Kadin tapped the butt of his pen against the side of his iPad case. It bounced off the silicone in a way that was cathartic to his lizard brain and made it easier to focus on his rough sketch. Gray lines vaguely resembling a person sat on the screen, surrounded by the rough shapes of flowers and mushrooms. The figure's hand was up like they were holding something, but he hadn't decided what yet. He leaned his head back and squeezed his eyes shut while flexing his fingers.
A faint chattering came from Rukiya's side of the elevator. He'd been hearing it for a few minutes now. He asked once already if she was alright, and she insisted she was fine—even though it was obvious she wasn't. Not after what he heard on the phone. Not after he saw how tightly she bundled her body into her jacket. With the lights out, he couldn't see, but the chattering alone indicated her discomfort.
Kadin reached into his bag and pulled out his keys. Attached to the rings was a little flashlight he used to navigate the parking lot at his old workplace at night. He flipped the switch and pointed it up at the ceiling. Dim light filled the elevator and illuminated Rukiya, huddled in her corner, all but engulfed by her coat.
"Hey," he said gently. "You alright."
"Yeah, I'm f-f-fine." She tucked her hands in the crooks of her knees and hunched over like a shrimp.
"No, you're not. I can hear your teeth chattering from here." Kadin pressed his palms on the ground and sat up straighter. "Do you always get cold easily?" While it was chilly in the elevator, her jacket was thick and fur-lined, something he'd wear in subzero weather back home.
Rukiya was silent for a long time, and when she finally spoke, her voice was small. "I'm anemic."
"Ah." That explained it. He extended a hand. "Come on."
She stared at his hand for a long moment before meeting his eyes. "You're not serious. We couldn't. I couldn't. That would be inappropriate."
"You're freezing, and we're going to be stuck in this elevator all night. Now is not the time to get shy." He patted the ground beside him. "I can only give you my word that I won't do anything inappropriate."
Several minutes of silence passed between them. Kadin wondered for a moment if he was being too forward. He thought perhaps she wouldn't mind, especially after he'd pissed in a bottle a few feet away from her. Just when he was about to turn back to his drawing, Rukiya picked up her bag and shuffled to his side. A whiff of something fruity tickled his nose as she settled into the crook of his arm.
As his hand settled on her arm, he could feel her shivering like a leaf in the wind. She kept her arms tight against her midsection and her shoulders hunched. He'd been through some tough winter storms back home, the kinds that piled snow high, knocked out the power and kept him bundled up in bed for hours.
"Uh, here."He dug into his bag and pulled out the wool beanie his father had knitted for him. He'd thrown in on that morning to protect his hair from the wind.
"Don't you need it?" she asked, frowning at the hat.
Kadin shook his head. "I'm fine. Winters in Illinois are brutal. I've learned to cope."
She took the beanie and secured it over her braids, and he had to admit, she looked cuter wearing it than he ever did. "Thanks. I can't function at all when I'm cold."
"No problem at all. Can I offer you some M&Ms?" He pulled the little yellow pouch from his bag.
"Ah, I see you've been holding out on me. To think I offered you a whole sandwich and latte." She snatched the bag of candy and tore it open.
Kadin gave a small smile. "In my defense, I'd forgotten I had them. Everything before the interview is a blur." He picked up his pen and made a new layer to start on his line art.
"You think you'll get the job?"
He paused mid-stroke, a cold lump of dread forming in his stomach. It wouldn't be hard for him to find another job if this one fell through—software engineers were in high demand, and he had both knowledge and experience. But that wasn't what he wanted to do. This, right here, in front of him, was what he wanted to do.
Coming to Hapton was his new beginning. He wasn't going back to that old, vicious cycle. Even if it meant starving on the side of the street until a golden opportunity fell in his lap.
"I hope so," he finally answered.
Rukiya was quiet for a moment. "There's a lot riding on this, huh?"
"How could you tell?"
"Because I was like you once. I rode into Hapton with nothing but the money in my savings account and two suitcases. There's a reason they call Hapton the city of dreams. It'll either make your dreams come true or it'll crush them and leave you a broken mess, begging for your next meal." She shook a few M&Ms out into her hand.
