The Hotel Suite Mishap

No. No. No. No. I can not be late. Can. Not. I paid for this vacation to escape from my crazy life. I absolutely deserve this vacation. My plane departs in fifteen minutes but from the other side of the airport. I have to run to make it but that means I have to look like that crazy woman who's late for their flight. Seriously. Running in high heels. Why? oh, why did I wear high heels to the airport?! I look down at my feet to see that I’m wearing different high heels. On my right foot, I have a pearl white 3 inch high heel, personally one of my favorites. Then on my left foot, I don’t even know how this happened but I have one of my navy blue high heels that is 4 inches. My common sense this rainy morning is extremely low apparently. I am so not a morning person. I can feel blisters forming on my feet as I run in my different sized high heels with my light gray travel-sized backpack bouncing on my back and my dark blue carry-on suitcase trailing behind me. 

FInally, once I reach gate A-8, my flight to Malibu, California from my home-state, foggy Chicago, Illinois. I can’t wait to be on the beach looking out into the open waters. Surprisingly, I got a bargain and got this vacation cheap. The Hotel Suites were cheap and everything. I even compared prices and it appeared I got about half off. Score! 

Boarding the plane, I glance at my ticket to find my seat. I always ride in coach because it is the cheapest and the most affordable for me. The occupation I acquired is an abstract artist. Usually, I can manage to sell one or two of my art pieces to pay for my rent on my apartment but I can say that I am a cheapskate. This vacation is supposed to be good for my mentally health. My therapist asked me to take a calm vacation with no distractions since she could tell I needed a few days of non-stressful relaxation. So, I took her advice and looked for peaceful, non-stressful vacation destinations.

The next 4 hours of the flight was smooth, with the exceptions of a few bumps along the way. Exiting the plane, my dark blue suitcase trails behind me as I can already feel the warmth of the bright sun.

“Thank you for flying with American Airlines,” a middle aged woman with blonde hair tied up in a tight bun said. I gave her a nod of acknowledgement as I continued through the airport to find the rest of my luggage. 

I wander through the airport, carelessly reading the signs of directions above me. Thirty minutes later I find the baggage claim and collect my luggage. I wait outside in the warm summer sun for a taxi to come and take me to the hotel suites. 

“Taxi!” I say as I wave down a taxi. I’ve gotten a lot of practice from living in Chicago. 

“Good afternoon!” I say entering the taxi, to find a young man about twenty years old. 

“Good afternoon! Where to miss?” the young taxi driver asks in a cheerful voice. 

Looking at my phone with the address, I say “23 Paloma Ct, Venice. It’s the Tripper Electric Beach Suites and Pods.” 

“Okay, onward we go!” the young taxi driver says very energetically. I politely give a small laugh. 

Once we arrived at the Hotel Suites, I collected my baggage, paid the taxi driver and added a slight tip for his energetic and polite attitude. I tugged my baggage along to go check in at the front desk.

“Welcome to Tripper Electric Beach Suites and Pods! Can I assist you with anything?” The front desk lady said with a small smile on her face as if asked to be nice but on the inside wants to fall asleep watching the ‘Titanic.’

“Hi, I’m Ainsley Haysler and I am checking into a hotel suite, I believe.” I say, handing her the card that the bargainer gave me. 

“Okay Ms. Haysler, here is the key to your room along with the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And the hotel suite is on the second floor and is room 43. Thank you for staying with us.” The front desk lady said, handing me the key and the paper menu. 

“Thank you, the second floor and room 43, got it!”

I cheerfully walk up the stairs to the second floor and wander down the hall, every so often glancing at each of the door numbers. I open the door to room 43 to find a man, about my age, sitting on the bed of the room. With a confused expression on my face I ask, “Um… are you room service?” 

“Haha, no, are you? Uh...this is my room?” the man said mirroring my confused expression. He runs his tan, muscular hand through his dark brown curly hair as he stares at me with confusion.

Taking a chance I ask, “Did you possibly rent this room out from Derek Otler.”

“Derek Otler, yeah, he gave me a half off price.” the man said, smirking. 

“Hmh, he gave me a half off price too.” 

We sat in awkward silence for a minute or so until the man talked. “So, I guess we share the room?” the man said in more of a question than a statement.

