The steam from the coffee cup cleared up shortly, so Serena could see the tulip latte art the barista had carefully designed. She giggled lightly to herself and hoped the staff had gotten her order right.
If she ever had a period she was most grateful for her caramel blonde hair, it would be that moment in the soft white, cozy hotel robe.She watched herself sip from the cup again, feeling like those rich powerful women in movies, having everything at their beck and call. She smiled inwardly and winked.She fell with her back into one of the softest beds she'd laid on in her life, her legs hanging down at the edge of the bed. It could be the softest…after her Aunt Mabel's bed of course.She heard the bird chirp notification of her phone right above her head. She tried to feel around for the phone while trying to figure out the intricate designs of the chandelier.Another notification came on, but she still couldn't reach the laptop. She sighed and turned around swiftly, but the impact her leg had on the side stool, followed by the clattering sound of the teaspoon told her that she had messed up.Serena jumped to her feet immediately, all the content of the cup had poured onto the rug.She hadn't even drunk half of the cappuccino. Thanks to the rug, she didn't have to return an apology and a broken cup. What would she do now?Her eyes darted to the bathroom, there had been a small towel there, she would wet it and use it to wipe the stain off the rug before it dries up.Serena walked to the bathroom in a wobble. She hadn't spent a day and she was messing the place up. She returned to the room immediately with the small wet amber towel she had dipped in soapy water.The rug was still wet and smelt of the cappuccino that would have gone down her stomach. She heard a short rapping sound on the wooden door.Someone was knocking on the door. Not now, not now. She almost cried out loud in the room.The person knocked again."Hold on," she scrubbed harder on the rug, hoping the stain wouldn't be noticeable if anyone walked in.The distance between the bed and the door was a little bit short of five feet. If anyone, as much as glanced around, she was pretty sure their eyes would catch the fancy white rug at the foot of the bed.A hotel attendant was at the other side of the door when Serena opened it. She had brought a set of new towels.Serena took the basket from her and thanked her. She didn't wait for her to leave, she shut the door immediately and jumped into her bed again. Where was she? Her phone.Two missed calls from Hadley. The messages must have been from her too. Serena grinned. She knew Hadley missed her already.Well, Hadley would have to put up with something else for a week. Another notification came in from her again."Emergency?!"Silly of Serena to take Hadley Norman seriously. She only wanted to get her attention after all. After spending thirty minutes talking to her best friend on the phone, she sighed and thought of what to do with her life.If she were back home in Saint Lucas, she would have been on a project, editing articles and doing more and more research.But Aunt Mabel had been serious when she said "strictly relaxation and self-care." So she was without her laptop and all she was required to do was enjoy herself.A few minutes later she was dressed in a black hoodie over her yellow tank top and black jeans.Her hair was already in a ponytail so she just applied a little oil. She didn't want to spend her day on makeup, so a lip balm did the job. She lingered in front of the mirror for a while.The door at the other end of the room opened into a small balcony. It was a pretty view, a nice one for reading or pretending to read while you watch people swim, couples eating, and going all lovey-dovey in an outdoor garden.There were just a couple of activities that would draw your interest at the center of the hotel buildings.Serena realized that her mirror not only faced the direction of the balcony but she could clearly see the balcony at the opposite building.It was a glass door, so anyone with a good eye would be able to see her anytime she stood in front of the mirror.The image of someone watching her do her morning and night routine every day crept into her mind, but she brushed it off as quickly as it came.Hopefully, no one was lodged into the room. She couldn't let a little inconvenience ruin her stay in one of the best and most affordable hotels in Mareco.Tour guide in hand, with her knapsack over her back, she left the main hotel premises and walked into the city. So much life! She could feel it, she could smell it.The aroma of fresh bread from a nearby bakery wafted into her eager nostrils. It was almost ten in the morning and every walkway on the street was busy.Some people were already late for their business, walking as fast as possible, bumping into strangers, some were kind enough to apologize before they hurried away, while others let their victims curse away.Serena felt her knapsack for the umpteenth time to make sure her keys were intact, as she tried to keep moving while watching a scene unfold between a redhead girl and a guy that accidentally spilled her coffee.The guy pleaded with her and offered to take her to a store to change her dress, but she walked away after raining insults on him, leaving him dumbfounded.Wow, what a chaotic place! Serena thought aloud in her head. She bumped into a hard but smooth surface as she turned to face her path. The owner of the body walked away so fast that she couldn't even catch a glimpse of who had hit her. For sure, she was aware it was a guy and he wasn't so fast for her not to inhale the lemon fragrance that came with him. She rubbed her eyes and shrugged. She had better watch her step next time. She walked down the street while checking spots she could visit on the guide. There happened to be a public library around the corner, one of the largest in the area. After asking a teenager who was weirdly excited about giving her directions, she headed for the library. She settled for a collection of short stories by Jane Woods, a 'crime books for kids' author. She enjoyed reading it, the simplified diction and the way it still gave the thrills. She was on the last story when her stomach began to grumble. She only had coffee for breakfast. It was not yet
