It was a tiny indicator, and I almost missed it, but I was really paying attention this time. I'd been through great trauma already, and then he went and did that little thing that made me prick up my ears.
At first I thought it was just my imagination, but then I saw the way he touched my shoulder when I jumped at Geena's scream. His hand moving over my shoulder was a kind of touch that would have been benign if it had stayed long. I'd never held hands with anyone in elevator rides, except close relatives, but I was so lost in my embarrassment and anger and fear that I almost didn't notice it.
But his hand definitely slid away quickly when he saw my reaction to it. For a brief moment, his hand had lingered on my shoulder, and I'd almost leaned into his arm before I registered the movement and reality flooded back.
The hand sliding away from my shoulder was what made me prick up my ears. It would have been a normal human touch if I hadn't been so upset. If I hadn't been so agitated, I wouldn't even have noticed. I would have just thought it was Geena's screaming that made me jump.
It wasn't that nothing good had ever happened to me before, specially with my father's position in the company. I just couldn't remember anything like that ever happening to me.
It wasn't until after we'd all gotten out of there and were sitting back down at our desks that I realized what it was. I'd felt strange about Geena actually, ever since the day I caught her on her cell phone eyeing the executive on the elevator. I hadn't been able to call it off, since I hadn't been able to get his number off her.
I thought about how long the ride had seemed, and figured it had been around ten minutes. That was of course with my personal time given for being trapped by the power outage. He'd ridden with us just as long as the power outage had lasted. If the elevator hadn't been stuck, he would have gone to his company on the next floor.
He didn't wear a watch either, which I thought was strange for a CEO's son. I had a watch, and I looked at it often, out of habit. It was my one and only habit, and I thought it was a testament to how nervous I was that I hadn't checked it even once yet.
I looked up right then, and caught him looking at me again. It was strange how I could even notice that, since he was just staring at the wall. Nonetheless, he kept looking forward but then peered at me right behind his hands, his hands folded one over the other.
He continued staring at the wall until I risked a glance at him again. He was looking at me now, and he didn't look away when our eyes met.
I trusted him all of a sudden, the chief of security that had saved me from being dragged away to prison. I took a breath, and then I cringed as lightheadedness flooded my head. I stared at my desk and went on automatic pilot, flipping around in my chair. I felt the softness of his hand again, and the feeling made me jerk back and scoot away.
I hated that he knew I was scared, and that pissed me off. I said something I've never said.
"It's nothing," I said. "I didn't even notice."
He said nothing, and kept looking at me.
"Are you staring at me because I said something I need to know?" I asked. "I don't know anything about you, or any senior executives, and I don't need your help. Don't stare at me."
He dropped his gaze again and went back to looking out the windows.
I was surprised. Completely not expecting that. I didn't know what had caused it, or what it meant.
