Imperfect Desires

Walking up to the elevator, Dylan's words kept running around in her mind. "You're nothing like her." What bothered her was that 'her'. Who was that 'her', he was referring to? In a daze, she got on the elevator and pressed the button for her floor.

She wasn't dumb enough to not even figure out that, he was talking about Darren's ex-girlfriend but the way Dylan said it, was bothering her. Because from his way of speaking, that 'her' seemed really important. Okay, it was official, she was jealous. It was weird but she had already started hating that 'her' in her mind. There was no point in having good feelings for your potential 'love rival.'

Xiu was jolted awake when the elevator came to an abrupt halt. She held the metal handrail on instinct and as her eyes focused, only then did she realize that she was all alone in the elevator. Her heart shook violently at this realization.

She felt like the walls started to close in and she wanted to punch her way out but her body was stiff. She couldn't feel her limbs at all. Her stomach lurched, adrenaline pumped and she could only scream out with wide eyes filled with fear. No, she wasn't claustrophobic. But for some reason, this body had a deep-rooted fear of elevators. That was the reason Xiu never took an elevator alone. She'd either wait for someone else to join her or just take the stairs.

However, today she was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice this detail that the elevator was empty. The unconscious fear inside of her burst out, even more, when the lights turned off, leaving only darkness behind. Breathing felt like torture to her as her heart rate speed up.

She rummaged out her cellphone for light but her body lurched forward as the elevator started dropping at a whooping speed and the phone fell with a thud. All she saw was darkness around her as she tried to scream but her voice didn't come out this time around.

She closed her eyes as she felt like she was falling into an abyss. It was neverending, dark and hopeless. At this point, she didn't know whether it was sweat or tears rolling down her face. The elevator stopped with a jerk after what felt like an eternity. And as the elevator stopped, Xiu's limbs gave up on her and she fell on the ground. As the light seeped in slowly as the elevator door opened, everything became fuzzy; then she saw nothing at all. All her energy drained away as she blacked out. 

Her last thought before blacking out was, "Xiu, you can't die like this! You still have to tell him that you're Chen Xiu. You still have to tell him that... You love him."

She heard someone screaming and it sounded like herself. Then she saw herself or more like Bai Xiu in an elevator. Punching the walls, making her knuckles ache and bleed. "Get me out of here! Save me! Someone, anyone!" Her cries for her help were unheard while he bellowed to the point her throat was left sore.

With a loud scream, Xiu opened her eyes and saw the white lights that were illuminating the room. 

"Are you awake? Let me call the doctor," she heard an unfamiliar masculine voice but didn't pay attention to it. Her focus was on her trembling body and shaky nerves. She looked around at the hospital room and her confusion increased even more. She was lost.

When the doctor came to examine her, she still was staring blankly at everything. "Do you remember what happened?" inquired the doctor.

"The elevator... It stopped and then the lights went off. After that, it started falling," her voice and body shook involuntarily at the reminder of that feeling.

The doctor looked at the man behind him and raised his brows inquiringly. The man came up to Xiu's side and said, "Miss, are you sure about that? I know the elevator stopped working but only for two minutes because of some technical glitch. The lights never went off and the elevator didn't fall."

Xiu looked at the unfamiliar man and the creases between her brows increased as she kept staring at him. "How is that possible?" she didn't know who she was asking that. Then she recalled the cries for help she just heard in her dream and her eyes widened in shock. "Was Bai Xiu trapped in an elevator? When? Why? How?" she muttered to herself like a mentally unstable person and kept going, "Is that why I feel unfounded fear in elevators?"

The questions were plenty in her head but the answer was none.

The doctor observed her condition and took the man to a side saying, "She isn't like that because of claustrophobia. It's highly likely that she's suffering from PTSD. Her mind played a trick and she felt like she was reliving that same situation of being trapped in an elevator all over again."

"That explains why she was unconscious for the whole night," said that man in a denim attire. "Anything serious?"

"She just needs rest," said the doctor and added, "Besides, we are administering the medicine to relieve her mental stress. Let her stay for some observation."

When the doctor left the room, the man went to Xiu's side again and saw her still mumbling to herself. He coughed a little to catch her attention and succeeded when Xiu was a bit startled. She looked at him questioningly and he said, "I found you in the elevator. Your body was ice cold, you're soaked in sweat, the heartbeat was erratic. So, I took no chances and brought you straight to the hospital."

"Oh," was the only word Xiu managed to say in reply before she shook her head and said, "I mean thank you very much for your help. And sorry for troubling you."

"As long as you're fine, it's alright," said the man and smiled at her. Xiu found his smile charming and warm. He looked to be in his late twenties but he was handsome. Had a mature vibe and a charming appeal. "By the way, I still don't know your name. You had nothing on you except for your phone which broke from the fall."

"Ah, I'm Bai Xiu, nice to meet you," Xiu introduced herself politely.

"Xin Xiaoli," he told his name and added, "And likewise, it's a pleasure meeting you."