Meeting the Jokers

Part 11

"So, even though you're 6 flights above us, you can still hang out here for a bit. We have some crew here at the minute, cuz we're having an interview but it will give you time to walk around," Joe moved his head to each hotel door as we passed. "1123...24...25".

"What number are we looking for?" I asked.

"1142," Murr chimed in, holding the information in his leaflet.

"I'm in 1140," Joe said.

"Here," Q pointed out ahead of us.

"Let's all get in before Sal even gets up the stairs." Joe laughed.

We opened the first door, to our left, and it was covered with producers, cameras and tablets.

"Hi," a girl with flowing brown hair come up to me, "I'm Rachel."

"Olivia," I shook her outstretched arm, staring into her dark brown eyes. "What's your job here?"

"I was a good friend of the guys... they offered to let me be a producer of the show. I help with the cameras at times, I help with finding locations. This hotel, too, I chose," she beamed.

"Well it's gorgeous!" I exclaimed, "the people around here call it the heaven because no one can ever get in, but it's so gorgeous inside."

"They got that right!"

At that moment, a red and sweaty Sal threw open the door. "Why, Why, did we have to get a room this high up?" He sneered in a joking way.

"Calm down," Q said, "we got up here in 10 seconds flat."

"In that box?" Sal said, "I'd rather stay clean than go in there."

"This happens everyday," Rachel explained, "I don't think anyone actually listens anymore."

I looked around. More producers doing their own thing. Ignoring the argument building by the door. There was the guy I had talked to the first day I met the guys, Casey, huddled round a camera with another guy with a big beard.

"Hey, Sal... you gotta get cleaned up buddy," Joe laughed.

"Where the hell are the-"

"Sal, I'll take you up to my room," I say, pushing past the guys and him.

"I can go to my own room." Sal objects.

"Yeah, and have the guys walking in on you?"

"Good point." Sals red face had cooled down from a tomato to light pink by this point, as he huffed his way up the stairs.

"Two more flights to go," I said.

Sal peeked through the window; revealing a sheer drop to the floor. We were standing over one hundred meters above the traffic. Sal inhaled slowly, and out again.

"You really are an old lady trapped in a younger mans body," I snark.

He smiled sarcastically and went back to heaving up the stairs. It was less work now that we were nearly there.

"I need a breather," Sal lashed his arm out all the way to the wall so I couldn't pass.

I huffed until his face transformed back to normal and he touched up his hair before finally moving again.

"So, if I'm room number 1723, I should be right on the other end of the hallway."

"You keep me young, Olivia," Sal joked. My heart began to beat fast; I was in a corridor with Sal from Impractical Jokers!

I was still that scared fan girl I was at the concert.

Or that quiet friend at the cafe.

"Oh, my god," I whispered. We were only half way down the hallway when a very infamous face came striding down towards us.

"What?" Sal looked around, worried.

"It's my ex."

"That dumped you?"

He looked genuinely shocked.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, "what do I do?"

"You wanna make him jealous, no?"

"Well, of course I do."

"Then kiss me, right now."

"What?"

"Quick, he's getting closer!"

There, within 20 meters of us, was Sam bounding over, with no intention of tripping into us.

"Are you sure?"

"Just hold my hand then!" Sal whisper/yelled.

It was awkward and pressurising to hear a 40 year old man telling you to kiss him, let alone hold his hand.

"You're way too old I-"

"Just do it!" Sal yelled, almost too loudly.

I awkwardly grabbed his hand, holding it like you would hold a lions tail, or something you knew was wrong, and could backfire any second.

"Woah," Sam stopped in his tracks, "Olivia?"

"What?" I let go of Sals hand and crossed my arms.

"You're with this dude?"

"Uhhh," I turned to Sal, who was nodding his head, "yeah, having a night away together."

"I'm actually off the television." Sal said proudly.

"Oh, you're that guy from that crap joking show on," he squeezed his hand closed, "I've seen you alright."

"Sam," I warned, "I've moved on... and you had too."

"What?"

"When you had your tongue down that girls throat!"

He stopped, like some switch had been pressed, and his face grew angry, betrayed, found out. His hand took a swing, for either me or the wall- I couldn't tell. But Sal grabbed my arm and pulled us both backwards.

"Don't touch her," he sneered, "don't touch anyone, you piece of shit."

He turned to me, "are you ok?"

Hell yeah I was, Sal Vulcano had just saved me from an upper hook!

"Yeah," I whispered, "let's get to my room." He grabbed my hand obviously in front of Sam and took me back to our rooms.

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