By the time I’ve regained part of my focus, the car starts slowing down after taking a turn to the left. Going through another couple of blocks, we finally arrive at a small hotel close to a Subway station. We have picked it because it wasn’t too many stops away from the main attractions and a short drive with a taxi if needed be.
The car finally stops. The taxi driver doesn’t move an inch. “Do you want help with your bag?” he asks me.
“Um...no. Thank you. I got it,” I reply.
“Great. It’ll be...” and he says the price. After I pay him, I get off and head to the trunk to grab my luggage. It takes me a moment to get them all out by myself, but after I do, I move to the sidewalk so he can drive away.
The taxi driver stares at me through the side-mirrors and smiles. It’s an honest smile, not lewd or mocking. It’s a smile that means to cheer me up.
“Don’t look so sad, sweetheart. No matter who did this to you, they didn’t deserve you,” he yells as he’s driving off.
A second later, I’m laughing my heart out. That crazy man has managed to lift my spirits better than anyone I’ve ever met, and he did it by just being honest with me.
I walk up the few stairs leading to the hotel’s entrance laughing, dragging my suitcase behind me. I have to check-in and head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I have a whole city to explore.
Going through the entrance, I notice the warm light of the reception hall. It’s just like in the photos, only a bit smaller. But I guess photographs can do that to a place. The reception desk is fairly busy, unlike what I’ve expected. It’s not too late in the day, but I thought that many of the visitors to the hotel would have arrived by now.
I take my place in the line and wait for my turn to check in and receive the keys to the room. I use the time to check on my phone and make sure I haven’t missed any important emails from work. That and to check my feed on my social media accounts. For once, I’m not swirling into a maddening twist of self-pity and thoughts of betrayal, but I’m just enjoying my time to New York.
The staff of the hotel is efficient and before too long it’s my turn to get a room. However, out of nowhere, a man pops next to me. “I can’t believe it,” he says with a controlled surprise in his voice. “We meet again.”
It’s the man from the plane, the one who was sitting next to me. I stand surprised as well. I giggle for a moment before replying to him. “Hi.”
That’s it. A simple word; hi. Like I’m a teenage girl talking to her crush for the first time. Nice going there, Georgia.
“Who would’ve thought that we would meet at the same hotel. New York isn’t that big after all.”
“Yeah, they should put it on a big sign on the highway. ‘Welcome to New York; it’s not so big after all,’” I say, sounding more sarcastic than I would want.
However, instead of getting offended, he starts laughing wholeheartedly. “Yeah, you’re right. But, to be fair, I was just trying to avoid the alternative.”
“Which is?”
“That it was destiny that brought us here together.”
I open my eyes wide. I hadn’t thought of that, not for a second. And yet, the way he brings it up to our conversation feels so natural. What has gotten into me, though? Why this man suddenly seems so important?
“Here you are, ma’am. This is yours,” the receptionist says and passes a key my way. “And for you sir,” he says and passes a similar key to the man next to me. “I hope you have a nice stay. Breakfast is served at 7 and ends at 10. I hope we see you tomorrow morning.”
And just like that, the man grabs his key and heads towards the elevator. I check the number on my key to make sure if I have to use the elevator myself. The number 406 is written on it.
Without losing any time, I follow the strange man down the way. He doesn’t seem to have noticed me yet, but I keep going the same way as him. There’s only one elevator after all. I guess we’re bound to ride it together.
He gets there first and pushes the button to call it. I arrive a second later. I’m using all my strength not to stare at him even though I have the feeling he’s doing the same thing. Nevertheless, he doesn’t talk again. He doesn’t do anything but stands there until the elevator arrives.
When the doors open, we take a step in together. It’s the first time that I notice he’s carrying a really small suitcase, probably having packed only the necessary clothes for a short stay. Me, on the other side, have brought together a suitcase two times the size of his, plus a small purse for my makeup necessities.
He waits for me to lay down my bags before pushing the button to his floor. Then, he turns and looks at me. “Which one?”
I check the metal board full of flashy buttons for the number four, only that he has already pushed it. It takes me a short moment to realize that he’s staying on the same floor as I.
“It’s the fourth floor too,” I mutter.
He looks fairly surprised himself, but he doesn’t say anything.
“It must be a coincidence,” I continue, trying to prove that destiny has nothing to do with the fact that from all the New York, we have met up twice already. Still, why do I care? He doesn’t talk nor do anything to approach me. What a shame.
A distinct ring notifies us about the arrival to our floor. He moves to the side to make room for me to go through. When I’m out, he quickly follows me. We walk and walk until I see the sign for room 406. I start slowing down. Strangely, so does he.
“This is my room,” he says and tilts his way opposite my door, to the room 405.
