Unpretty Me

Now Brewing #07: Elevator Madness

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The hotel lobby was almost deserted, save for the front desk clerk, who looked half-asleep, and a decorative fern swaying lazily in the air conditioning. Luke Bautista ambled toward the elevator, his mind still swimming with thoughts of SirenAngel. He could practically hear the faint echo of her voice in his head, teasing him with its beauty.

He yawned, rubbing the back of his neck, when he spotted someone standing in front of the elevator. His heart gave an unintentional leap—it was Isla, her curly hair still slightly damp from the sea breeze, clutching her tote bag tightly in front of her chest.

Her expression was somewhere between calm and "please don't talk to me," which only made Luke grin.

"Hey, Irma!" Luke called out with a playful smile.

Isla stiffened as if struck by lightning. Irma? Really? She exhaled slowly through her nose, reminding herself that murder was illegal, even on vacation.

"It's Isla," she muttered, barely moving her lips.

Luke just chuckled, completely missing the irritated twitch in her eye. He stepped beside her and pressed the elevator button, even though it was already lit.

"So," he said casually, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "did you hear someone singing by the beach earlier? Sounded exactly like SirenAngel."

Isla's heart stopped for a moment. Oh, no.

She clenched her tote bag tighter, as if Marina the Mermaid plush inside might pop out and give away her double life. Her brain scrambled for a response, but all she could think was: LukeTheFluke is my boss?! How did I not see this coming? Of course, he'd have a stupid username like that!

Isla glanced sideways at Luke, her expression a perfect mixture of panic and forced calm. "Nope, didn't hear anything, Boss." She flashed him a tight-lipped smile that looked more like she'd just eaten a sour lemon.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Really? You were out here earlier, though, right?"

Abort mission! Abort mission! Isla's brain screamed.

She laughed—too loudly, too awkwardly. "What, me? Nah. I was, uh... inside! Yep. Definitely inside. Far, far away from any singing!"

Luke blinked, a little amused by her strange behavior but too tired to question it further. The elevator finally arrived with a soft chime, and they both stepped inside.

The elevator doors slid shut with a quiet hiss, and the two of them stood side by side in awkward silence. The soft hum of the elevator motor filled the space, along with the distinct sound of Isla nervously tapping her foot.

Luke leaned casually against the side rail, sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye. There was something off about Isla tonight—more off than usual.

"You sure you didn't hear anything?" he asked again, unable to shake the feeling that she was hiding something.

Isla shifted her weight and gave him another tight-lipped smile. "Positive. Must've been, like, the wind or something."

Luke gave her a curious look. "The wind... singing?"

"Yup," Isla said, nodding way too enthusiastically. "Ever heard of sea breezes? Very musical sometimes."

Luke snorted. "Right. And sometimes ferns do karaoke."

Isla bit her lip to keep from laughing, but it came out as a strange snort-giggle instead. She coughed to cover it up, but the damage was done. Keep it together, Isla! He can't find out!

Luke chuckled, thoroughly entertained now. He had no idea what was going on, but watching Isla try to navigate whatever internal crisis she was having was more amusing than anything else.

Just as he was about to press further, Isla's worst nightmare happened.

Marina the Mermaid plush poked out from her tote bag.

Luke's eyes landed on the plush toy, his brow furrowing. "Hey, is that—"

Isla acted on pure reflex, yanking Marina out of sight so fast it was like a magic trick. "Nope! Nothing to see here!"

Luke blinked, trying to process what just happened. "Was that... a mermaid?"

"No!" Isla blurted. "It was... uh... a, um, sea cucumber. Yeah, a sea cucumber plush. Very rare. Limited edition."

Luke tilted his head, suppressing a grin. "A limited-edition sea cucumber?"

Isla's cheeks flushed, and she clutched the tote bag tighter. "Don't judge me! It's... collectible."

Luke chuckled softly, deciding to let it go. Whatever secret Isla was hiding, it was definitely something weird. But weird wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was kind of endearing.

The elevator dinged, announcing their arrival at the third floor. Isla practically lunged for the doors as they opened, desperate to escape the confined space.

"Goodnight, Boss!" she called over her shoulder, power-walking down the hallway as if her life depended on it.

Luke watched her go, shaking his head with a grin. "Weird girl," he muttered to himself, stepping out of the elevator. "But cute."

Isla burst into her hotel room, slamming the door behind her and pressing her back against it. Her heart raced, and she stared down at Marina, who was now lying limply in her bag.

"That was close, Marina," she whispered. "Way too close."

She paced the room, her mind racing. If Luke ever found out she was SirenAngel, it would be game over. No more secret DMs, no more playful flirting behind a screen. And worse—he'd know all her weird quirks in person.

"Why did it have to be him?" Isla groaned, flopping onto the bed and burying her face in a pillow. "Of all the people in the world, it had to be my boss. The universe hates me."

Marina stared back at her with its usual serene smile, offering no sympathy.

After a few moments of self-pity, Isla rolled over and grabbed her phone. She needed to do something to calm her nerves, and there was only one thing that would help right now—messaging LukeTheFluke.

She opened their chat and started typing.

Back in his room, Luke had just settled onto his bed when his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and a grin spread across his face.

SirenAngel: "Hey, just wanted to say hi. Felt like messaging you for no reason. Weird, right? Lol"

Luke chuckled, his heart doing that stupid fluttering thing it always did whenever SirenAngel messaged him. He quickly typed back.

LukeTheFluke: "Not weird at all. I was just thinking about you, too. How was your day?"

As he waited for her response, Luke couldn't shake the feeling that tonight's encounter with Isla and his ongoing conversations with SirenAngel were somehow connected. But that was impossible... right?

Back in her room, Isla stared at Luke's reply, her heart racing. He was just thinking about her?

"Oh no," she whispered, clutching Marina tighter. "This is getting complicated."

She chewed on her bottom lip, debating her next move. Should she keep talking to him? Or should she ghost him before things got even more tangled?

As Luke awaits for SirenAngel's response, Isla is still debating on whether to continue her online friendship with Luke. She decided to stop responding for now to avoid any more mishaps.

And somewhere in the universe, the stars chuckled quietly, knowing this tangled web of identities was far from over.

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