The Hotel Room
Chapter 1
“Great hotel, Phil,” I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him. The faded gold sign was peeling; a few letters were missing. Not my idea of a perfect holiday spot.
“Dan, in case you’ve forgotten, we’re on a budget!”
“So?”
“So you spent all our money on first class seats in the aeroplane!”
“Oh...yeah,” I remembered, seriously regretting the decision. “Well, come on then!” I said, grabbing Phil’s hand and pulling him towards the entrance.
“Dan!” he whined, dragging his feet.
“Stop being a baby!” I laughed, towing him into the hotel.
The receptionist looked hopelessly bored; her dirty blonde hair was shrouding her eyes and I felt sure she was asleep- or almost asleep. I put a finger to my lips, motioning for Phil to stay quiet. His evil humour danced in his clear blue eyes as he watched me creep over to the woman. My eyes fell on the bell on the desk and I made no sound as I drew closer to it...
DING!
The woman’s head shot up, her eyes opened wide in alarm. I turned to see Phil doubled over with laughter, and I grinned at him, chuckling a little at the receptionist’s reaction.
Her face was now bright red, and she was glaring at me. Oops.
I bit down on my lip, and tried to stop laughing. The receptionist was still staring at me, but her expression had changed. Now she was fluttering her eyelashes at me in a disconcerting, sickening manner, licking her unnaturally red lips.
“Well,” she said, in a tone that was probably meant to be seductive, “What can I do for you today, Mr...?”
I turned to Phil, who had furrowed eyebrows and an almost angry expression. That was confusing, normally he’d be in hysterics over something like this.
“Howell,” I replied coldly, trying to let her know that I wasn’t interested.
“Do you have a reservation?”
“Mmhmm...”
“Let me have a look...”
Was it just me who was imagining all these double meanings in her words? I looked over to Phil, but he had his eyes closed; his expression was unreadable.
He still hadn’t moved from his spot near the door.
“Phil...” I muttered in his direction. His eyes opened, and he gave me a small smile.
“Sorry, Dan. Zoned out a bit there...” he told me, walking over to the desk. I patted him reassuringly on the shoulder and turned back to the receptionist.
“Your key...” she whispered, brushing my hand more than necessary as she handed it to me. I barely inclined my head in acknowledgement and pulled Phil to the stairs (obviously in a hotel as crummy as this, there was no lift).
“What was that?” I grumbled as we climbed the third flight of stairs.
“Just another girl flirting with you,” Phil replied bitterly.
“Aw, is Phil jealous?” I teased, monitoring his reaction. He drew in a quick breath and said, too quickly:
“No! What would make you think that?”
“Don’t worry,” I said happily. “Girls flirt with you, too!”
“Oh...that’s what you meant,” he murmured; I almost didn’t hear him.
Wait...
What else could I have meant?
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The Hotel Room (Phan)
FanfictionDan knows his friendship with Phil is far from normal, but he can't bring himself to care. Maybe Phil cares, though.
