The Price of Love (Boyxboy)

15

alex p.o.v.

I pulled up to the front of the Whiteface Lodge, taking a deep breath. Even the sight of it brought back unwanted memories. A valet came up to the car and I unlocked the doors, allowing him to pull mine open for me.

I stepped out and smiled at the small man. "Hey Carlos. How have you been?"

He looked up at me and a look of surprise crossed his features. "Alex Reynolds. I no can believe it!" He exclaimed, his accent still heavy. I laughed a little.

"I'm back," I said, a grin on my face. He spread his arms and I hugged him quickly.

"Alex we will take all of your belongings wherever you need to go," he said, a smile stretching his face. I was about to protest when he said, "No worries! Carlos is here."

I closed my mouth and nodded my thanks. I shook his hand and gave him a tip, which he slipped into his pocket. "Thanks Carlos. We should find some time to catch up."

"Of course my old friend. Whenever you are free," Carlos said. I smiled and walked to the other side of the car where Dean stood, looking confused.

"Carlos took care of me when my mom and I stayed here," I explained. I didn't want to go into details. Dean nodded, but he still looked confused. "Come on."

I led him into the lobby and walked up to the front desk. "Could I get a room with two beds please?" I asked, studying one of the pamphlets advertising white-water rafting.

"Alex?" A familiar voice asked. I looked up and my heart stopped.

"Hey Amanda," I managed to choke out. "How are you?"

She stared icily at me. I smiled thinly, but dropped it when she glared at me. Dean looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Um, we'd just like a room," he said a little uncertainly.

"Oh I bet you do. Just like last time, right Alex?" Her voise began to rise and I shifted uncomfortably. She took a deep breath, probably to tell me off, but her rant was cut off by the phone ringing. She glared at it, and I felt pity for whoever was on the other end of the line.

She snatched it out of the cradle and snapped, "What?" Suddenly, her expression changed, and her voice became sickly sweet. "Yes babe, dinner sounds perfect. Mhm. I'll see you then. Alright. Bye."

Amanda replaced the phone in its' cradle and resumed glaring at me. I swear she was bipolar. There was silence for a moment before Dean tried again.

"So about that room..." he said cautiously. She sighed and tapped her keyboard a few times.

"Sorry, but all the rooms are booked. It's surprisingly busy this time of year," she said, carelessly flicking a piece of lint off her vest.

"What about the cabin?" I asked after a moment. It was the last place I wanted to go, but I knew it was probably free, since it wasn't widely advertised. Amanda looked up at me, her big blue eyes narrow.

"That happens to be available," she said, her teeth gritted.

"Great," I said smiling. "We'll take it." We waited in silence while she pulled a couple keys off a hook and typed my name into the computer.

"Here," she said, and tossed a few things my way. I managed to grab them all before they fell to the floor. "I hope you have a terrible stay."

I turned away from her, unwilling to talk to her any longer. My stomach twisted as I realized that we would be staying in the cabin for a week. I almost hurled, but I didn't want to look weak in front of Dean.

"What's her deal?" He asked as soon as we were out of earshot.

"Ugh, it's a long story that involves a room, a rose, and a phone call that she never got," I said vaguely. I led him back outside and easily found the path to the cabin. I remembered every detail vividly.

"Ouch. She must really hate you for that," he said, looking around at the trail. "So what's the cabin? And why is it the only place that's free?"

I sighed. Dean never stopped asking questions. "Let's just say it has a bad history and not many people are willing to stay there."

"Are you always going to be vague when you answer my questions?" Dean asked.

"Yes."

He rolled his eyes just as we rounded the last curve in the trail. I looked at the cabin. It was exactly how I remembered. Slightly worn wood steps led up to a wrap-around porch. The screen door in front of the heavy oak wood door still didn't close all the way, and it knocked against the doorframe with every breeze.

The shutters looked like they had been repainted since the last time, but most of the paint was peeling. The stone chimney perched on the roof and the log walls on the outside gave it a rustic appearance, but I knew better than that.

I walked up to the front porch and pulled the screen door open before unlocking the front door. It swung open, revealing the dim interior. I flicked on the lightswitch, and the room was suddenly filled with light.

The pictures were still on the mantle and the coffee table. All the books were in the same place, and the curtain still had a small tear in it. Everything was clean. There wasn't a trace of dirt or dust anywhere in the room. I noticed the wall had been cleaned too.

"Well that's different," Dean said. I jumped. I had forgotten he was here.

"What?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"It's just, from the outside, it looks really rustic and rural. But it's got really good lights, air conditioning, and...holy crap there's a flat screen in here," Dean said excitedly. I laughed.

"Yeah. There's a pretty nice stove too, and I think they installed wifi," I said. Dean grinned and promptly began exploring the cabin. I sat down on the couch, proping my legs up on the coffee table and relaxing into the cushions.

It was good to be home.

-

Okay, I swear, next chapter it's gonna get really interesting and you're going to find out about Alex's past. Again, this was sort of just a filler chapter.

Update soon?

Please vote and comment <3

Until next time my munchkins :)

xx,

Violet