the lift

it was just a few seconds' ride.
in the confined space stood 3 little characters in life.
an university boy, 2 office ladies, and countless molecules of still air.
each looking at a different axis, one faced the X, one faced Y, one faced Z.
no one muttered a word, but deep inside everyone so wanted to speak to each other.
3 strangers, 3 lighted up buttons, 3 stops.
how many joules of energy does it take to initiate a conversation?
how many watts of power does it take to make a new friend?
how many newtons of force does it take to pull 2 strangers together?