“Ric, things change,” Diane said, avoiding his eyes, and looking instead at the lift doors. What right did he have to be so snide about her love life? She didn’t see him stepping in to magically resurrect their romance. And if he wasn’t dating her, then he had no right whatsoever to be sarcastic and snappy and altogether horrible about whom she chose to date. Tom Campbell-Gore was by no means her first choice of men in the hospital – nor even the second – but he was a man, and not hideous-looking.

Ric looked at her. “Some things don’t.”

“What do you mean by that?” she demanded, as they got in the lift, and the doors closed.

“Nothing.” Ric looked away. As he spoke, the lift shuddered and stopped suddenly. The lights went out.

“I think the lift’s broken,” Diane commented.

“You think?” Ric asked, sarcastically. “This is just great…”

Diane sank down to the floor, sighing. “Huh. Remember the last time we were stuck in a lift?”

“That was a long time ago.” Ric allowed himself a little chuckle. “It was certainly a story to tell, though.”

“Yeah.”

There was silence for a few moments, until Diane spoke again. “How long do you think we’re going to be in here? ’Cause I said I’d meet Tom in an hour.”

“The wonderful Tom…” Ric was beginning, but Diane cut him off.

“What’s your problem, Ric?” She hauled herself up and faced him as well as she could in the gloominess and shadows of the lift.

“I don’t have a problem.” He turned away.

“Then stop making snide comments about Tom,” she replied, annoyed, pulling him back to face her. “You have no right to control my love life.”

“I’m not trying to control your life. I care about you, Diane.” He gently detached himself from her grip.

“And I care about you, of course I do,” she said, smiling at him. “But things have changed, you know?”

“You keep saying that.”

“They have.” This time it was Diane avoiding Ric’s eyes. She felt that if he saw her, even in this half-light, he would see the tears that were tempted to fall.

“What’s changed, then?” Ric challenged her.

“We’re… we’re not together any more,” Diane replied, simply. “Things are different.” She chastised herself for even starting this conversation – there were some things that she’d prefer to avoid discussing with Ric.

“Is that all?” Ric looked into her eyes, and saw that they were full of tears. “The only thing that’s changed is that we’re no longer together?”

“Yeah. Do we have to discuss this now?” Diane desperately wanted an escape. If they weren’t stuck in a lift, she’d have stormed out when Ric first began slating Tom. Why hadn’t they taken the stairs?

“We might as well. I can’t see that there’s anything else for us to do… unless you really want to re-enact what we did the last time we were stuck in a lift?” he added, smiling.

What Diane thought and what Diane said were very different things indeed.

“Diane, what’s really changed?” Ric repeated.

“I told you – we’re not together. And you have more grey hair,” she added, smirking.

“Thank you for that.” He turned serious. “What I meant was, have you changed? Have I changed?”

“Of course we’ve changed, Ric, it’s been five damn years!” she snapped, regretting the words the instant that they left her mouth. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“That’s fine.” This time it was he who sank down onto the floor. Diane joined him.

“We’ve moved on,” she remarked. “You got engaged to Sam, for God’s sake – and you’re jealous of me going on a second date with someone?”

“It’s different.” He looked at his watch.

“How?” she queried.

“It’s Tom Campbell-Gore.” Ric chuckled. “I honestly never thought that he’d be your type, Diane.”

“So? I know you don’t like the guy, Ric, but you could at least be civil. The fact that I’m no longer single doesn’t change anything between us.”

Ric hugged her. “I don’t think that you realise how much it does. For me, at least.”

She looked up at him. “How? Ric, if you’re being so stupid as to think that I’ll stop caring about you because I’m with Tom, then that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life! I don’t think you realise just how important you are to me.”

“And you’re pretty darn important to me too.” He pulled her to him for a moment, and kissed her hair.

She pulled away suddenly, conscious that she was enjoying the hug a bit too much. “Why’d you do that?”

“What?”

“Why did you kiss my hair?” She turned to face him.

“I don’t know.”

They were both suddenly conscious of how close they were sitting – their noses were almost touching.

“Diane, I…” Ric began. He trailed off.

“What?”

“No… it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head.

Diane laughed. “It was obviously important enough to begin a sentence. C’mon, tell me. You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“Not everything, Diane.”

She giggled. “Well, there might be some things I don’t want to know. Heaven knows, I don’t tell you everything!”

“Don’t you?” He sighed. “What don’t you tell me?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She smirked at him.

“I will,” he assured her. He looked around the lift, blankly. “Do you ever miss what we used to have?”

All the bl**dy time, she wanted to yell. But the rational part of her made her nod meekly. “Sometimes, yeah. I miss being able to tell you everything.”

“Me too.”

Time passed, and they sat in silence. Eventually, Diane spoke again. “I’m late.”

“For a very important date?” Ric asked, repeating a line Diane had shot at him bitterly a few weeks previously.

“You could say that.” She looked up at him. “You’ve got a real problem with me seeing Tom, haven’t you?”

“No, I just…” He paused. “I don’t like it. You’re too good for him, Diane.”

“Why? ’Cause he’s an alcoholic?”

“No.” He paused. “You’re just two very different people.”

“Huh. I’d never noticed that,” she quipped.

“No cheek from you, Miss Lloyd!” he ordered, pretending to be stern.

“Very sorry, Mr Griffin,” she replied. “You know, Ric, Tom isn’t exactly the guy I’d choose, not if I had the pick of everyone in the world.”

“Whom would you choose?” he asked.

“Well, Brad Pitt, of course…” she began, smiling, dodging Ric’s arm, as he tried to hit her playfully.

“Got my hopes up then,” he commented.

“You’re not joking, are you?” she asked, seriously. Something about Ric’s tone had struck her. “Do you really…?” She trailed off, not sure how to phrase her sentence.

He looked at her. “Yes. I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be.” She looked into his eyes for a moment, and leaned towards him.

“What… what do you mean?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“I mean that, next to Brad Pitt, you’re the only guy in the world for me,” Diane replied.

“What about Tom?” he queried.

“He’ll live,” she smiled. “And besides, do you really care about Tom?”

“No,” Ric said, firmly. “Do you?”

“Don’t be stupid, Ric,” she giggled. “I love you.”

And, finally, as the lights came on, they shared their first kiss in years – this was the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Don’t be stupid – you know I love you

Don’t be ridiculous – you know I need you

Don’t be impossible – you know I want you

Don’t be impossible

I’m mad about you

Can’t live without you

I’m crazy bout you

Don’t be stupid!