“Okay, this can’t be happening.” The words leave my mouth unrestricted. Someone is playing a prank on us.
The man doesn’t get as dumbstruck as me about the long streak of weird coincidences. He simply shrugs and says: “Well, it might be destiny after all.” He smiles at me and continues, this time stretching his hand. “My name is Adam. Nice to meet you.”
“Georgia. Likewise,” I reply, shaking his hand in the process.
“So, I hope you have a great rest of your journey, Georgia, and who knows? Maybe we’ll meet again while we’re staying here.”
And just like that, Adam turns his back at me and unlocks the door to his room. I do the same, only this time I’m swearing in my head.
Why does he have to be all mysterious and charming? He makes me want to know more about him. Sure, I was hoping to forget about my ex but not necessarily by falling for another man.
Oh well.
Chapter 3
It’s 8 in the morning. I’ve been awake for an hour already, getting ready for my excursion to New York. I had to remind myself that I’m here a couple times already. The anticipation is growing in my chest and I can’t wait to venture outside. I’m planning to head straight to the Empire State Building, and later visiting the Statue of Liberty.
If there’s time, I’d also love to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but I’d better do that tomorrow to make sure I enjoy their collection to the fullest. It’ll be difficult to fit all of them into my schedule, but it’s not like I have anyone holding me back.
Last night, I had a shower and went straight to bed, exhausted by a day full of surprises, the biggest one being meeting Adam, a man that I keep thinking about even though we only met each other yesterday, during the flight. He was the one that got the ticket Ray threw away just to fuck that skinny bitch.
I take a deep breath and try to calm down. “Not again, Georgia. He won’t spoil your holidays as well. You’re here now. You better enjoy it,” I mutter to myself. I’ve spent enough of my time thinking about that asshole. Today it’s all about me. Not destiny, not cheating; pure Georgia.
After checking my outfit and makeup in the mirror one last time, I head for the door. I grab my purse and keys to the room and turn the doorknob to open it. Doing so, I notice Adam’s door opposite mine. I stand for a moment, waiting for something to happen, for destiny to give me another sign that Adam might be something special.
But after five min
utes of utter humiliation, I start down the hallway, heading towards the elevator. I’m not one to wait for destiny to do the work for me. If it’s fated for us to meet again, it’ll happen. And waiting outside his door like that certainly isn’t my style. So, with my head held high and my sunglasses in my hands, I’m off to a new adventure.
The hallway of the hotel has the typical musty scent spiced with air fresheners. It’s not bad, certainly something you would expect for a medium-range hotel. On the upper side, the room was clean and breakfast is also included in the price. I’ll probably grab something on the road because I’m in a hurry today, but it’s nice to know I have that option.
When in front of the elevator, I push the button and bring out my cellphone to check my messages. My sister has commented on a photo I took during the taxi drive last night and many of my friends have interacted with my post. While replying to her comment, the doors to the elevator open to reveal an empty room. I walk in and incidentally raise my head and stare down the hallway.
I barely spot the figure of a man rushing towards me. Without thinking about it too much, I stretch my hand to stop the elevator doors from closing. It’s the polite thing to do after all and I’m in a good mood today.
Only after the man has walked in the elevator, I realize who was it. I shot my head up and stare at Adam, the black-haired man from yesterday. Instead of getting shocked this time, I chuckle and put my hand on my face.
Adam smiles as well. “So, we keep meeting each other.” He stops talking but it seems he’s holding back from saying something else he has in his mind.
I don’t have to think long to know. “Don’t you dare say it,” I advise him while still laughing.
“No, no. I won’t. But still, you have to admit that for the duration of this trip, we’re bound to stay together.”
I have already pushed the button to the ground floor and after a short bump, we start moving. God, he’s so charming. How can I resist him?
“You said it then,” I reply to him. And it’s then that I get a great idea. “Well, let’s just help destiny by sticking together for the day. What do you say? I’m heading to Empire State Building now. Are you coming with me?”
For the first time since this farce started, Adam is the one that seems stunned instead of me. Did I overstep my boundaries? Did I say something wrong? God, I hope I didn’t, not after I worked up the courage to invite him with me.
“In fact, I was heading there myself now. It’s the first place I wanted to visit today,” he says, talking slowly.
“Okay, that’s even creepier. So, we would have met again on the observatory if we timed our visits well.” I take up a moment to think before continuing. “All the more reason we should stick together for the day. I’m funny, don’t worry. I’ll keep you good company.”
What are you doing, Georgia? If you continue like that, Adam will think you’re desperate for his company. Or even worse; he’ll think you’re hitting on him. Aren’t I? Should I? What the hell?
“Okay. It’s not like I have someone waiting for me. Let’s spend the day together. After all, I’m not sure we have a choice in the matter,” he says.
