1

16 0 0

by Battagliabarboncino

by Battagliabarboncino

"Buona sera"
The girl behind the the hotel counter looked up from the book she was reading.
"Cosa posso fare per te?"

The man who had just come in scratched his head. "Excuse me but I don't speak any italian"

"Oh, okay, Im sorry!", the girl giggled and then repeated her question in accent-free English: "What can I do for you?"

"My name is Cumberbatch. A room has been booked on my name for five nights."

"Cumberbatch. Right. Benedict Cumberbatch?"

"Yes"

"Good. I'm just gonna print out some papers and then I can hand you your keys."
The girl smiled.

"You know, technically I don't even work here.", she chatted as she clicked through various files trying to find Benedicts reservation

"What?", he asked confused. Who the hell was this Girl and what did she have to do here then, clicking through this hotels private stuff?

"Yeah, I just help out a bit over the summer months when I don't have this much university work to do. My uncle owns the hotel and I always have a good use for some extra money"

Oh, okay, that seemed logical.

"So you're a student?", Ben automatically assumed.
"God no!"
The girl made a face "I'm a professor. I teach marine biology at the University of Florence."

Ben could feel his cheeks reddening by the blamage of this little fauxpas. "I'm really sorry!", he quickly apologised but then added with a little smile: "But you look quite young. So I..."

"Yeah I know" she said dismissively. "A few days ago I even had to show my ID to the cashier when I wanted to buy myself a bottle of wine. And I turned 30 last week!"

"Well then...happy belated birthday!"

The girl smiled. "Thank you!"
Then she double clicked on a button and with an unhealty sound some papers emerged from the printer in the corner behind her.
"And in my now full thirty year old wisdom I have finally found your papers. Just sign this", she slipped them over the counter; "and then I'll give you the keys and show you your room."

With a smooth movement she got up from her chair, grabbed some keys from the board behind her and went ahead of him out of the door into the brooding italian late afternoon heat.