Apartment For Three

Chapter 28

Marlon, who was now in his pajama pants, walked over to our bed. I stood there on my side as he slid in between the sheets. Laying on his side facing me, he sighed as he waited for me to bring up the point Paul was gone.

"Should I look for him?" I asked quietly as I sat on the end of the bed.

"He's probably out for a smoke." Marlon suggested, his strong arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me to sit farther into the bed. "Maybe he didn't want to disturb his drip of a wife."

"Marlon, she's right there." I whispered as I looked down at him.

"And she's more knocked out than the sandman." Marlon huffed. He paused, but then came to the realization I couldn't let me curiosity rest. His arm released me and he turned onto his other side, his back now facing me. "Don't lock yourself out." 

And so I walked off in the cold air, only wearing my little chemise and Marlon's trench coat over my body. It was pretty dark walking around the grounds of the motel, circling around the boxy building. Then finally in the back, I found Paul sitting by the pool. The glow of the pool was cascaded from the multiple leaves floating around inside. They motel obviously didn't bother to clean it during the cold months.

There, on a lounge chair, Paul puffed on his cigarette as he watched the floating leaves. I crept toward him, until finally...

"So you found me." He spoke up, not even looking over his shoulder. It's as if he already sensed my presence.

I took a seat next to him on the lounge chair. Both of our knees touched as we crouched there. "What has you all by your lonesome?"

"Lonesome?" Paul huffed. "That's my middle name."

"I wouldn't say so." I sighed. "You have Jackie."

An expression of guilt spread across his face. "I know you must've been shocked when you saw her. Especially after all that bullcrap I fed you."

"I was more than shocked. I was a little furious." I crossed my arms as my lips pressed together. Paul didn't dare look into my eyes.

"Why didn't you stop me right there?" His hands lifted, his cigarette between his fingers. "Why didn't you just insist that you didn't want to partake in this?"

I reached over and stroked Paul's hair. "Because no matter how mad I am at you, I still find myself caring. And I want to see this Hollywood thing happen for you."

"It's not gonna happen." He looked away as he took a draw of his cigarette. "At the studio I'm a joke. They say I don't have sex appeal."

"Don't have sex appeal?" I repeated with a laugh. "Are they devoid of all senses?"

"I'm different around you." Paul admitted. "Something about you just brings something out in me."

Paul began leaning toward me on that lounge chair, and for a moment I was taken back to the way things used to be. I forgot everything that ever happened between he and I. My mind was totally under his spell.

"Every time you're up there in front of a camera lens..." I leaned toward him, his lips inches away from mine. "Just think of me."

"I already think of you. Every second of everyday. Your eyes, your scent, your taste." Paul said in a low, deep voice.

Then I was brought back to life. "Of course, it'd make more sense for you to think of your wife."

"My wife." Paul flicked his cigarette into the pool. "If you can even call that a wife."

Paul sat up straight, exhaling. I noticed that he didn't even care to put on clothing. He only wore his boxers and a trench coat. "I'm sorry I ever did this to you. This trip was my only selfishness. And I wouldn't blame you if you want to turn back now and go right back to New York."

Before I could answer, immediately I jumped to my feet. "Uh— Paul!"

"I knew you'd get upset." He cursed.

"No!" I pointed toward the pool. "Your cigarette seems to have started a fire on the pool!"

"How the hell would that have happened?" Paul jumped to his feet at the sight of the accumulating fire."

"Probably the leaves are feeding it." I shouted out. "We need help!"

"It's in water, it'll burn out." Paul waved his hand.

"Paul! We need help!" I insisted as I ran around the perimeter of the motel. I passed each room, including our own which had the light on inside. Who knows what was happening inside of there. I could just imagine the arguments Marlon and Jackie we're getting into. I didn't bothered to stop and look.

I stopped at the main desk building of the motel, hysterically telling them what happened. Only one man was on duty, and he figured his fire bucket could put out the fire. Grabbing it off of the wall, both of us ran together around the building again toward the pool.

By the time I'd returned with the man, the fire had grown exponentially. He paused with the bucket in his hand, but Paul thought faster than him. While taking off his long trench coat in cold weather, Paul grabbed the bucket and threw it on the fire.

It hardly made any difference.

"You need to call the police!" He said to the man, but the man was in a shell shock. Paul turned to me. "Run and call the police! I'll try to find the water hose they fill the pool with."

My coat billowed in the wind as I ran back around the building and toward the main office. When I picked up the line, there was no dial tone. Quickly I forcefully pushed down on the buttons of the rotary phone, an agonizing screech following the movements of my fingers. Nothing.

Running out side, I stood there as my mind raced for what was next. On the other side of the property at the very end of the parking lot, I spotted a pay phone. My feet couldn't seem to go faster as I raced toward the booth. As I tried to open the door, it was frozen shut. Pulling it hard, I popped it open and picked up the phone. My eyes shut with relief as I heard a dial tone.

My eyes squinted in the dark as I tried to read the numbers of the local fire station. Slowly I punched it into the rotary phone, the dial twisting back with each punch. When the phone began to rang, a fire station picked up.

"Hello!?" I screamed out. "Please, we need your help!"