𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐓; pedro pascal

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

       Amelia had been on the plane for about 4 hours, and there were three hours to go. While in the middle of reading a book, the intercom turns on and a woman speaks in a calm voice, "Good afternoon. It seems that we are experiencing some turbulence. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts." Amelia starts to panic. She immediately goes into fight or flight mode, going over her plan on what to do if the plane were to crash. She looks out of the window for land, but sees deep ocean for miles. Her hands start to shake as she closes her book and frantically looks around. Everyone around her is calm except for her. Instead of finding comfort in this fact, it worries her. She wonders why no one else is panicking. Her eyes dart around the plane, staring into the eyes of the faces in the crowd. Everyone is calm. Feeling alienated, Amelia leans back and let's out a huff of frustration. She frantically chews the gum Pedro gave her, trying to get her mind off of the wind rattling the plane. She looks over to her father, who is asleep. From the corner of her eye, she sees Pedro, who is as calm as can be, writing something on his laptop. Pedro looks at Amelia and sees the discomfort in her eyes. He looks her in the eyes and gives her a reassuring nod. The eye contact lingers for a second, then he turns back to his laptop and continues typing.
       Somewhere along the rest of the plane ride, Amelia fell asleep. When they landed, Amelia's dad woke her up. "Amelia, wake up. We're here." He said as he shook her shoulder. Amelia opened her eyes and looked out of the window. "Oh, thank God." She said as she quickly gathered her things. As everyone hurried to get off of the plane, Amelia got lost in the crowd. When she got inside, she looked around for any familiar faces. Just as she was turning around, Clifford spotted her and went to put his hand on her shoulder. Her big doe eyes stared into his serpent-like eyes. "Hey, sugar. We thought we lost you there." He said in a daunting voice, tightening his already firm grip on her shoulder and slowly running it down her arm. Amelia cringed at the term of endearment. "Come on. Your daddy got us a car and it's going to be here at any minute." He said. She followed him to the baggage claim area, where Pedro and her father stood with their luggage. "There you are. You slept like a baby for a good chunk of the flight." Her dad says. "Really? That turbulence really threw me off. I thought for sure we were goners." Amelia says, grabbing her suitcase from her dad. She glances at Pedro, replaying the moment in her head of Pedro's comforting nod. Did it mean anything or was he just trying to be nice?

       The car arrived and drove the group to their hotel. They had booked one of the most pristine, luxurious, and expensive hotels in all of Paris. They were staying at the Ritz Paris. The exterior was a beautiful creme colored stone, with gorgeous pillars and stone carvings. The windows were traced with beautifully cut stone designs. Upon seeing the hotel that her dad had booked, Amelia was stunned. She immediately felt like a princess. The classic Parisian design made her feel as if she was bathing in riches. She turned to her father, feeling astonished. He had a look of honor on his face. "I know, I know. It's a lot, but I wanted you to feel special." Her father said. The truth is, Tim booked the most expensive hotel to boast to his colleagues of his success. When he invited Amelia to come along, he forced two of the men to share a room together so that Amelia could have her own room. "Jesus, Tim, how much was this?" Pedro asks. "Around ten-ish." He says casually. "Ten what?" Amelia asks. "Thousand." Tim says. Amelia's jaw drops. Pedro and Clifford stare at Tim with their eyebrows raised. Tim smirks and puts his hand on the back of the driver's headrest. "You can drop us off here." He says, pulling his wallet out and handing him €10.

Amelia follows her dad out of the car and watches as he pops the trunk of the cab. She goes to retrieve her suitcase at the same time as Pedro, their arms close enough for her to feel the heat of his body. She examines his veiny arm, every wrinkle in his skin telling a story. His expensive watch glistens in the sun, shining in Amelia's eyes. Pedro quickly grabs his suitcase, attempting to limit the contact between the two. Amelia grabs her suitcase and looks at the floor in embarrassment. The group checks in to the hotel and roam the halls before heading to their room. Amelia walks the halls of the hotel, absorbing the feeling of utter luxury. She observes every little detail in the building's design, appreciating the beauty of it. She was like a kid in a candy store, crouching on the stairs looking at the intricate designs in the wall trim. Just as she was about to get up, she heard the steps of someone coming up the stairs echo in the stairway. Pedro stares at her as she got up from where she was sitting. Her cheeks red with embarrassment, she bit her lip and tried to avoid direct eye contact. Pedro stared at her. "Having fun?" He said. His voice echoed. "Um, yes." Amelia stuttered. Silence followed. "Good." He said, then left to find his room.