Jacob stood frozen. Time had seemingly slipped away; a single second felt like it was taking a lifetime to pass. Jacob surveyed the girl in front of him. Blonde hair, red lips and a scarlet ribbon tied above her ear. Her eyes were bluer than the sky, and she wore glasses with thick square frames. She was dressed in formal attire and carried a small bag by her side. Quite a lot of people worked in the public service, and there were more people in his building than he could count; some of them working from home and only coming into their office on odd days. Most of them would pass him by without him even batting an eyelid. In fact, he was sure that he passed many people regularly in his way in and out of work, many people who he wouldn’t recognise at all. But he was sure that he hadn’t seen her before; he would definitely remember if he had.

His hesitation must have seemed apparent, because the girl looked up at him and for half a second their eyes locked. Jacob’s heart started pounding in his chest and he broke eye contact straight away. Then he stepped forward. He dared to steal another look at her – his eyes flicked back up briefly and brushed over her. The girl was staring down at her shoes, with rosy cheeks and a smile on her face, a smile that was as warm as a clear summer’s day. It seemed that she herself had not dared to look at him again. He turned to the buttons on the side of the lift and pressed the button for the first floor. He noticed the button for the second floor was also lit up. That must be where she was getting off.

He stepped back beside her as the large steel double doors of the lift rattled to a close. The lift began its descent. A hearty silence had settled between them. In his peripherals he noticed the girl turn to him – as if she was going to speak – but then she turned away and continued to look down at her shoes. Maybe he could break the silence. He summoned the courage and opened his mouth to say something, anything. He mustered breath in his lungs to speak, even though he didn’t know what to say. But his heart began to pick up pace and he started to question how awkward he would sound, probably mumbling a bunch of nonsense. Before he knew it, his mouth was closed again. The lift continued its descent.

Floor 14.

Silence.

Floor 13.

They both stared ahead at the silver doors in front of them.

Floor 12.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Was he going to say something? Could he?

Floor 11.

A single moment. It was now or never.

Floor 10.

He could. He had to.

Floor 9.

‘Courage dear heart,’ Jacob said aloud without even thinking.

The girl turned and looked at him, her face fascinated, but also slightly confused. Without saying anything Jacob nodded his head towards her unzipped handbag. Suddenly she noticed that her copy of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was sticking out awkwardly.

The girl laughed warmly, and pulled the book out from her handbag.

Floor 8.

‘You’re a fan of Lewis then?’ the girl asked. Her voice was soft and sweet.

Floor 7.

Jacob unzipped his own bag and pulled out an old book with a tattered cover. Surprised by Joy.

Floor 6.

‘That’s a good one!’ She remarked.

Floor 5.

‘I think so,’ Jacob replied ‘but there aren’t really as many talking animals as I would like!’

Floor 4.

‘Or fauns or nymphs. But don’t worry – someday you’ll be old enough to start reading fairytales again,’ the girl giggled and held out her copy of Narnia toward him, ‘it’s a special edition hard cover. Have a look. I think you’ll be impressed.’

Floor 3.

Jacob took the book from her and examined it closely. Blue and golden with an illustration of a large boat on the front, sailing through the wild sea – indeed it was quite beautiful, and soft to touch. The pages glistened white, and it smelled of…roses and honey.

Floor 2.

There was a loud ding and the doors opened.

‘That’s me!’ she said, ‘nice to meet you.’

The girl stepped briskly out of the elevator. Jacob waved awkwardly as the doors came to a close with a jolt, and then he found himself staring blankly at nothing, it seemed, caught in a joyful daydream. The lift descended slowly towards the first floor. He looked back down at the copy of Narnia that he held in his hands, admiring the cover, admiring the pages, admiring her beauty. And that was when he realised that hadn’t given back her book. Oh. It was an honest mistake – but inwardly his heart was joyful. He now had an excuse to talk to her again.

Jacob broke into a sprint almost as soon as the doors opened at level one. He ran into the lobby and then up the stairs. Jacob searched for the next half an hour but there was absolutely no sign of the girl who had captivated him. He shouldn’t really have expected much more – there were so many people around. Crowds of them leaving. There were hallways and cubicles and offices he didn’t think he was allowed into. It had been a long shot; one that he had surely missed.

Soon Jacob found himself dawdling along the sidewalk back towards his apartment. The sun was setting, the sky was a scarlet red, and the streetlights were just turning on. He didn’t even look to see where he was going. Instead Jacob held the book in front of his face. He opened it suddenly something had been written on the inside of the front cover.

Penellope.

At least, now, he knew her name. A book in exchange for a heart. He wondered if it was a fair trade.