“I don’t even know you and you want to share a room with me.”

“Five things, my name is Wesley, Wesley Marcus. I used to play hockey back in college. I am twenty six. I enjoy the beach and sun. Lastly, I have two sisters and a brother. See now you know me. But I still don’t know you.” he pauses for a second then adds with a wink, “Oh, and I’m single.”

I let out a little laugh at his antics. “Haha, okay fine, five things. My name is Ainsley, Ainsley Haysler. I am twenty four. I am a professional artist. I like ice cream and finally…. Um. I did color guard in high school. And I am single also… for a reason” I say looking down at my high highs. 

Wesley looks down at my high heels and laughs. “Haha, how does that even happen?”

“I don’t even know! It was early in the morning, give me a break!” I say with a smile and a playful laugh.

Our laughs fade in more awkward silence as we come back to the reality that we have to share a room together. I scan the room to look at what my life will be like for a few days. On the left there is a small bathroom, next to it was a closet, not a walk-in closet but big enough. On my right there was a small kitchen with a yellow and blue backsplash. The kitchen contained a stove, microwave, some cabinets and a sink. My eyes travel over past the kitchen that opens up into the bedroom. From my perspective, there was only one bed, but I could see there was something that looked like a couch on the side of the room. Hopefully it was a pull-out couch. I did not want to sleep with a stranger. Didn’t imagine my vacation would be like this but it's better than nothing. 

“Uh. oh. Um. Come in. I guess.” Wesley says, sounding the slightest bit uncomfortable with this situation. 

I walked in to see there was indeed a couch. “So, who’s gonna sleep where? Is that couch pull-out or no?” I ask as I walk over to the couch curiously. 

“I want the bed.” he says, flat out. As if not worried if I wanted the bed too, he was so sure he was going to capture the comfortable bed.

“Well, I want the bed too.” I replied with a little sense of annoyance.

We sit in the uncomfortable silence as both of us want the luxurious (not really, well, compared to the couch) queen sized bed. Trying to find a solution. Trying to solve this uncomfortable situation. Trying to make a bright moment out of this odd dilemma we’ve come to fall down to. 

Suddenly, Wesley spoke, breaking the silence, “What if we do like rock paper scissors or something. Whoever wins gets to pick either the couch or the bed. My parents used to do this when our family went on trips and everyone was fighting over who gets the bed.”

“Okay, sounds fair. Two out of three?” I say attempting to try and negotiate to have a better chance at winning the comfortable bed.

“Sure. Ready?” Wesley said, accepting the attempt for both of us to have a better chance at acquiring the bed. 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” We both exclaimed as we both curled our hands into a fist for rock. Then set our hands straight out for paper. Lastly, curling all our fingers into a ball except for the pointer and middle finger, imitating scissors. 

Once we exclaimed 'shoot’, I formed my hand into a rock as he formed his into a scissors. Yes! Rock beats scissors. I laugh to myself as we are being childish and competing against each other for a bed!

Wesley’s face turns from a smile to a small frown as I won the first game. “Okay you won the first game, there is no way you are going to win the next.” he says with a determined look plastered on his face.

“Haha as if, I am totally going to win.” I say all smug like I am going to win. I mean I might, there is a chance. 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” We say with determination smeared all over our faces. After we both form our hands into a rock then paper, then scissors, we give our answers to shoot. I form a paper as Wesley forms scissors again. Dang! I was so sure that he would pick up on my strategy. I thought that he wouldn’t pick scissors again because in the first game, he picked scissors. But maybe he just got lucky. 

“Told you I was going to win.” Wesley said all smug.

Now both tied, this last game determines who gets the bed or the couch. I tense as we both exclaim, “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” Wesley formed his hands into a paper as I formed mine into a rock, assuming that he would stick with his “strategy” but he didn’t. A frown falls on my face as I realize that I lost. 

“Well, I guess I got the bed.” Wesley said as a grin was stretched across his face. “And you get the couch.” he added, pleased that he won.

I automatically roll my eyes at his childish antics. I pick up my two suitcases, and backpack, then throw them on the couch. I’m going to the beach, I need to relax. I dress in my bathing suit and towel and head out to the beach. Once, I reach the beautiful outdoors, thunder rolls through the sky as it starts to pour down on my head. Great! Can this day get any WORSE! I head back to the hotel suite as I realize this day is going to get worse with Wesley in the hotel suite. 

