‘two minutes noodles’
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Oh the poor girl. Where’s the man who’ll meet her needs instead of taking advantage? Wonderfully drawn characters and scene – I’m always amazed by how thoroughly you build these stories.
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