One Last Time

3

Buck

It was dark when they eventually pulled into a practically empty parking lot. Buck, who had been restless for the majority of the drive was even worn out from all of the laughing and the occasional singing. Bobby let out a sigh of relief as he shifted the gear of the minivan into park.

    "Here we are," he announced, unbuckling his seatbelt.

    Buck emerged from the stuffy van, greeted by the cold mountain air. He felt as if he was being swallowed by the mountains around him, something about the way they towered above him was so different from Los Angeles. Eddie joined him, standing side by side, Buck was the taller of the two.

    "Thank god," Maddie whispered, "I'm exhausted."

    "Wait, you mean we drove all the way out here, where it's colder?" Chimney asked, confronting Athena as she opened the trunk of the van.

    Athena took a deep breath of the sweet air, "Embrace it, Chim, embrace it."

    The crew walked towards the entrance of a cabin-like hotel. The walls were sturdy with trees surrounding the red rooftop. A familiar sense of quiet washed upon Buck as he trailed behind the group. He was anxious for this escape, especially after his personal drama, waiting back for him in Los Angeles. He shook his head, removing the thought and swung his duffel bag over his shoulder.

    Eerie was the first word that came to mind when they entered the hotel. The place had old furniture. There were flower prints on the chairs pressed against the wall, a doily was placed methodically in the center of each coffee table. Even a lonely grand piano was nestled in the corner of the room. Bobby walked towards the front desk, hulling as much luggage as he could on top of his broad shoulders.

    "Well this is cute," Maddie whispered to Hen and Chimney. Chimney inspected the room with disgust written all over his face. Buck noticed cobwebs hiding beneath the chairs.

    Eddie leaned in close to Buck and his voice tickled the sides of his ear, "Cute isn't exactly how I would describe it."

    Buck laughed.

    An older man shifted into the room, approaching from behind the desk. His beard was trickling down his chin, closely resembling one of the dwarves from The Hobbit. His eyes were falling out of the sockets and his skin was as pale as a ghost.

    "Reservation for... um... Reservation should be under Grant-Nash," Bobby sputtered.

    The old man blinked a couple of times, then took out a small notebook and pen. Buck was surprised there was no computer, everything seemed digital these days.

    "Bobby," the old man croaked. "Yes, you are upstairs. Room 220." He handed Bobby an old-fashioned key. Again, Buck was perplexed as there was no keycard.

    "Thank you," Bobby said, turning towards the elevator. The crew followed, dragging their belongings along with them.

    The old man's voice croaked once again, "The elevator is out of service, you'll have to take the stairs."

    Bobby nodded, looking at the large staircase. Chimney looked at the ground with exhaustion and dark circles around his eyes. "Don't worry guys, we're firefighters, we got this," Bobby encouraged.

    They finally reached the top floor, inspecting the strange decoration choices. They looked at each room number as they passed. They reached the end of the hallway and glanced at the door number, reading "219".

    "Cap, we got a problem, there's no 220," Eddie called over his shoulder.

    "Well, at least we aren't searching for a room in the middle of a fire," Hen joked.

    Buck noticed another staircase, yet this one differed from the other ones. It spiralled around and around, leading higher than he expected the building to go.

    "What's up here?" Buck asked no one in particular. He began climbing the staircase with everyone following his steps. At the top of the spiral steps, he was greeted by a sign that read "THE EAGLE'S NEST - 220."  "Hey, I found it!" He exclaimed. He grabbed the key from Bobby and pushed open the door.

A swarm of dust surrounded him and the strong scent of wood filled his nostrils. The room was large, in a strange circular shape. The windows overlooked the entire roof of the hotel. A small fireplace was mounted in the living room, leaving a kitchen space to cook. Entrances of three bedrooms were sectioned off from the living room.

Athena immediately collapsed dramatically on the couch in the living room. The cold air was refreshing yet... well... cold. Buck walked over to the windows, a frisson of admiration for the mountain landscape as he stared off into the distance.

    Everyone plopped their bags in the center of the room, exhaling from the long journey. Buck joined the others, a trace of darkness still following him as he left the window. Naturally, the argument over sleeping situations began. And naturally, Bobby took charge.

    "There's three queen-sized beds in separate rooms and a couch," he began.  "And I would appreciate sharing with my wife."

    "Thank you, husband," Athena agreed, grabbing her bags to claim a room.

    Chimney and Maddie instinctively met each other's glances, silently sharing an unspoken agreement. "Mads and I have dibs on this room," Chimney piped up. Buck watched his sister and Chimney sneak off into a room. His heart leapt, knowing how perfect they were together and that his sister could finally experience a healthy relationship with a man she loved.

    Love. Let's not think about that right now.

    Buck was faced with Hen and Eddie, who blankly stared at one another. Hen placed her hands in front of her and took a small step backwards. "I'm not sharing with either of you."

    The tension in the room was tightening, "Dang it, Buck has the loudest snore on the planet," Eddie joked. Buck's posture relaxed as he watched Hen move her belongings near the couch. His eyes met Eddie's both recalling the same memory of Christopher complaining about Buck's snoring, simultaneously.

    They shuffled awkwardly into the small bedroom. A bathroom was attached as well as a large TV mounted into the wall facing the bed. Buck began organizing his possessions. Words were caught in his throat. He didn't know how to feel about this.

    Eddie's slept over at your place all the time, why is this different?

    Perhaps it was this electric sensation that Buck had paid more attention to now that he'd come out. With Tommy, he'd felt it but Eddie's was different- vaguely familiar- like walking into the house you were raised in. Now he understood all of it, the past, yet it made it all more complicated.

    He was sweating, trying to find a way to weave the conversation in smoothly. The silence was way too loud for him though. Buck scrunched his face up, trying to calm down his racing thoughts.

    "Hey look, they have a pool!" Eddie chimed as he browsed the pamphlet left on top of a dresser. "We should check that out!"

    "Yeah," Buck coughed up. He glanced at his watch, "It's getting late though."

    "Then a late-night pool party," Eddie declared.

    Buck couldn't comprehend if Eddie was making small talk or literally trying to get both of them out of the room. Maybe he was trying to get his mind off things.

    Off me? Off Christopher?

    "I'll go ask the others," Buck suggested, leaving Eddie and the shrinking room.