En Route to Fame

Chapter Fifteen- A blessing in disguise

I dragged my suitcase down the stairs, trying not to drop my bag that I held under my arm. Once I had got to the lobby, I walked up to the receptionist, checking left and right to make sure no one saw me. I felt embarrassed going up to the receptionist to ask how much a small room would cost because I know I probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The receptionist looked at me with a confused expression.

"Hi," I began, leaning across the desk between us, trying to make the conversation quiet. "How much would a room for one be here?" I asked, holding my breath.

"$40 for one night." She responded bluntly. I checked my purse and then checked left and right once again. My face began to feel like it was burning, I felt a tear fall down my cheek and it cooled my face a little. I couldn't bare to say anymore to the receptionist, I felt too embarrassed. I walked away from counter, checking my surroundings. There was only one other person I could ask about staying a night and that was Colin. I took my phone out of my bag, trying to juggle both bags and my phone, I found a bench and unloaded everything. I clicked on Colin's name in my contacts and held the phone up to my ear, still constantly checking my surroundings. I felt hopeless, the sound of the ringing filled me with anxiety. I tried calling him twice but there was no answer.

I fell back on the bench, slouching my back on the back support. I then dropped my head in my hands, to prevent anyone seeing me crying.

"You okay?" I heard a voice say. I knew this voice too well, by now, and the sound of it made my stomach feel like it was curling in a ball. I wiped my eyes discretely trying to hide the fact I was crying.

"Yes, I'm fine." I said, swallowing my feelings.

"Looks like you've got no place to stay." He assumed, trying to show his superiority over me.

"Nope, just thought I'd take my suitcase for a walk." I said sarcastically.

"Well, my dad has a couple spare rooms if you wanted to stay at his."

I looked up at him in disbelief. This is Landon I'm speaking to, right? I felt confused, earlier that morning we had a heated conversation, as usual. Why did he want to help me? "Are you okay?" I asked him with confusion.

"I'm fine." He chuckled. "Do you want a place to stay, or not?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Why not?" He said, in an indecisive manner. "Come on, I'll take your bag." He claimed reaching out for my suitcase.

I stood up and wiped the remainder of my tears off of my face. "Thank you for this." I said, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"My dad will be happy to see you." He responded, changing subject.

I looked at him, as he focused on the pavement ahead. I couldn't think what was going on inside his mind. He had just helped me but it was like he didn't think of it in that way. It felt like he thought of me as record that he had to protect for the sake of his father. I didn't know what else to say so I stayed quiet, soon we arrived at a car park where he had kept his car.

"How come you were in this part of the town?" I asked, confused.

"I like to take a walk with a nice view, it just happens to be here. Also when you have a house filled with a busy family, it's nice to take a walk where you can relax and get far away from everything." He took a breath as he opened the boot of his black Mercedes-Benz C-Class. "I hope you don't feel overwhelmed by our family by the way. Everything is a bit intense at my house." He placed my suitcase in the boot and closed the door, he then walked to the front seat and opened the door and jumped in.

I got into his car, after him, and immediately I felt nervous. It only just hit me that I was in a car with someone I had not been friendly with in the past and I knew I would come across Anastasia, if they were dating. 

"Tell me more about your family," I said, trying to break any awkward silence.

"There's not much to tell," He responded. "But you may want to be aware that Ana's mom can be very intense."

"Anastasia's mum?" I asked, confused. "Why would she be at your house?"

"She didn't tell you? He responded, making me even more confused. I gave him a questioning glance, "Ana is my step-sister."

I replayed all the interactions at the party that Anastasia had with Landon and it all became clear. I began to wonder why he thought we were so close though, I hadn't spoken to her without Reya being present. I spent the rest of the car ride trying to make small talk to avoid any awkwardness, it didn't work too well though.

"We're here," he claimed. Suddenly a rush of nerves ran through my body, I kept worrying about what Mr Perry may think about me if I stayed in his house. I'm Morgan Wilson, and this is my life.