when stars collide || a marylily fanfic

2. Spinning out of Nothingness

25 May. London, England.

"Hold the door!" She shouted and started to run again, but there was no point. The door had already fallen shut behind the man. She let out a string of curses and pressed herself against the wall, trying to find shelter under the small roof, rummaging through her bag for the keys.

She hated opening the doors. A few months ago, a new security system had been installed, changing the tried and tested keys for little round devices. They had to be held in front of the lock and a button needed to be pressed. At the same time, you needed to push and pull the door – simultaneously.

Lily took a deep breath before trying to open the door. Nothing happened. Another curse left her lips. Of course, this had to happen today. Today when it was raining buckets and she had forgotten her umbrella. A little voice in her head – clearly more adult than she was – reminded her that the rain was good for nature since a hot summer was expected, but right now not even the thought of happy plants could make her get over her misery.

"Need any help?"

Lily flinched and turned around to see her colleague and close friend Mary next to her, carrying an umbrella in one and a little tray with two cups of coffee in the other hand.

"You're my saviour," Lily exclaimed.

Mary chuckled. "Don't let Jesus hear you say that," she said, and handed over the umbrella and coffee to Lily, before pulling out her own keys and swiftly unlocking the door. "It's easy, really, once you get the hang of it."

Lily shook her head and followed her into the building. "It's not, though. How am I supposed to push and pull at the same time?"

"You push the door while pressing the button and when it beeps, you pull."

If it had been anyone else, Lily would've been furious at the tone Mary used. She hated being talked down to, but as they were friends – it didn't bother her as much.

"Why didn't you tell me you were walking in the middle of," Mary gestured towards the big windows that surrounded the lobby, "whatever that is."

It was rather unusual weather, Lily had to admit that. Outside a full thunderstorm was brewing, dark clouds hanging low on the morning sky, and she could hear the thunder growling in the distance.

"Thunderstorms aren't meant to happen in the morning," she mumbled, unsure if Mary, who was repeatedly slamming the elevator button, had even heard her. "It wasn't even that bad."

"Sure," Mary said, sarcasm seeping through her voice. "So, the trail was intentional?"

Lily turned around. Mary was right. A little trail of water drops, trickling down from her hair and clothes was where she'd just walked. "It's only water. It'll dry."

"And leave spots. The cleaners are going to murder you."

The elevator came and the two entered. Lily pushed the button for the fifth floor and turned to look at Mary. "Are you seriously shaming me for taking public transportation? In this climate?"

Mary narrowed her eyes. "You're not shaming me for driving the car that I worked hard to be able to afford?"

"No," said Lily. "I'm mostly shaming you because you go out of your way to drive through London traffic instead of taking the tube like everyone else. And the parking. Jesus."

"That's the second time you've compared me to Jesus today," Mary said and winked at her.

Lily grinned. "Don't let it get into your head."

The elevator stopped on the third floor, opened and a man entered. Silence hung heavy in the air as they drove another two stories up. Upon leaving, they mumbled a quick goodbye to the man, before the door closed behind them.