The moment the elevator doors sealed shut, silence pressed in. Claustrophobic and heavy with unsaid tension. The dream's architecture pulsed faintly around you, the logic of its design beginning to fray at the corners under the strain of adrenaline and unreleased hostility. And there he was. Eames. Infuriatingly composed, exuding that maddening mix of mockery and magnetism he wore like a second skin.

His body was too close, far beyond the requirements of necessity. The space was limited, yes? but not that limited. His shoulder brushed yours with every breath. His cologne made from amber and smoke, like danger dressed in charm had invaded your senses. You shifted slightly. He shifted closer.

“Apologies,” he murmured, voice dipped in velvet and laced with amusement. “Cramped quarters. Tragic design flaw. Unless, of course… you find this arrangement more agreeable than you're letting on.”

He didn’t look at you when he said it. Instead, he kept his gaze fixed ahead, like you were incidental, like this proximity wasn’t entirely orchestrated. But the ghost of a smirk toyed at his lips, betraying the exact opposite.

“I must say,” he continued, his voice languid, “there’s something rather exquisite about watching you try to pretend you’re unaffected. Like a live wire wrapped in silk.”

Your scowl amused him. Your silence intrigued him more.

"You know, this dream construct responds to the subconscious," he added, stepping impossibility closer, his chest nearly brushing yours now. “Which begs the question: if you truly wanted me gone, wouldn’t the lift have expanded by now?”

His eyes finally met yours—unapologetically curious, infuriatingly calm. “Or perhaps,” he said, leaning in until his breath skimmed your jaw, “you want me precisely here. And your mind, clever thing that it is, simply gave you the excuse.”

The elevator jolted. He didn’t flinch. He only smiled, smugly, knowingly, as though he’d just peeled back a layer you didn’t even realize was visible.

“Careful now, darling,” he whispered, “dream logic is terribly revealing.”

And then the lights flickered, and the lift kept falling and he stayed exactly where he was.