Drag Me Down

Chapter 4

The next morning at work, I got there first. Well, before Trace. I hurried to our office to get a head start on work. I had thought about him more than was normal for me. I needed to stop, I was being ridiculous. However, I wondered about some things. Like that moment when the boss walked in. What if she didn't? Also, what was he going to dare me to do? I truly wondered but steered my mind back toward my work. I felt somehow that Emma would become a close friend. She might be presumptuous, but she was a great woman. And I didn't have many friends, at least not ones that were close to me. Trace entered, a look of surprise at seeing me there before he was. I pretended not to notice him.

"Morning, Christine." He acknowledged me.

"Wow, calling me by my name for once!" I exclaimed with fake shock.

"Hmm, do you miss the nickname 'Cutie'?" He asked, eyeing me from his desk across the room. Did I? Of course not. No. How could I?

"No." I snapped. Okay, I shouldn't have been so rude.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"Wow, an apology. That's even more shocking than me calling you Christine." He tilted his head to look toward me. I rolled my eyes.

"Believe it or not, I do apologize when needed." I defended myself. Trace looked thoughtful.

"So you mean everything else that you say?" I frowned. Where was he going with this?

"Yes, of course." I said, confused. His eyes had a strange look, almost like... that's when it hit me. I'd seen that look in his eyes before. The night he drove me home. It was when I told him I hated him. My eyes met his with the realization.

"I told you I don't hate you. But you, on the other hand..." His voice drifted off. For once, he wouldn't meet my eyes. His arrogant attitude was gone. Oh.

"Oh." I didn't mean to speak out loud, but I understood. I had told him I hated him.

All through the day, I couldn't forget about saying that. Every time i saw him, my words echoed back. Finally, minutes turned into hours, and it became night. We were the only two still at work.

I walked to his desk.

"Trace." He lifted his eyes from his typing to look at me, questioning. Deep in his eyes, there was a slight look of hurt. He was covering it.

"I don't..." My voice drifted off.

"I don't hate you." I whispered. His eyes flickered to me, then back to his laptop.

"Trace...I'm sorry." I really felt bad now.

"Cutie, tell me. How do you feel?" The last part came out a whisper as he rounded his desk toward me. He stopped, not far from me at all.

"How do I feel?" I was breathless. "I-" the sudden darkness shocked me, and I squealed.

"Christine?" He asked.

"Why did the lights go off?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. I think the power went out, we've been having issues with it." I heard him run his hand across his desk until he found something. His cell phone. He turned the flashlight on, and we were illuminated in the darkness.

"Stay next to me" Trace called. I followed him so I could stay in the light. We walked to the front door, and he tried it. Locked, as usual. Our security was high profile, due to some recent vandalism. You had to type the password in for the door from the inside and outside. He tried the door. Let his hand drop.

"Christine, don't be alarmed. But this door? The keypad is run from electricity."

What did that mean? Oh...great.

"So...are we stuck here until the electricity comes back on?" I asked, hoping the answer was no.

"Sorry to say, but all of the doors are run like this. I tried to suggest having keys as an alternative, but you know how the boss is." He didn't say we were stuck, but I knew that's what he meant.

"What should we do?" I asked, my voice sounding thin. I could feel him near me in the dark.

"The windows have electric locks as well. We're stuck." He confirmed my thinking. How unfortunate. I was stuck in a dark building. With Trace Parker.

"I do know where the boss stores extra snacks."

His voice broke through the darkness.

"Great. I'm starving." I told him. He led me up a flight of stairs, and into a small room with cabinets.

"Find what you want, the boss doesn't mind." He assured me.

I opened a cabinet, and a whole assortment of snacks could be seen. All my favorites, too. I grabbed a few things, and so did Trace. We walked silently back downstairs. We sat next to each other on our office floor.

"You never answered my question, Cutie." Trace's voice whispered through the dark.

"You mean how do I feel about you?" I asked, my heart racing.

"That's the one."

"Trace..." I felt his hand gently resting on my arm.

"Gonna answer?" He whispered.

I had to know where he was. Reaching out, I slid my hand against his jawline. He sucked in a breath, and my breath caught. My hand followed the outline of his face. Reached the corner of his lips. He was close. Less than a few inches away. I could feel his ragged breathing against my lips as I considered what I was doing.

"I dare you." He whispered. I never backed down from a challenge. Sliding my other hand to grab his collar, I pulled him merely an inch away.

"Challenge accepted." I whispered, setting my lips against his. I had a sharp intake of breath at the contact. His hand came up behind my head, and he took over. My back pushed against the wall, and yet he still came closer, his lips moving against mine, one hand pulling at the top button of my shirt. His body pushed tight against me as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back, his hands moving to my waist.

"No." I whispered.

"Christine, we're alone in this building. If that happens again..." His voice trailed off, and I understood. We couldn't get carried away.