HER HOMETOWN PRINCE

6.

Becca

The night was quiet. A major change to my normal working schedule at daylight. As it was explained to me by Mr. Raymond and Annalisa, it was part of my job is available to the Duke. Their explanation was vague but from the tone of their voices and the worry in their eyes, I can tell they were truly concerned about him. Gone was the formality of calling him, 'His Grace', they called him by his given name. I couldn't refuse the offer. It wasn't because of the rise of pay and flexible hours plus the private room at the hotel. It was because of him. Something tugged at me after the first night I was at his beck and call. The way his attitude changed at the drop of a hat simply by me asking one question.

He was protecting himself but from what?!

It was nearing midnight when the quiet lobby stirred with noise. It wasn't the normal sound of a formal greeting and directions to the front desk. This was the sound of two people arguing, one was trying to get the other to come in while the other was protesting. I recognized the second voice and was completely taken back. Quickly I rounded the desk and stepped out into the lobby. "Oh, my word. What happened?"

There he was. The Duke Of Montrose heavily leaning on an extremely worried man, eyes glazed along with a bottle of vodka in his hand. I eyed the bottle closely, noticing a quarter of alcohol was left. "Oh. Hey Red."

My eyes rounded in shock by the greeting he placed my way. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat, trying his best to make it to my side. His new friend quickly rushed to his side, holding him up before he fell. "Your Grace. Are you alright?" I asked.

"Of course I am," he answered with a laugh. My eyebrows raised once more, seeing him like this was painful. His laugh still didn't reach his eyes, even if he was completely drunk.

"Excuse me. I do not wish to be rude but who are you?" the man beside him asked. Sebastien now had his head resting on the man's shoulder while humming a song. The tune was familiar but I had to pay attention to the situation at hand. Before I can answer, Sebastien, did so for me, "This... my dear good man... is Bec....caaaa. My remedy of some sort." he said jokingly. His English accent was more pronounced, I felt a bit guilty noticing how it stirred a feeling I have buried a long time ago.

"Your remedy?" his friend asked.

"I'm actually the concierge hired to take care of him" I explained. The guy breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm Marlin an old friend of his. I take it you have a key to his floor?"

"Yes. I will meet you by the elevator."

"H-Hey. Where are you going? You're supposed to stay with me." Sebastien whined. "She's just going for the key, bud. Let's go." Marlin said firmly in which his friend conceded taking another sip of the vodka. Sebastien began to sing the song he was recently humming, my steps faltered upon recognizing the song. I hated the song and the person who made me remember it after so long. Heartaches shouldn't last so long.

Grabbing the key and my cell, I rushed to the elevator bank to see the duke sitting on the floor finishing the bottle while staring at the ceiling. Marlin was truly worried and so was I. Our drunken friend was silent, was that a good sign? Approaching them slowly, Marlin's gaze switched between Sebastien and me. Taking in the silence, I opened the doors to the elevator in which we didn't have to coax him into, he practically crawled into it and sat in the corner. Marlin and I looked at each other utterly confused. I have dealt with drunk people and this was the first for me. I've never met a quiet drunk.

We were approaching the twenty-fourth floor when the confined silence was broken.

"Nothing big. It was nothing big."