At the exact same time, the elevator stops and the metal doors slide to reveal a busy reception lobby. We mingle with the crowd and head towards the exit. I’m not sure what has happened in there, but it turns out I ended up with Adam as my partner for the day. My stomach is tied in a thousand knots and my knees are trembling. Here I am, hoping it’s excitement for visiting New York and not another meaningless infatuation.
Either way, it’s one day. What harm can one day do to both of us?
***
We don’t talk much throughout our short walk to the entrance of the Empire State Building. We decided to use the subway to get to the 5th Avenue number 347, but after getting out, we decide to head to the Statue of Liberty marina by taxi. It was a different experience riding the underground train, but using a taxi will give us more time to enjoy the sights.
We’re walking side by side, but it’s like we’re two strangers. Well, we are two strangers, but I thought if I were out here with someone else, we wouldn't have any trouble finding things to say. I was wrong. I keep finding different things to see out on the street, but Adam seems distant like he would rather take this trip alone or with someone else.
Maybe his girlfriend cheated on him as well. Who knows? I only want to have fun, and walking to a city full of skyscrapers like New York helps inflict me a feeling of awe I’ve never felt again. It doesn’t matter Adam isn’t the talkative guy. We’re in this together for the day and I’ll do everything I can to have some fun in the meantime.
I bring out my cell phone and start taking selfies of me on the road, walking. Adam seems to notice me but the only thing he does is share a smile with me. I take photos of the big buildings around me until, unconsciously, I take a photo of Adam walking by the road. He seems surprised but doesn’t stop me from doing it.
After I take his photo, I rush to his side. “Here, check it out. You look great,” I say.
He leans over me (I hate it because he reminds me of Ray; he was doing that as well) and nods. “It’s great, but it feels a bit...empty. You know. Why don’t we take a photo together in front of the Empire State building? We’re here.”
I raise my head and see the emblematic building towering above me. I gawp at it.
“It’s so tall,” I mumble, mostly to myself.
Still, Adam replies to me. “Did you know it’s one of the five, tallest buildings in the States? And among the top 30 ones worldwide? It sure puts things in...perspective,” he says and his eyes once again trail away.
No, not now that you have started opening up. “Here, let’s take that photo. Do you think you can use your hand because I’m...too short?” I feel my cheeks flushing after saying that.
He smiles. “Sure, no problem at all. Where do you want to do it?”
“I think we’re perfect here,” I say and take a pose in front of the Empire State Building.
“Okay, so, are you ready?” he says a moment later. I raise my head and look at him, the tip of his tongue showing on the edge of his mouth, trying to take a good picture.
He looks so sexy in a vulnerable way doing it. I can’t help but think how Adam would fair in bed.
“Smile in three, two, one,” he says.
Hastily, I turn my head and stare at the camera with a big smile on my face. He does the same.
“That was it then. What do you say we get inside? A line has started forming,” he says, this time waiting for a reply.
I nod and take my phone back from his hands. I check the photo before continuing. Somehow, we both gave our all, and it looks amazing. It gives off the feeling we’ve been dating for many years.
Dating and sleeping together...and belonging to each other’s life.
God, why do I have to make things so difficult?
Chapter 4
We are on our way back from Liberty Island. It’s late in the afternoon and the sun has already set. It’s cold and only now I realize I haven’t been properly dressed for a whole day of sightseeing. However, after our rocky start outside of the Empire State Building, things have begun to heat between us.
We haven’t shared any personal information yet; we mostly discuss the things we see. Architecture and modern art seem to interest both of us. For once, unlike Ray, I have someone I can make interesting discussions about fashion, art, and movies. And only now I discover how much I’ve been missing having a person around that can keep up with my way of thought.
Still, there are certain moments during our journey that Adam seems to space off and withdraw back to who he was before, and honestly, I’m trying my best to allow him some space to go through with it by himself. I don’t know what’s going inside his head, but it must be worse than a cheating girlfriend.
Seeing him staring at the lighted up buildings in the distance, I want to do something to comfort him, to help him the same way he has
helped me. But, at the same time, all that mystery and the stoic behavior turns me on. He seems so mature, so over his age; I want to see him lusting for me, to make him want my body.
But, on the other hand, Adam doesn’t seem like the one-night stand kind of man, and I’m certainly not ready to proceed into another relationship so soon after getting out of a dysfunctional one. Even if I did aim to end up going out with him, I have no idea where he’s from. Flicks should remain ephemeral or else they might turn into nightmares.
“You’re not here,” Adam suddenly says, addressing me.
“Excuse me?” My reply is mostly a reflex; I’ve heard what he said.
“You’re off somewhere far from here. I was wondering what is that gets a pretty girl like you trouble her head so much.”
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