I'm sorry...~America

Hotel

~Matthew's POV~
"Um... pardon?.." I walked up to a large dark man with a messy black bun and a large impressive beard; who was running the front desk of a small hotel in Montpellier. The man looked up at me from his magazine and set it down with a smile, "Hello how can I help you?" To my surprise the man had a very thick Irish accent instead of the deep and dazing French accent I had him in my head. "Oh I um...I just need a room...for one" The man sat up and opened the checking book, "name?" "Matthew...Williams" the man paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Matthew Williams...that's your real name?"
"Yes..."
"Right...okay kid I need to see some ID" The man shut the book and gave me a scornful look. Kid!? What does he mean kid I don't look that young! I grew a tad bit annoyed as I went ahead and gave the man my ID. "There, Matthew Williams age-" Shit I forgot my physical age was 19...I guess I..do look that young...shit I'm such an asshole. "Uh..nineteen...sorry it's been a long day" The man shrugged and gave me my ID back. "It's okay your only a year younger then me, sorry for calling you a kid, you just look a lot younger then you are"
I blinked for a second staring at him and examining him. Did he just say he's only a year older then me. "I'm sorry...your twenty?" He laughed and scratched his head, "yeah I look super old don't I?" My jaw dropped and nearly hit the counter. "You have a full beard! I can't even grow a mustache!" He let out a hardly laugh "I know it's weird but I really am only twenty years old, the names Ailbe" he held his hand out for me to shake and I went to shake it but I stopped when I saw how big his hands were. They were just as big as...as- "Matthew come back to me mate! Snap out of it!" I shook my head and suddenly I was in Ailbe's arms on the ground. "What...wait what happened?" Ailbe let out a sigh and gave me a concerned look, "I went to shake your hand and you started having a panic attack...I think...but you passed out for a good five minutes I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance" My eyes widened and I quickly stood myself up and fixed my glasses, "I'm so-so sorry I don't know what happened- well I do it's just-" "hey hey...don't worry about it you don't gotta explain anything to me, you can finish checking in in the mornin' but you should probably go rest a bit" I frowned and held my arms close to my chest, "are you sure that's okay?...I don't want to get you in trouble" "It'll be fine, I promise" he gave me a mind smile before handing me a room key. "Just try not to faint again...alright?" "Right...thank you" I hesitantly took the room key from him and grabbed my bags taking them to my hotel room. Holy shit I can't believe that just happened...the first normal conversation I have with a person in weeks and I freak out on him and faint! I need to get myself under control...fast.

That morning I came downstairs to finish checking in and was surprised to see almost no one downstairs in the breakfast hall other than a few old people and a mother with her kids. I walked up to the front desk where Ailbe was sipping on a mug full of black coffee. "Good morning..." I stared at the bell on the front desk trying to avoid eye contact with him but he later his head down on the desk and looked up at me with a smile, "mornin, why the long face?" I blushed and turned my head towards the door, "it's nothing...I just wanna pay you for my room and go back to bed..." "go back to bed? Laddie your in France! And it's a beautiful outside! How could you go back to bed on a day like this?" "I blushed harder and took out my wallet flustered. "How much do I owe you"
Ailbe sighed, "I dunno, how long are you staying?"
I hesitated, "how long can I stay?..." he looked at me surprised and a bit confused. "Er...as long as you pay for the room I can't really make you leave so...it's 150 Euro a night" I looked back at my wallet, "do you take credit?" "Sure" I gave Aiden my credit card and paid for a three week stay. He gave my card back to me and took a sip of coffee, "I'm sorry if I'm being nosy but...what are you doing here for three weeks? You don't strike me as a tourist" I put my wallet away and fidgeted with my hands. "...I'm just trying to figure some things out...Sorry I'm not really in the mood to talk about it" "right...sorry...we'll enjoy your stay Matthew" I nodded and slinked back upstairs to my room and stopped at the door. I let out a sigh and pressed my forehead against it, "don't drag him into your shit Matt...you can do this on your own" I put my hand on the doorknob and twisted it half way before stopping. "....." I kicked the door and went back downstairs and walked up to the front desk stuffing my hands in my pockets, "when does your shift end?" Ailbe smiled at me and set his coffe mug down, "20 minutes" I hid behind my bangs and mumbled. "It's too good of a day to waste...so..."
"Sure. I'd love to show you around Montpellier" Aiden grinned at me and I felt my cheeks flush again. "20 minutes..." I went back upstairs to my room and flipped onto my bed screaming into it. So much for not getting anyone involved.

