The elevator stopped between floors at exactly 4:42 PM.
Mira pressed the emergency button.
A voice announced that help was on the way.
There was another passenger inside.
His name was Adam.
They waited.
After two minutes, Mira sighed.
"I have never liked elevators."
"Neither have I," Adam replied.
They laughed.
The conversation continued.
Mira talked about wanting to open a bakery.
Adam talked about wanting to leave his job and become a teacher.
Neither had told their families.
At 4:47, the elevator began moving again.
The doors opened.
People outside rushed toward them, asking if they were okay.
Mira and Adam stepped out.
They exchanged numbers.
But neither called the other.
Five years later, Mira was standing in front of a small bakery she had opened herself.
A man entered carrying a schoolbag.
It was Adam.
He recognized her immediately.
"The elevator," he said.
Mira smiled.
"Five minutes."
They sat together at a table and talked for two hours.
Sometimes friendship does not require years.
Sometimes five honest minutes are enough to remind two people that they are not alone.