"I'm guessing your dreams came true, then?" he asked.
"Yeah. The city was nice to me. I hope it's nice to you too. But if not, don't let your pride and ego keep you here. If there's something better back in Illinois, then go back to Illinois."
Kadin winced. That wasn't what he wanted to hear, but perhaps what he needed to hear. "I had better, but I left it behind because it wasn't the better I wanted."
Rukiya stilled with an M&M halfway to her mouth. "Don't tell me you left your wife and children to come here."
"N-no. It's nothing like at all. I just..." He trailed off and breathed a sigh. "I had a really good paying job as a software engineer. But it was..."
"Stressful. And you weren't happy. So you left." She nodded. "I've heard this spiel before. Does your family know you're here?"
He shook his head. "I wanted to tell them, but I..." He couldn't even use his words anymore. It was just better that his mom and dad didn't know. At least for now.
"Oh no," Rukiya said. "Does your family suck too?"
"No. My mom and dad are super supportive. They brag about me a lot, tell everyone how I graduated with honors and how successful I've become. You know how parents are." He raked his free hand through his hair. "I don't want to lose that. I don't want to be the family embarrassment."
"Well, it sounds like they suck then."
He made a face. "I just said they don't."
"If they're as great and supportive as you say they are, then they won't be embarrassed or angry. But if they are, then they suck. I mean, you must have been pretty damn miserable to leave a stable job for this." She gestured vaguely at their surroundings.
Kadin breathed a laugh. "I wish you would stop making sense."
"Hey," she said with a yawn. "You deserve to be happy."
"You too. Which is why you shouldn't be with someone who makes you cry, Rukiya." That conversation she had with her boyfriend had been hard to listen to. If he didn't know any better, he would've thought them embittered exes, not two people who were supposed to be in love with each other.
"I know. I know. It wasn't always like this." She slouched. "He used to be so nice and I... I really don't know where things went wrong."
"Well, have you talked to him about it?" He wished he had some sage advice to give her too, but he was no relationship expert—unless they were talking about failed relationships. He had plenty of those.
"I haven't. I mean, I've been thinking about it. I know I should, but I'm worried there's not fixing this. There's no fixing us. I don't know what I did to make him hate me so."
Kaiden paused halfway through drawing a flower petal. "What makes you think it was something you did?"
She shrugged. "I'm a bit of a workaholic, but I make as much time as I can for us. It wasn't a problem before..."
"Tell you what, how about we make a little promise?" He held out his pinky. "When we get out of here, I'll tell my parents the truth and you'll have a proper talk with your boyfriend. Deal?"
Rukiya stared at his hand for a moment before nodding. "Alright." She linked her pinky with his. "Deal."
They lapsed into silence again and he went back to drawing flower petals and mushroom caps, actively avoiding the figure that was supposed to be the center of the piece. Rukiya leaned more into him, her head resting on his shoulder, and he got another lungful of her fruity scent. She fit snugly into his side.
Almost like she belonged there. He gave himself an internal kick. Don't be weird. He focused instead on filling out the ground of his drawing with flowers and added trees in the background. When he zoomed out, what he saw was a sketchy outline surrounded by fleshed out flora. That's what lack of planning did to a drawing.
Kadin tapped his pen against his iPad case and sighed. Outside, the sounds of the storm grew louder—the wind, the debris hitting the building.
"Hey, are you warm enough?" he asked Rukiya. No response. When he looked down, her eyes were closed, and her shoulders rose and fell with even breaths. From his vantage point, he could see the stubborn baby hairs that escaped her braids laying on her forehead.
Kadin smiled. "Guess you are." He turned back to his drawing, zoomed in on the head of the figure and began adding features to its face. Eyes half closed, but dark and inquisitive, full lips. He drew in her hairline and mapped out each of her individual braids, added curling lines for the stubborn baby hairs.
And when he lifted his pen and assessed the line art, he smiled.