"Why do you feel entitled to it? I don't know you, you could have been a kidnapper or something, dragging me off the road like that!" Serena argued."Seriously? I was supposed to slowly take you off your feet, what is that? Hollywood drama? I don't think that happens anymore!" His voice got louder.They were still on the street, she'd better not take it too far. She rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry," she shrugged, "but you could have been a little more gentle, my heart almost flew out of my mouth, that's a faster way to kill." "Sorry." He rolled his eyes as he brushed off the bangs of hair that were almost in his eyes. "Just sorry?" Serena wondered why she was wasting her time talking to the guy but her stomach reminded her of where she was headed. Turned out he heard the alarm too. She watched him try to hide his amusement."I'm sorry," he managed to say through his hands covering his mouth. What a jerk.It was fifteen minutes past twelve when Serena checked the time on her phone. She d
"Are you not going to sit?" Jaxon said when she finally approached the table."Thank you." She moved the chair and took a seat."What are you going to eat?" He said after a short pause again. She didn't know why she was so nervous all of a sudden. It was not like she was on a date with him. My God, she didn't even know him!"I'll have to read the menu." She stretched her hand to him and collected the menu he was holding. "Is this everything?" She asked not knowing what to order after going through the menu for the second time. "You'll love the burger. It will be my second time here." He shared."You don't come here often?" Serena asked so she didn't have to keep an awkward silence."Why?" He chuckled, "do I look like someone that patronizes places like this every minute?"She shrugged while he called a waiter and placed the order. Once the waiter left, he whispered, "Bills on me." She nodded, she couldn't argue. "I don't want to say 'you don't have to be uptight', but it's okay if
"Don't worry about me, I'm on vacation too, I will be here all month doing what I like." Jaxon replied."Ohhh…I'll only be here for a week." She said."You want to go somewhere fun now? We could go to an arcade around here." "And then you say, 'bills on me'' Serena tried to mimic his much deeper voice."You can pay if you want to, I'm just being a gentleman." They were at the road that led to the hotel, how fast. How did he even know where she was going? She stopped abruptly."What's wrong?" He asked, raising a brow. She liked the way his face looked when he did it."It's nothing, we can part ways from here." Serena extended her hand to him in a hand shake gesture. He looked down at it. She wasn't so tall and not so short either, but Jaxon was quite tall with the way he towered above me. It was quite intimidating."I'll be seeing you tomorrow?" He said before shaking my hand.She did a quick mental check of her schedule. She didn't have a schedule. She didn't have plans for tomorrow
Selena looked from the cab to Jaxon, wondering how he managed to always pull up with a cab without even signaling for one.The cab driver attempted to leave his seat to come outside, but Jaxon waved him off to remain inside. He opened the door to the back seat himself, bowed his head slightly while holding the car door, and keeping his palm in the manner professional chauffeurs would.If he wanted to impress Serena, he was wrong because she had suspicion written all over her face, as she reluctantly entered the cab.Her dress was quite short, so when Jaxon joined her inside the cab, she attempted to drag it down. He saw what she did and smiled, he didn't want her to see it, so he faced the other way."I don't trust you." Serena was the first to speak. She glared at him.Jaxon looked straight ahead, he didn't even turn to look at her, yet she could see the mischievous smile he gave. Serena had to admit as she watched him from the side. He was so cute, which even annoyed her more."Yet
Jaxon could tell that Selena was nervous, but he enjoyed it. He admired that she could be stubborn, yet she managed to keep calm when she wanted to.He didn't like carnivals like this, he thought they were for kids, but he didn't have any idea of places to go at the moment, and he thought she would like something like this.He had seen the fear in her eyes when she saw the roller coaster, and he wondered if she was really scared or if he was just exaggerating.There was only one way to find out."Let's take a ride on the Ferris wheel." He stopped in front of her.Her eyes darted sideways before settling in front of her, she didn't stare at him. She kept her eyes on his chest."Why? There are so many other things to try," said Serena."I know, we could do this first, the queue isn't long yet," Jaxon replied.Serena looked at the small crowd around the foot of the roller coaster. She could count about ten heads. That was fair enough."Are you scared of heights?" Jaxon asked as he closed
It was already 3 pm when they decided to join the crowd listening to a singing competition.They sat beside each other, Jaxon excused himself and came back with drinks and french fries minutes later.While the third performer sang "So easy to love" by Sad puppy, Serena yawned tiredly."I think I'm bad company, you're already bored," Jaxon said without looking at her.Serena glanced at the side of his face, his hair was messy from him touching it so often, but it still looked cool."You're not so bad, I just didn't think you'd bring me to a carnival," Serena replied."You expected something different?" Jaxon turned to look at her. She was playing with the hem of her dress."Not that I had a place in mind, I just didn't know what to think, but this has been fun, anyway," Serena said as she exhaled."You must have had plans since you're on a vacation, what would you have done if you weren't here?" Jaxon asked."I don't know. I visited the library yesterday before I bumped into you…for th
The driver dropped her at the hotel and she went straight to her room. She caught herself smiling as she took off her dress in front of the mirror.She closed her eyes as she reminisced about the moment when she was on the Ferris wheel with Jaxon. She sighed and fell on the bed, her phone rang and she searched her purse for it. It was her best friend Hadley."Hey SC!" Hadley's voice came through excitedly when she answered the call."How are you, chipmunk?" Serena smiled as she stared at her ceiling. "I'm good, I'm watching Rich dad and eating chips." Hadley munched loudly. "What's up with you, you haven't been sending me any photos. Don't tell me you've been in your bed all day.""I just got back from a carnival, I mean I just had a really good time!" Serena rolled over and laid on her stomach.Hadley could feel the excitement from the phone."Sereennaaa, tell me, what's going on, spill, come on girl!" Hadley urged her on."There's this guy I bumped into yesterday." Serena hesitat