Ice Cold Fingers at the Hallway Lock

Ice Cold Fingers at the Hallway Lock

I was looking for my apartment keys in the bottom of my work tote, standing in the hallway outside my door, except the hallway had the carpet from my middle school. The door across from mine clicked open, and a guy stepped out who I instantly knew had died in that building decades ago, but he was dressed in a regular faded sweater and looked completely normal. He didn't speak, just leaned against the doorframe and watched me struggle with my bag with this really gentle, fond smile, like he'd been waiting for me to get home. My hands were freezing, but when he stepped closer and put his hand over mine to help guide the key into the lock, his fingers were ice cold yet it gave me this overwhelming rush of safety and butterflies, like a first date. I wanted to invite him in, but the second the lock clicked open, the hallway got dim and he was just gone, leaving me with this heavy, aching nostalgia.