I open the door, ignore Wesley’s hello, and unite one with the couch.

I wake up the next morning to Welsey’s loud obnoxious snores. UGH! I take a deep breath to calm myself down, remembering how my therapist wanted me to go on a non-stressful, calm vacation. This is not calm. It’s not a vacation if I don’t get my beauty sleep. I take another deep breath to relax, again. I am just going to go to the beach. I change into my light blue bikini and head out to the warm, relaxing beach. 

I go out to the beach, with the sun shining down on me. I lay my towel down on the sand and lay myself out so I can get that summer tan. 

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, my towel was soaking wet and I was completely burnt on my front side. Great! I am now going to be tan on one side of my body and pale on the other. The tide probably rose and I was too close to the ocean. I pick up my soaking wet towel and move back towards the boardwalk. I lay my towel out again except for this time it’s wet. I lay out again but this time on my back since I want an even tan. 

*crunch* *crunch* *CRUNCH* Startled, I wake up to the sound of chips being chewed. There’s Wesley. Next to me. Eating chips, LOUDLY!!! I seriously can’t get away from this guy. “How did you even find me?!” I say annoyed that I practically have to babysit a grown-ass man. 

“Oh, you know. I just followed the path of your stupidity.” Wesley replied, smirking. 

I rolled my eyes, at his stupid childish thoughts. I closed my eyes again. Relax. This is YOUR vacation. This is YOUR time to relax- *crunch* Stupid chips! He keeps interrupting my relaxing thoughts! “If you don stop crunching your stupid chips, I’m going to crunch your face.” I say trying to scare him so he would stop bothering me.    

“Oh yeah, how exactly are you going to do that?” Wesley says testing my limits.

“With my bare hands, that’s how!” I say but I couldn’t help but add a little laugh.

“Haha okay.” Wesley says mockingly. Oh no, he did not. He did not just mock me.

“Did you just mock me?” I say in disbelief.

“Did you just say you're going to crunch my face with your bare hands?” Wesley replies, still laughing. 

I crack and laugh at how I actually said that, “Haha, I actually said that didn’t I.” I couldn’t stop laughing at how ridiculous I must have sounded.

“Hey do you want to go get lunch with me?” Wesley asks, curiously.

“Are you asking me on a date?” I ask, being straightforward. 

“Maybe, that is if you accept my invitation.” 

I laugh at his attempt to be proper, and answer as if this is a proper occasion, “I would be delighted to accompany you to a meal.”

Welsey laughed making me laugh. Then Wesley stands up and bows to me, giving me a hand, like I’m a princess and says, “My Lady.” I burst into laughter.

“Thank you, sir.”

“And where would you like to have your luxurious meal with me, my lady.”

Trying to keep a straight face, I say, “We can go to Panera for our luxurious lunch date.”

“It would be splendid to accompany you.” We both couldn’t contain our laughter any longer. We both burst into laughter.

Wesley and I walk to the closest Panera and sit down to eat the ‘luxurious’ food. We talked and got to know each other better. His two little sisters' names are Haley and Savannah. Then his older brother’s name is Ean. He attended Colorado State University. He is now a hockey coach for middle schoolers. And lastly, he is, not surprisingly, an extrovert. 

“I had a lovely time.” I said as we were walking out of Panera. 

“I did too.” Wesley said looking down at my face with his gorgeous bright hazel eyes.

“Would you like to go out for lunch tomorrow?” I say hopefully, still looking into his deep concentrated hazel eyes. 

“I would love to.” He says leaning closer to me, tilting his head down a little.

I stand on my tiptoes and push my lips against his. Inside I feel fireworks. He puts his hands around my waist as we kiss like there is no tomorrow.

Not wanting the kiss to end but we pull away. “That. was amazing. Wow.” Wesley said, still looking into my eyes. 

“Wow.” I say, still shocked that we just kissed.

“Yeah, wow.”

“Do you want to walk on the boardwalk?” I say, but inside knowing I just want this moment to last forever. 

“Yes.” Wesley replies as he takes his hand into mine. Our hands connect and for some reason I feel secure. 

We walk on the boardwalk, hands connected. Talking and soaking up every last moment together.