I'm lying on my cheap motel bed, staring up at the celling when I hear a knock at the door. I ignore it, assuming it's just housekeeping or something before I resume trying to figure out how to deal with what the hell I got myself into. I should probably figure out a way to earn enough money to afford more than a weeks's rent at this place so I don't have to live on the streets. Maybe I could work as a cater waiter or something.
As I sort through my options, I hear it again: a soft rap on the door.
I sigh as I swing my legs over the side of the bed. When's a girl to get some peace and quiet?
To my surprise, the person on the other side of the door is a tall man with a round face and clearly defined jawline. The combination along with his piercing blue eyes instantly causes my heart to beat a little faster. I notice that he looks to be maybe 20ish, the lopsided grin on his face only adding to his youth.
"Hey. This was in front of your door and I was wondering if it belonged to you." The deepness of his voice surprised me, but was nonetheless soothing compared to the roaring city life outside. As he held up what looked to be a small silver chain, my fingers subconsciously fly to my bare neck and I almost have a heart attack. An extensive span of emotions, ranging anywhere from confusion and sheer terror to relief and gratefulness battle for superiority.
"Yes! It is." I decide on gratefulness for the victory. I'm about to thank him when it occurs to me that he could be a thief who somehow managed to get ahold of my things. My lungs suddenly struggle to take in air. "Where did you find it?" I demand as I try to steady my breath.
"In the hallway near your door. You're lucky someone didn't decide to steal it before I walked by. I'm Oliver, by the way," he responds as he carefully slips the cool metal into my palm. Funny you should mention that, I think.
I suddenly realize that if he was if fact a thief, then he probably wouldn't be standing here returning it to me now. Idiot!
"Skylar," I say in return as my cheeks flush at my mistake. I'm tempted to ask him why he didn't take it, but decide against it. If he has enough integrity to return it, then his motives don't deserve to be questioned.
He nods in response. "Was it your grandmothers?" He asks coolly, motioning to the chain as I mess with the clasp around my neck. In other words, He's probably curious to why I had a mini panic attack.
"Yeah, something like that." Actually, it was something my dad gave me in order to feel less guilty about pawning my great great grandmothers Victorian pearl earrings for some fancy liquor. I sometimes wonder how he acquired such an expensive piece of jewelry, but the most logical explanation is that he simply didn't actually examine it closely enough to determine its value.
"Cool, so I'll let you get you get back to whatever it was you were doing. See ya around." Oliver flashes me a smile that causes my stomach to respond in a similar way to one of a person preparing to dive off the high board as he turns away.
"See ya," I call after him before heading back inside my room and clicking the door shut.
Wow. I think to myself as I throw myself on top of the cheap mattress. I can't believe I actually thought he was a criminal!
As soon as I'm comfortable I feel my phone buzz in my pocket.
Hey you still down for tonight? Shit. Durning the whole necklace dilemma I completely forget about the party.
Yeah I'm still down
Cool. Meet me at The Wire at 8.
See you then
💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫
After doing a little research, I discover that The Wire is an old music store, as opposed to a strip club or mysterious mansion as I feared. It supposedly sells anything from guitar picks to amplifiers to old records and albums dating from decades ago up until last weeks's releases.
I glance at the digital clock on my bedside table: 6:15 pm, aka dinner time.
After googling the nearest fast food restaurants, I find the closest is about two and a half miles away. I've got some walking to do. I begin to haul myself off of the mattress and head for the door.
Once I reach the elevator, I press the ground floor button and wait for the doors to close. But as soon as they've almost greeted each other, a hand slips between, forcing them back open again.
And to my surprise, the hand belonged to no other than Oliver.
"Hey Skylar! Fancy seeing you here," he says as he steps into the elevator and the doors begin to merge once more.
My heart starts racing at the thought of being in such a small space alone with him. I attempt to play it cool by rolling my eyes slightly and giving him a small nod. "Hey Oliver. "
"I was just on my way to grab a bite to eat. Care to join me?" he looks at me intensely. Funny, that's just what I where I was headed.
"Sure, why not?" I hope he doesn't notice my extreme desperation to seem chill.
He grins. "I guess it's simply fate that we met here yet again," he winks flirtatiously as he presses the ground floor button, despite the fact that I already have.
"Well who am I to mess with destiny?" I joke. The elevator begins to slowly descend and butterflies ferociously erupt in my stomach. It's similar to the excitement and nervousness that I encountered as a child on the rare occasion Mom bought us both an ice cream to share. Mint chocolate chip was her favorite, but mine was cookies and cream.
After I finish my daydream, I turn to find Oliver staring at me.
"What?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Hmm?" He drags out the sound, not taking his eyes off of me.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask, my voice wavering. I hope he doesn't notice.
He laughs to himself, a clear sign that he did, and says, "because you're adorable."
"I am not!" I protest, but it just makes him laugh harder.
"Ugh." I groan in mock offense, knowing that it's not worth arguing over.
He grins wildly and sticks his tongue out slightly, which may look childish on anyone else but is sexy on him.
I wonder how many other girls he's looked at like that.
"Hey Skylar?" He asks suddenly, his voice laced with concern.
I'm watching as he presses his palms lightly against the elevator walls when I realize that we're not moving.
"Yeah?" I say warily as he presses his ear against the cool metal.
"I think we're stuck."
Hey! So I know it took me forever to update, but this chapter is nearly twice as long. I've been insanely busy with school and my Extracurriculars but it's almost over so I should have more time to write and edit. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please vote if you did to let me know! Thanks again.
-just_an_echo21
YOU ARE READING
Looking Towards Tomorrow
Teen Fiction"Why are you here, anyway? Not just at this party but in New York? What makes you think that you'll ever fit in?" "I wanted a fresh start. Somewhere where I could make something of myself. And I don't need to fit in to do that." Skylar Bailey was s...
