Love Bites - Flash Fiction Competition - with Prizes!!

In the build up to Valentine's Day, the #FabFive are back with with another holiday themed Flash Challenge, this time hosted by Katheryn Avila , called Love Bites!

It runs from the 10th of February to the 21st of February - midnight to midnight EST (Eastern Standard Time)

And yes, there are prizes! 😃

1st Prize - $10 Amazon Gift Voucher

2nd Prize - $5 Amazon Gift Voucher

(NB. Amazon gift vouchers can be assigned to the country of the entrant - such as amazon UK gift vouchers)

The prompts for the theme are:

• Enemies to Lovers
• Trapped in an Elevator
• Forbidden Love
• Secret Billionaire
• The Fake Relationship

So give us the tales of love won, lost, and kicked to the curb, and add them to the link on Katheryn Avila's website. (click on the picture below).

Be aware that it may take a couple of weeks after this date to finalise the winners (there are five of us in different time zones, so it can take a while to discuss and decide!) so don't worry if you don't hear anything straight after the deadline.

Here is my entry below - which is, of course, not ineligible for the prizes, as are none of the hosts entries. I went with the Trapped in Lift trope, and although I tried to think of a way for this to not turn out well, I couldn't. Meh, I'm a romantic at heart!

Caught

Gareth couldn’t believe his luck when Vanessa pushed into the already crowded lift and his plans immediately changed. He was no longer going to the roof to do prep work for his latest assignment; he was going to see where she was going.

She’d been Gareth’s personal project for some time now. He’d followed her all over the city. It had reaffirmed one thing: Vanessa was way out of his league. Tall, good looking, confident women like her didn’t notice small unassuming men like him, although in truth that was what he wanted – he’d built an entire career around it.

By the time the lift reached the top floor of the thirty storey building, it was down to the two of them. She wanted the ground floor but being the only lift in a complex of over a hundred apartments, it was wait or brave the stairs. Like him, she lived above the tenth floor so you learnt to be patient.

When he didn’t get out, she glanced at him.

‘Yeah, I don’t know who pressed it,’ he said with a shrug.

She pressed the G button again to get the lift moving. He tried to think of something to say but couldn’t.

The lift rattled a bit and Vanessa glanced nervously at the ceiling. Then it let out a squeal and shuddered to a halt. They both waited, nothing happened.

‘Should we jump or something?’ she said with a half laugh.

‘I don’t know. Do you want to try?’

They looked at each other.

‘What if it plummets?’ she said.

‘My thought’s exactly.’ They both laughed, releasing some of the tension.

‘Is there a call button?’ Gareth stepped forward and pressed the red emergency button. There was a ringing and then a tinny voice asked what the problem was. He reported where they were and was told someone would resolve it shortly.

It occurred to Gareth that this was his chance – if he was honestly interested in this woman, rather than just stalking her.

‘You live on 11^th , don’t you?’ he said.

‘Yeah, and your on 12^th, aren’t you?’

Her reply surprised him.

‘Yeah, I’m in 12b.’

‘Thought so, I’ve got a friend in 12a and she’s mentioned you a few times.’

‘Really?’ He felt his face redden. Were there women in the building talking about him?

She giggled; a sound that raised his heart rate. ‘Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. She’s single and notices all the guys around her, especially the single ones.’

‘Is that right?’ She knew he was single. He felt exposed. He didn’t like being observed by others – he was the one who watched people for a living.

‘Have you seen her? Would you be interested?’

Was she serious? The woman he’d had a crush on for over a year was trying to fix him up with his neighbour.

‘She’s not my type.’

Vanessa’s smile faltered. ‘Oh sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed you were into women.’

Shit! That wasn’t what he meant. ‘No, no, it’s not that. I’m into women; I just have someone else in mind at the moment.’

She let out a breath. ‘Oh good, I haven’t offended you.’

He smiled. 

‘Can I be nosey and ask who?’

This was his chance, his moment, but her frankness caught him off guard.

‘Erm … you can, but I might not answer.’

Did he really just say that?

‘Oh.’ She blushed, embarrassed. He glanced away embarrassed too and annoyed with himself.

Then just as he planned to come clean, there was a crackle on the speaker and the tinny voice announced they’d be moving any minute.

There was a clunk and the lift jerked causing Vanessa to stumble. Gareth caught her, and she let him pull her in close. She was almost a full head taller and he could smell her hair.

‘It’s you,’ he said. He felt her body tense.

She looked down at him, her grey-green eyes registering surprise, but she didn’t pull away.

Then the lift jostled one last time and started moving.

She still didn’t pull away and he didn’t release his hold.

‘Oh’ is all she said before leaning down and kissing him.

The ting of their arrival on the ground floor broke the kiss and they pulled apart. She looked flushed.

‘I’ve got to go, but you’ve got my number, right?’

He smiled. ‘I do.’

‘Call me.’

And with that she was gone. He just stood there grinning while people piled into the lift to go back up.