The lift doors dinged open, and I shuffled in, backpack bouncing slightly on my shoulders, headphones still in because—honestly—after a day of 3-year-olds screaming about finger paint disasters, I deserved at least five more seconds of my own bubble. I pressed 7, ready to escape to the sweet freedom of home.
The doors shuddered, about to close, when—oh no—someone else pressed a button from outside. I groaned inwardly.
And that's when the horror—I mean, thrill—hit me.
Three men. Three tall, muscular, obviously army men. All sweaty. All... very, very smelly.
"Oh gosh," I whispered to myself, just loud enough for my inner monologue to hear. "Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh."
One of them—tall, dark-haired, shoulders like they could bench press a small car—reached for a button. His number? 10.
Our eyes met. He smiled. Dimples. Heart-stopping dimples.
And I died a little inside.
"DARIAH! STOP IMAGINING THINGS!" my brain screeched at me.
Smelly... smelly... oh God, smelly... but so handsome.
I smiled weakly, like a nervous cartoon character.
The lift dinged. My floor. I practically launched myself out, hair bouncing in a messy bun, backpack slung haphazardly, pretending I wasn't entirely flustered by sweaty army men and dimples.
⸻
Ariff POV
"Daniel! Aku rasa dia tak boleh tahan bau kau!" I laughed, elbowing my brother who had pressed the button first.
"Riff... please eh... sebelum kita belah... aku da mandi... kau and Lukman yang tak mandi," Daniel shot back, waving a hand like the smell wasn't a problem for him.
We all laughed, the kind of laugh that made the lift smell even worse. But at least one of us got to feel proud of our natural... aroma.
I caught myself glancing at the lift door as it closed, a fleeting thought of a girl with her headphones, pretending she wasn't staring at me...
And yep. Totally smitten.