~Alfred's POV~
The morning after Matthew's phone call I was torn between giving in and letting Matthew handle this his way or going out and looking for him. So I decided to call Christina. "Hey Alfie...any news on Matthew?" I sighed and hugged my pillow putting her on speaker, "yeah...he ran away so he could "figure this out" by himself...which is stupid because that's exactly what I did and it..did not work."
"Well at least you know he's not hurt right?"
"Yeah...but I don't know babe...I don't feel right just...letting him do this you know?"
"...well...you can't stay there forever Alfred..."
"I know I know...but...it doesn't feel right..."
"...If you want my honest opinion Alfred...I think you should come home..."
"What? Why?"
"It's just..." Christina went quiet for a minute. "I need you..right now and...as much as I know you think Matthew is going down the wrong path...have you considered for a moment that maybe he's actually choosing the right one?"
"How do you mean?..."
"Well...I know you trying to work things out by yourself didn't work out but...Matthew isn't you Alfred...your two different people with two very different personalities...I'm just saying maybe he really does just need to be alone for a while, you goi after him could end up making him feel worse"
I took a minute to think about what she said and...I guess in a way she's right...no she's definitely right. This whole time I've been treating Matt like he's me when he's not...I guess I've been a little selfish trying to force him to do things my way. "Your right...but...what do you mean you need me? Are you okay?" Christina didn't answer. "Christina? Hello?"
"I'm fine...I just...need you to come home as soon as you can okay? We- I...there's a lot to talk about"
"O-okay...?"
"I'm sorry, I love you...I'll see you soon"
"Love you too..." Christina hung up quickly and left me silent in my room with a million questions buzzing through my head. Was she sick? Had she gotten some sort of condition from her medication or- or was she...is..she...pregnant?

~Matthew's POV~
Twenty minutes after my conversation with Ailbe I decided to leave my room to avoid making him knock on my door and set me off again. I locked my room door and stuffed the key in my pocket and made my way toward the stairs with a few kids following behind me horsing around and fighting over a ball. I took a few steps down stairs before I suddenly felt the floor vanish from under my feet as one of the kids accidentally stepped on the back of my shoe causing me to trip and fall right onto Ailbe who was just starting to make his way upstairs to get me. My glasses tumbled down the steps behind him and the kids bolted away afraid of getting in trouble with Ailbe, and I don't blame them...If I were them I'd be pissing myself. I winced as my face landed against his chest and looked up at him, I couldn't see much but I could see his eyes locking with mine which made my heart thump a bit. "Are you okay? That could have been a nasty fall" "I uh...uh...yeah I'm fine sorry..." I felt my face turn red as Ailbe steadied me on the stairs and walking downstairs to retrieve my glasses and coming back up to return them. "Thank you...I'm blind as a bat without these..." "Don't worry about it, come on then I know all the best spots in town, I promise you won't regret this" he gave me a big bright smile and I returned the favor with a small sheepish one. Soon enough we were on our way out the door and I had to speed walk in order to keep up with Ailbe's long strides. "So where did you say you were from again" Ailbe looked down at me and slowed his pace a bit.
"I didn't...I'm from Canada"
"Oh Canada eh? I've always wanted to visit Canada it looks lovely from what I've seen"
"Yeah...it is pretty- I'm sorry did you say Eh?"
Ailbe laughed and I'll admit...I may have let out a little chuckle as well. 
"So what part of Ireland are you from?..."
"Munster, I lived there with my mum for a few years before moving here with my Nan"
"Does she own the hotel?..."
"Sure does, she's owned it since before I was born"
"You must really have an attachment to it huh?..."
"Not really, I'd like to get out of here as soon as possible...I wanna see the world and experience things most people wouldn't"
"Then why don't you?"
"Eh...money mostly, I can't afford to leave France, that's why I work at the hotel"
"Oh right...sorry I'm not really thinking straight"
"It's fine" Ailbe smiled again and stopped at a crepe shop, "this place has the best crepes in the world- oh well uh, if you like crepes that is" I smiled softly and nodded, "I do like crepes..." "chocolate or Strawberry?" "Chocolate- oh you don't have to pay for me-" "nonsense I want to, it's my treat" He grinned and went inside to get our crepes and I waited outside and watched people pass by me without a second glance. You know, under different circumstances this would be really fun...and I can't honestly say I'm not enjoying myself but...I'm not having as much fun as Ailbe is that's for sure. After this I can't let myself get attached to him...I need to do this on my own and- and he scares me. Well...HE doesn't scare me but..his hands...his hands are what scare me. I know he isn't the man who attacked me but when I look at his hands I can't help but remember what it felt like to have such large hands gripped so tightly around my throat...and what his other victims had to suffer through as their final moments on earth.