Today was Saturday. It's been three days since the situation at Concordia, and I've only just been able to shake it out of my mind. I didn't tell Olive about it, I didn't want her to lecture me for walking the streets alone at night - so I kept quiet.
During the day, I've been exploring El Paso while my sister was at her internship. I took a trip downtown to do some shopping and sightseeing. It was nice to get out, I just wish I had someone to go with.
I start my first shift at the Holiday Inn in 3 hours and I'm nervous. I didn't know what to wear or how to act. It was my first job and I wanted to make a good impression. I'm glad I'm only working with one other boy - I wonder what he's like.
Soon enough, the clock struck 10:30pm and it was time to get ready. I took a shower before brushing my long wavy brown hair then applying my classic smoky eyeliner and soft pink blush to my cheeks. I dressed my body in a pair of tight fitted burnt orange flares, paired with an oversized dark green sweater, partially tucked into the waistband of my pants. I accessorised with silver chains around my neck, along with several rings to match. Oh and of course - my black converse.
"Don't be late, Willow!" I heard Olive shout from the living room as I sprayed my vanilla scented perfume behind my ears. I checked the time - 10:50pm. I better get going. I can't be late on my first day.
"I'm almost ready!" I yelled back, giving myself one last look in the mirror before walking out of my room and down the hall.
I said my goodbyes to Olive and began making my way around the block to the Holiday Inn.
As I approached the ten-story building, my palms were sweaty and my heart slightly racing. I pulled my feet through the lobby, my dark shoulder-length hair swaying ever so slightly to the cool breeze of the air-conditioning. The lobby smelt fresh and clean. It was quiet as this time of night, the only human in sight being a receptionist sat behind the main desk - a middle-aged tanned lady with dark red lipstick and grey hair, styled into a pixie cut.
"Hi, I'm Willow. I'm here for the Saturday night shifts?" I ask the woman behind the desk, distracting her attention from the book she's reading.
"Ah yes. Antonio mentioned a new girl. Follow me, I'll take you to his office." The lady mutters as she stands up from her chair, laying the book sprawled open and face down on the desk.
She walks me through a back door labelled 'STAFF ONLY', my converse squeaking on the recently cleaned linoleum flooring while her kitten heels clatter ahead of me. At the end of the long hallway we reach another door, this time labelled 'MANAGER'.
Inside sat a small plump Hispanic man, smoking a cigarette while flicking through some paper on his desk. He wore a patterned tie around his neck with a white shirt tucked into the leather belt on his suit pants. His hair was greasy, slicked backwards off of his face.
"You must be Willow!" The manager announced as he stood up, smushing the remainder of his cigarette into a glass amber ashtray. I stepped forward to accept his handshake as he extended his arm. I couldn't tell if it was my hand that was so clammy or his, but the sweaty interaction broke off quickly. I heard the receptionist lady exit the room behind me as I stood there awkwardly, subtly wiping my palms against the fabric of my pants.
"I'm Antonio, nice to meet you. Let me show you around the place and let you know what needs doing tonight before I head out."
Antonio led me out of the door and back down the hallway I came from. He began to walk me through the corridors, the floors covered in a deep burgundy carpet along with abstract art that hung from the sage green walls. I got shown each floor of the hotel - including the utility closets where the vacuum cleaners and mops were kept.
He explained to me that the nights are predominantly cleaning, doing laundry and bringing anything guests may call down to reception in the middle of the night. Seemed simple enough, I thought to myself.
"Caroline works the front desk, she leaves with me just after you get here. Then it's just you and Richard til the morning staff arrive." Antonio says as he walks me back down to the lobby after my tour.
"Speaking of which, he's probably outside smoking."
"Come on, I'll introduce you to him." Antonio said as he guided me to a metal door just by the lobby.He pushed down the bar on the heavy fire exit door before flinging it open, revealing a boy sitting at the bottom of steps with his back to us, almost completely concealed by a thick cloud of smoke.
"Hey, Rich. This is Willow, she'll be working the nights with you." Antonio says, gesturing to the mysterious boy on the steps.
In that moment, he turns his body to face me, glancing his eyes upwards to stare into mine.
My heart dropped.
I recognised those dark eyes the second I looked into them. The shadows danced off his angular features, making those familiar cheekbones look even more sharp than I remembered.
"Hi, Willow." Richard spoke softly while slightly smirking up at me, a joint hanging from his plump lips. Hearing him say my name in his accent made my stomach flutter.
"Hi, Richard it's um - it's nice to meet you." I stuttered while forcing a soft smile. God I hope he doesn't notice my fingers trembling.
"He'll help you out if you're struggling with anything. Isn't that right, Rich?" Antonio says, arms crossed against his chest.
Richard gave us a slight nod before leaning his head back, puffing out another cloud of smoke into the air, twirling silver against the night sky.
"What have I told you about smoking that shit here, Ramirez. Put it out before the guests start complaining about the smell." Antonio sternly commanded.
"Come on, Willow. Let me take you down to the laundry room before I leave." He added, gesturing me to follow him back inside, my cheeks burning as I turned to go.
We headed down a set of creaky wooden stairs towards the basement - a grungy room filled with washing and dryer machines against the walls. Great piles of white sheets sat on a table in the centre of the room, waiting to be washed and folded.
"This is where you'll be tonight. I need you to get these cleaned and ready for the housekeepers tomorrow." Antonio explained, tapping his finger over the pile of laundry. His voice almost drowned out by the whirring and clanking of the washing machines as vicious lashes of water and soap clean the hotel linen.
"Yeah of course, no problem!" I smile back.
"Great. I'll leave you to it. Oh and before I forget-" He uttered as he dug in his pockets, pulling out a single key and placing it in the palm of my hand.
"It's a skeleton key, every staff member has one. It opens every door in the building so keep it safe." Antonio told me as I examined the gold key in my hand."I will." I replied, putting the key in my pants pocket while giving him a slight nod of assurance.
"I'll see you later then, Willow!" He announced before clambering back up the wooden staircase, leaving me on my own to begin my chores for the night.
"Bye, Antonio!" I shouted back as I began to collect the sheets from the table and stuff them into the washing machine.
I listened to the radio in the corner of the room playing Michael Jackson, swaying my head along to the rhythm as I worked on the laundry - completely forgetting about Richard upstairs.
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Fanfiction"One glance of those brown eyes told of a lifetime of struggle that had never been put into words."