Something Different

Chapter 10

'"Welcome to Illinois, the Land of Lincoln." Damn, that's some good marketing. Lincoln was the man.' Alex commented. Donna cracked up.

Illinois was beautiful. It was modernised, yet at the same time, managed to capture the essence of the older years.

'We have Six Flags here...' suggested Alex.

'HAH! If I go to Six Flags, we aren't gonna leave for the whole week.'

'Nevermind, then.' said Alex, crossing it off the list.

Alex relented 'God, there's so much stuff about Lincoln. These people are really proud, aren't they?'

Shrugging, Donna said, 'I mean, Lincoln was revolutionary. Of course they're gonna be proud.'

Alex switched off her phone. 'You know what? Let's just go for a nice dinner. I mean, like, a proper dining place. Then we'll spend the night in a hotel, and we'll be off tomorrow.'

Donna smiled cheekily. 'So... like a date?'

That caught Alex off guard. 'Um...'

Donna laughed. 'Relax, I'm playing.'

Alex sighed, obviously relieved. She smiled to herself.

'You know, it could be a date. I don't really mind.'

Donna stared at her. 'Wait, what?'

Alex raised an eyebrow, 'You in?'

Donna tried to look confident. 'Hell yes, I'm in.'

'Alright, Hudgens. Nice going.'

It was early evening by the time they found a hotel. Finding a parking spot was even harder. After half an hour of cursing and struggling at parallel parking, they found a good spot.

They grabbed their duffle bags and walked into the hotel.

As they approached the receptions, Donna muttered under her breath:

'You sure we'll get a room?'

'Mhmm, I'm sure.'

'How?'

'I mean, look at the lobby. It's practically empty.'

The receptionist beckoned them forward. With an obviously forced smile on her face, she said, 'Welcome to La Selle, ma'am, how may I assist you?'

'Room for two.'

'Sure. And do you want dinner and breakfast too?'

'Do you have a 'just breakfast' option?'

'Yes ma'am, we do.'

'I'll take that then. What's the overnight price?'

'It's 150 dollars a night ma'am, but since we're cutting out dinner, it'll be 120.'

'Alright.'

Donna interjected. 'I've got the bill, Alex.'

'No, it's okay-'

'Let's split it then, alright?'

'Okay, then.'

Paying 60 dollars each, both of them took the elevator to the room.

As Alex opened the door, Donna grunted.

'What happened?' asked Alex, looking concerned.

'It's my ankle. Stupid thing's bothering me again.'

'You'll be able to walk, right?'

'Mhmm, yeah.'

'You sure?'

Donna hesitated. Alex looked at her.

'Okay, come in, I'll help you out.'

Dumping her duffle on the bed, Alex pulled out a tube of cream. She ran the taps in the bathroom.

'Take a shower, then I'll put this on your ankle. It helps.'

'What about-'

'Just go. Your health is more important at this moment.'

Donna limped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Pulling off her t-shirt, she eased herself into the bathtub. She moaned slightly as she slipped into the warm water. The tips of her hair floated around in the tub.

Donna couldn't stop thinking about Alex. Alex might look all rough and rugged from outside, but from the inside... she was just another girl, with feelings and emotions, looking for love.

Meanwhile, Alex was folding her clothes. She'd tied her hair into a ponytail, and was rummaging through her duffle for a pair of socks. As she was looking, she felt something buzz on the bed. She glanced, and saw Donna's phone.

A notification read: '5 messages from Ryan.'

Another one read: '6 messages from Julia (yesterday)'

Alex was puzzled. Did Donna not read her messages?

She tried to figure it out, but Donna had stepped out of the bathroom. Her white shirt was slightly wet, and clung to her body. Her auburn hair looked red as it was wet. She wore a pair of shorts.

Alex tried hard not to stare, but Donna just looked so... well, tempting and desirable, that all that Alex wanted to do was kiss those tantalizing lips. She managed to restrain herself.

'Hey, there's some more hot water left, if you wanna clean up.' said Donna, patting her hair with a towel.

'Alright, thanks.' smiled Alex.

As she was about the step into the bathroom, Alex turned around.

'Whose Ryan?' she asked.

Donna ever so slightly jumped. She turned around to look at Alex.

'How do you know him?'

'You got a message from him... well, more like five.'

'Did you see them?!'

'No! But it was on your lock screen.'

Donna sighed. 'He's an ex.'

Alex nodded. 'A very desperate one too.'

Donna laughed. 'Yeah, pretty much.'

'And Julia?'

Donna's look hardened 'A backstabbing bitch.'

'Ahh, the usual.'

Donna chuckled. But before she could say anything, Alex had shut the door.