Kadin checked his phone for the umpteenth time and disappointment dragged his shoulders down when he saw nothing from Rukiya. When he'd texted her the details of the event, she'd said she was boarding a flight to Ohio for a speaking engagement. That was three days ago, and he'd heard nothing since. He'd fucked up. He shouldn't have been so forward, knowing she'd just broken up with her boyfriend.

At the time, he'd thought he was just being nice, and maybe trying to pay her back or buying him lunch. It was fun hanging with her, and she said she enjoyed his company too. Maybe she was just being nice?

Kadin sighed and took a long pull from his beer and watched the fire fighters top off the twenty foot high stack of logs they'd been working on for the past half hour. The metal skewers, sausages and marshmallows he'd brought, sat waiting in his cooler bag. He'd brought enough to share, but it seemed he'd have no one to share them with.

Tobias sat at one of the other stone benches surrounding the site of the bonfire with his date—another local streamer he'd met through Twitch. He'd abandoned Kadin to drag her off to the line of grills under the pavilion the moment she'd arrived, and Kadin had been sitting alone nursing his beer since.

A group of squealing children ran by him, chasing each other under the strings of light connecting the trees together. He should at least try to have a good time. It was his first social gathering since moving out here and he was spending it moping over a beer when he could gorge himself on barbecue and cotton candy.

Just as he was about to stand, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He expected to see Tobias hovering over him with a fresh beer and a smug grin. But no.

Rukiya stood behind him, a small smile playing on her lips. Her hair was no longer braided, but in twists that fell to her chin and she wore a fur-lined jacket with the hood halfway covering her head. She looked cute, comfy.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, taking the seat next to him. "My flight just got in two hours ago."

It took Kadin a moment to find his voice. "Oh, don't worry about it. They have lit the bonfire yet, so you're right on time."

"Good." She pulled her hood down. "I apologize for ghosting. My trip got a little hectic, ended up having to switch hotels and got next to no sleep before I had to get up on stage."

He grimaced. "But your talk went well?"

"As well as it could," she said with a shrug. "So what's this bonfire about?"

"It's in aid of the Saint Joseph's orphanage on the other side of town. I think the fire department arranges it. A bunch of the local restaurants donated food and some local artists set up a thing by the lake."

"Sounds nice. I hardly ever get to come to these low key, family friendly events." Rukiya nudged him with her shoulder. "Thanks for inviting me."

He hid his coy smile behind his beer. "I was going to grab a fresh drink; you want anything? They have barbecue, popcorn, cotton candy, and once the bonfire starts, I have some marshmallows and links." He patted the cooler beside him.

She arched a brow. "Surprise me."

"You got it." He stood, and barely held back his grin as he floated towards the pavilion. Seeing Rukiya had immediately sent his mood soaring. He was so lost in his euphoria that he didn't hear Tobias fall into step with him.

"Was that elevator girl I saw?" he asked, his voice a sly falsetto.

Kadin rolled his eyes. "For the last time, Tobias, she has a name." He made a beeline for the row of grills and ordered some pulled pork and brisket with mac and slaw on Tobias' recommendation. Then it was off to the bar for drinks. He grabbed a beer for himself and a peach iced tea for Rukiya.

By the time they got back out to the benches, the bonfire was lit—a twenty-foot tall blinding blaze—and people stood around it warming their hands. Tobias' date was sitting across from Rukiya, chatting her up like they were old friends. Kadin slid the plates of barbecue atop the stone table and handed a peach iced tea to Rukiya.

"Oh, hey, you must be Kadin." Tobias' date extended a hand. "Haley."

"Nice to meet you."

She bumped Tobias with her shoulder. "You didn't tell me you knew Rukiya."

"Well, we don't really know each other," Rukiya corrected as she opened the plate of brisket. "I met him through Kadin."

Tobias shrugged and took a swig from his beer. "You didn't tell me you knew elevator girl."

"Elevator girl?" Haley repeated.

Kadin pinched the bridge of his nose while Rukiya laughed. He was going to throttle Tobias when they got home. "Tobias, didn't you want to show Haley the art walk?"

"Yeah, sure, we'll leave you alone," Tobias said, putting his hands up in surrender. "Come on Hales."

Haley threw a wave over her shoulder. "It was nice seeing you again, Rukiya."

Kadin waited until they were out of earshot before he spoke again. "I apologize. I told him to stop calling you that."

"I don't mind. I find it endearing, and somewhat amusing, too." Rukiya took a bite of biscuit and moaned her pleasure in a way that made his stomach flip. "This is really good. I didn't know they did barbecue like this up here."

"Me neither." He took a bite of jalapeno mac and reveled in the savory heat. "So, where do you know Haley from?"

"She used to work for my wife."

Kadin almost choked on his beer. "Excuse me, your what?"

Rukiya peeked up at him from under her lashes, a sly smile on her lips. "My wife." She said it so innocently, as though she hadn't just broken up with her boyfriend and wasn't here on a not-date with him. "We're not actually married. We just call each other that sometimes. Well, all the time."

"Oh..." Kadin's face burned. "That's cool I guess."

"Were you afraid I was off the market?" she asked.

He coughed. "N-no. I was just surprised."

"I'm just teasing you, Kadin." Rukiya polished off the mac and cheese, and breathed a contented sigh. "This is nice." She stuck her hands towards the fire.

Kadin smiled. It was nice, but it was nicer with her. He cracked open his cooler and offered her a skewer and a bag of marshmallows. A few families had gathered around the fire to make s'mores and roast sausages, and their banter mixed with the crackle of the flames.

While they roasted marshmallows, Rukiya told Kadin about her trip to Ohio, and he told her how things were going with work. She had a very blase way of speaking, but he sensed an underlying passion in her words. And again, it felt like he was talking to an old friend.

While people moved away from the bonfire towards the art walk, they stayed by the fire talking until it had died down to a glowing pile of coal and ash. Rukiya brought her feet up on the bench and tucked her knees under her chin. A minute earlier, she'd pulled her hood up over her head.

"Cold?" Kadin asked.

"A little bit."

He extended an arm, same as he'd done all those weeks ago in the elevator.

She breathed a laugh. "Really?"

"Only if you want to." But decide quickly, he added in his head. His arm was getting tired already.

A moment of silence passed between them, and she looked towards the fire before closing the few inches of space between them. She fit snugly against his side and her head rested against his shoulder.

Kadin couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if the elevator hadn't shuddered to a stop. Would Rukiya had given him a second look? Or would they have ridden it all the way down to the parking garage, gone to their respective vehicles and driven in opposite directions?

Never seen each other again.

He'd ridden a lot of elevators with a lot of strangers and, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember a single one of their faces. But Rukiya, he'd never forget. Even if they walked away from this bonfire and never saw each other again, he'd never forget her easygoing nature, the way her eyes lit up when she smiled, how right it felt with her nestle against his side."

"Are you warm enough?" he asked. When no answer came, he looked down and found Rukiya's eyes closed, her head lulled to one side and her chest rising and falling with even breaths.

Kadin smiled. "Guess you are."

***

THE END... For now?