Stockholm Syndrome

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November 15
11:46pm
Westbranch Hotel
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The night was just like every other night, no clouds in the sky, air fresh and crisp. The only thing different about tonight was the full moon. It was so bright that I could see it through the tips of the trees, it was beautiful.

We usually aren't that busy in general, but during this season, we may get up to 50 guests if we are lucky. With saying that, we only have 8 workers during this time. Me, the night receptionist, Mr.Hank, our manager, Sam and Lily, the cleaning ladies whom I am great friends with, Nathan the day receptionist, Mr. and Mrs. Chester as our cooks, and Joey our repair man.

It's honestly a pretty great place to work at. I'm so close with everyone, we are like our own little family. The only person who causes us problems at work is Nathan. He is extremely flirty with all the female employees, even with Lily, our 40 year old coworker. She's the oldest out of the bunch, which she isn't even that old.

As of now, we only have 6 guests, a family of three, a mom, a dad and their 5 year old son, a couple who seem to be having issues with each other as I noticed their dirty looks being tossed back and forth when they were getting a room, and no not the good kind of dirty look. Then our final guest so far is an older woman who mentioned that she wants to get away from the city, so she came all the way here.

Many may think that staying in this hotel or working at it is extremely boring or lonely, when it's really not. At this hotel, we have an indoor pool, a small bar, snack bar, and beautiful outdoor trails. Basically, the inside is like any other above average hotel. We have never gotten a complaint about our hotel being boring, in fact, many find it the opposite.

Since I am the night receptionist, I don't really go back home during the day. It's such a long drive that takes up too much time so I basically live here. In the back of my receptionist desk, there is a long hallway with 3 doors, one being the break room, cleaning supplies, and the last one being my room. Yes, I have my own room. It's actually really nice, it's big, has windows, and has a lock built into the door. It serves me well, and I am happy with it. My other coworkers usually drive back home then come back, but some decide to stay in a room depending on their work schedule or if they just don't want to drive home.

My mom knows I like it down here, but she does feel as if I'm throwing my youth down the drain by working in seclusion and living at my job. I do get her point, I really do, but I love it. I feel at peace here, the scenery and the people here all make me feel relaxed. I won't be working here all my life, so I want to enjoy it.

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November 16
10:21pm
Westbranch Hotel
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It's been a day and we still haven't gotten any new guests, which isn't strange at all. Due to no guests arriving, Sam and I were talking about the newest drama that we started watching.

"Honestly, how did the detective not see that she was the killer? It's crazy, I knew it from the start!" Sam went on dramatically, her face matching her exasperated tone.

Sam was quite the drama queen, not in a negative type of way though. She is 24 years old and has probably flirted with every guest who is male and is under 40, yes sometimes even the married ones. She has never acted on anything though, which I'm glad for.

"Really? I though the murderer was hard to guess, so much evidence  pointing to everyone but her." I leaned into the counter, playing with the necklace wrapped around Sam's neck, as she was standing on the opposite side of the desk.

"True... but I had a gut feeling, ya know?" She tensed her hands into fists when she spoke.

"Don't you girls have so much work to do?" The  sarcastic voice of Mr. Hank came out of nowhere.

"Ah yes sir, so much work." I sighed dramatically and wiped the back of my hand over my forehead.

Mr. Hank was your average 35 year old male, not too tall nor short, had a clean shaven face and light brown hair. He has no wife or children, Mr. Hank is kind of just... there.

He chuckled at my brilliant acting then walked off toward the kitchen, ready to give the cooking couple a run of bad jokes.

Sam was opening her mouth, to probably say a snarky comment about the manager, when the front entrance bell ringed. Sam quickly walked away into the back towards the supply closet. I stopped leaning on the counter and straightened my back.

"Hello, welcome to Westbank Hotel." I put on my sweet yet firm receptionist voice before I even saw who walked in.

The man who walked in immediately got my attention. His physique was lean, but you could tell he was the muscular type of lean. The way he walked inferred that he has great confidence in himself, which he should by the looks of him.

The guest walked up to my desk and smiled at me, his smile wasn't necessarily charming nor was it unattractive.

I cleared my throat "Sir, how may I help you?" I smiled at him, attempting to keep eye contact.

"I would like a room with just one bed, on the top floor if available." He replied cooly. His voice was smooth with a deep tone to it. But, his voice also sounded cryptic.

"Yes of course, we have a room with one bed on the top floor. Would you like the suite or the normal version?" I ask, typing into my computer for his room details.

"The suite." Came his instant reply.

"And what name will we be putting the room under?" I look up at him again, his eyes drilling into mine.

"Alex Jang." He replies simply.

I quickly type in his name onto my computer attaching it to the room number. I turn around and unlock the cupboard door to where the keys are kept and find room number 312. Taking out the key, I turn to face the man and walk towards my desk.

"Here's your key for room number 312, I hope you enjoy your stay." I smile sweetly up to him when I move my hand towards him to give him the key.

He reaches for the key, wraps his hand around the key, which he ends up wrapping his hand around my whole hand as well. I held my breath. As if he doesn't notice, he slowly drags the key out of my hand until it hits the table with a clank noise. His hand is now off mine, but the whole time he had it wrapped around it, his eyes didn't leave mine for a second.

"I'll see you later." He nods at me nonchalantly as if nothing happened then walks off.

I finally let out the breath I had held. What the hell was that? Despite the odd encounter I just had with the man, I have to admire how beautiful he looked.

The first thing I noticed of his face were his cheekbones. They looked firm and were quite high, I usually don't see men with such facial feature here. His lips were also extremely nice, they were plump in all the right places. And when he smiled, it was a slightly crooked one, which I think is attractive on him. But, his eyes. His eyes never left mine. They were a very dark brown, almost blackish. They tinted with a lighter brown in the bright hotel lights. His hair well taken care of, not too long or short, his hair was pushed up slightly, exposing his forehead.

He was such a simple and beautiful man, but his aura. His aura felt almost... erratic.

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Thank you for reading the first chapter, I hope this was a good base!