It Happened One Night [COMPLETED]

Chapter 6 - "They say I'm a 'fitness god'?"

Ezra took the lead as they started their climb. He started at a brisk pace, reminding Liv to focus only on the step in front of them, instead of the daunting thought of climbing sixty flights of stairs. The exercise worked until their legs started to tire after the first ten flights.

After the eleventh flight, Liv had to hold onto the railing to support herself. By the twentieth, she was out of breath and moving slowly. Ezra still managed to move faster because of his longer legs, but Liv could hear his labored breathing. But they didn't stop. Even though there was only a silver to hope that Liv's plan would work, it was enough to keep them moving.

They reached the thirtieth floor and Liv finally spoke up. "I need water," she said, her breath raspy from fatigue. Ezra only nodded as he finished climbing the last few steps and sat on the top one. Liv pulled herself the rest of up the way but didn't join him on the step. If she sat now, she might never get up again.

Even exhausted she had enough sense to pause outside the door leading to the offices before she slowly opened it. As she pulled it open, the hallway looked familiar and she realized this was the same floor they had just been on. There had been a sink and a fridge in the small kitchen where they had hidden and she knew she would find water there.

She didn't even pay attention to whether Ezra was following her as she walked down the hallway, her mind on only one thing. Water. She still paused at the end of the hallway to make sure the coast was clear before she walked into the open space and into the kitchen.

She ripped the fridge door open but the shelves were empty except for a few bottles of condiments. She turned to the sink and found Ezra looking through the cabinets. He pulled out two mugs, filled them with water and handed her the first one. She accepted it gratefully and drank the whole cup in one go.

After drinking two more cups of water, Liv set her mug on the counter and took a deep breath. The tap water left a sour after taste in her mouth, but it was a small price to pay for the refreshment it had brought. She leaned against the counter and at the slightest relief, her legs began to give out and she sank to the ground.

A moment later, Ezra joined her on the ground. They sat in silence for a while, catching their breath. It made Liv feel better that Ezra was also out of breath. A random piece of office gossip popped into her head and she smiled. "I thought you were supposed to be some fitness god."

He looked at her slowly. "What?"

She laughed at his incredulous look. "That's what people in the office say."

"What do you mean by 'people'?"

"Oh, you know the secretaries. They talk. A lot."

He looked at her like he didn't believe her. "They say I'm a 'fitness god'?" He hesitated using the ridiculous term.

She nodded. "And you only sleep four hours at night. And you drink this smoothie every morning that gives you extra energy and your luscious hair."

This made him laugh. "I didn't realize I was interesting enough for people to talk about."

She scoffed and gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm sure you know exactly how much people talk about you. You are the golden boy of the firm."

He started to argue but stopped when she narrowed her gaze.

"Fine," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I am aware that people talk about me. But, I didn't know they said such crazy things."

She accepted that answer with a shrug. They returned to silence for a minute before he broke it.

"They don't really say those things, do they?"

She nodded her head as she slowly began to move. "They really do. You would be surprised how much free time the secretaries have on their hands, and how much their voices carry from the kitchen to my desk."