The Hotel - H.S.

Chapter 2

Zoey's POV

This hotel was the shit. I loved the style and the color, I loved the plants and greenery, I loved the quiet and the funky vibe. There was a lot to explore here, which I was excited about. I had booked the hotel because it was less than a quarter mile from the hospital where I would be participating in the trial, an easy walk even if I was feeling shitty or was drugged up good. 

The staff seemed fun too, which meant a lot to me. I am a social person, I knew I would be getting to know everyone while I was here. I was reserved for a 7 week stay, and when I checked in yesterday I learned about their residency program. 2 floors of the hotel were saved for this program, containing studio-style rooms with partial kitchens and living areas in addition to the normal sleeping and bathroom accommodations.

The young lady who had checked me in was awesome, her name was May and I knew we would be friends before long, it was inevitable. She had a quick laugh and smelled like weed. Excellent person to know. I had also met Paul this afternoon, whom I was looking forward to continuing to make uncomfortable. I thought he was adorable, and I blushed terribly as I walked away, hearing him joke with the British gentleman behind me about tripping over his conversation with me. As the elevators slid closed I heard the deep, accented, sexy voice teasing "That was terrible!" to the young clerk and I had dissolved into a fit of blushing laughter in the lift. I guess I still have it, despite the hard few years of medical issues. 

I had spent my first night here crashed out cold after a long travel day. I woke up mid afternoon and spent the rest of my day laying out at the pool and swimming on and off until it got chilly and I realized I did not have my room key. After acquiring some back up keys, I had a long conversation with my mom about my 'vacation' and the lies I had told were sitting in a knot in my stomach. I was not regretting the choice I had made to travel this path alone, but I still did not like being dishonest. It went against my character, I tended to be a straight shooter. I considered honesty a form of respect. But my comfort with the situation was not my priority right now, and I just needed to accept that this deceit was for them and I needed to handle it like an adult. 

I started by opening a bottle of white wine and listening to my feel good playlist while unpacking my clothing and other items. I danced around to "Don't wear out your welcome" by GRITS and felt my tension melt away. I decide to shower and get ready, maybe watching some karaoke down at Wack will be a fun way to spend my evening. Especially because they have a full bar. It's a Friday night, I am bound to make some friends. 

After drying my hair and slipping into some high-waisted jeans and a vintage black band shirt, I refilled my wine glass, triple checked my room key was in my back pocket and decided to leave my phone on the night stand to head downstairs. 

As I left my room and wandered down to the elevators, I sipped and looked around, loving the wallpaper and the decor details. I gently pressed the elevator button for "DOWN" and startled slightly as it almost instantly sprang open. Inside was a tall, lean man with a hat pulled down low, brown curls escaping from the sides. It was the British man I had seen down at reception earlier. He had sunglasses on, despite being indoors, and was looking down to his phone. I could tell the abrupt door opening had surprised him too, because he had a slightly bewildered look on his face (from what I could tell) as I stepped into the lift. His eyes went back down to his phone as I turned around to press the lobby button, which was already lit up.