Page 6 of The Wedding Fake

“How about this,” I suggested. “If you ever see a box waiting for me, you can pick it up and hold on to it.”

Her jaw shifted under her mask, and again I tried to imagine the shape of her mouth. “I suppose, in the interest of safety, I’d be okay with that,” she replied finally.

“Thank you, Claire,” I said, barely keeping the laughter out of my voice.

“You’re welcome, Hudson,” she replied stiffly.

Silence reigned for some time after that, and I set my head back against the wall of the elevator tiredly. I’d just come off a twelve-hour shift that had lasted almost fourteen thanks to an unusual call volume and more CHARTs than I cared to count. All I wanted tonight was to eat leftovers and watch some mindless television, so I hoped either the electricity or the fire department would make an appearance soon.

Lost in my own thoughts, a few minutes went by before I registered the trembling breaths next to me. “Claire?” I asked, but she didn’t reply. Looking at her more closely where she sat in the darkest corner of the elevator car, I could see her shoulders shaking with quick, reedy breaths. “Claire,” I repeated, scooting closer to her. “Are you feeling pain?”

She spoke without looking at me, her breaths thin and fast between her words. “Do you think the brakes can give out? Or that we’ll run out of air? What if they can’t get to us for hours, or nobody comes?

I inhaled deeply, slowly, relieved I was witnessing a panic attack rather than shock after an injury, but I cursed my luck that I didn’t have any of my bags with me. I would’ve liked to assess her and make sure she was okay. Instead, I did a quick visual scan.

“Claire, you’re safe. There’s plenty of ventilation and the brakes are working just fine.” I pressed two fingers into her wrist, feeling the flutter of her pulse. It was too damn fast. There was nothing more frustrating as a paramedic than having to wait to be rescued. “Can we take your mask off for a minute, Claire? I promise you I’m vaccinated and boosted.”

She nodded, but didn’t make a move to shift the mask out of the way, so I pulled it down gently, reminding myself it was not the time to focus on her face. Not until she was calm. “Good. I’m going to touch your nose, okay? And I want you to keep your mouth shut and only breathe using your nose. Can you do that for me, Claire?”

She nodded again, pursing her lips together tightly. I pressed one nostril closed and watched as her breathing slowed, becoming deeper as her carbon-dioxide leveled out. “Keep your mouth closed, okay?” I glanced at the mouth in question—a pretty pink bowtie, then glanced down into her lap as I let go of her nose and pressed my fingers into her wrist again, pleased to feel a pulse that, while still fast, had slowed considerably. Using the timer on my watch, I did a quick count and estimated she was at a hundred-twenty beats per minute. “Better,” I said, smoothing a hand down her hair. It was not something I would’ve ever done with a patient, and yet it felt natural in the moment.

4

CLAIRE

“How you feeling?” he asked me, dipping his face to catch my eye. I swallowed hard. Now that the lightheadedness was passing, it seemed to be replaced completely with mortification. If I could’ve melted down into the floor and disappeared, I would’ve.

“I’m fine. I’m sorry,” I said in a rush.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said, and though I couldn’t see his lips, I had the sense they were tipped into a smile. I was aware of every part of his body that currently touched me—one hand still on the side of my face, nearly cupping my cheek, and two fingers pressed into the pulse point on my wrist. Hudson, though, seemed to have forgotten about all the spots we touched—that is until he realized in a single burst and pulled back his hands like they were burnt.

“I do have to apologize,” I protested. After all, look at how uncomfortable we both were thanks to me. “Thank you for helping me. I…get like that sometimes.”

“You have panic attacks?” he asked.

Only with hot guys in elevators, I wanted to joke, but instead I nodded dumbly, not wanting to elaborate on his basic explanation. “If everything you said about having your booster and getting tested was true, you can take off your mask if you want,” I said, eager for a subject change. “I test myself every Monday, and I’m fully vaccinated. Besides, it sounds like we’re going to be here for a while.”

“Are you sure?”

Had it been anyone else on Earth, I wouldn’t have suggested it. I would’ve put my mask back on and pretended my panic attack hadn’t happened, but I really wanted to see Hudson North without his mask on. Just for a few minutes, just this once. “I’m sure. Go ahead.”

Hudson slid back, toward the opposite wall, putting six feet between us. I didn’t bother to point out that we were in an enclosed box, so the six-foot rule probably wouldn’t help. He was just trying to be nice, and I didn’t want to talk about the realities of being trapped in a tin can, suspended on wires, God-only-knew-how-many feet in the air. I also didn’t want to say anything that might stop him from taking off his mask. What was wrong with me?

Hudson slipped the surgical mask off one ear and then the other, flexing his jaw as he set the mask in his lap. And Christ, what a jaw it was.

I had first noticed Hudson a couple months earlier. He had dark waves and dark eyes to match and a body I was positive looked magnificent without clothing on. He’d had a mask on every time I saw him—a fact which only made him more attractive in my opinion, but which left the lower half of his face a total mystery to me. You can never be sure what lies under a surgical mask until it’s removed, but even before I saw his whole face, I would’ve bet anything Hudson was top-to-bottom handsome as hell.

And still, I’d underestimated him.

He’d clearly been clean-shaven at some point in the recent past, but a five o’clock shadow darkened his strong jaw and chin. His nose was wide in a way that would’ve been unattractive on another man, but fit him perfectly, and his lips—his lips were decadent. They were wide and full and it was impossible not to imagine them on my skin. He grinned, revealing a set of perfectly straight teeth. His canines were just a touch too long, and I wondered what it would feel like if he nipped me.

These were not my normal thoughts. Maybe he was wrong and I wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

“Thanks. I have to wear it for work all day, and it’s nice to take it off.” Yep. It was nice alright. I could agree with that.

“What do you do?” I asked, in need of a distraction from imagining his lips and teeth all over my skin.

“I’m a paramedic,” he replied.