Motel

Still Pedro's POV

We both looked like we had been attacked by wild dogs but the scowl on our faces indicated that all the steam hasn't been blown off yet.

“But father…” Antonio began

“Leave my house!!! And NOW!!!” Father screamed and that was our cue to leave before he actually fulfilled his threat and put a bullet in each of us.

I stormed up the stairs still enraged and bleeding from my torn lips.

I shouldn’t have come in the first place.

I picked up my suitcase which luckily, hadn’t been unpacked, without bothering to wash up my bloodied face and walked out of the house before remembering I didn’t have a car.

Bloody hell.

I walked toward the dark garage and flipped the light switch at the entrance. I was almost blinded by the shining surface of the fleets of cars in the garage. Some Hydela cars and some, other car brands. I picked a gray Mustang and luckily the keys of each car were stuck in the ignition. I threw my suitcase into the trunk and drove out of the garage. Antonio’s convertible was still packed and I was sure that he was trying to plead with our father but I didn’t care and obviously already tired of the choking environment.

Finding a hotel in London with a bleeding cut lip was a lot harder than I anticipated.

I finally found a cheap motel which only gave me a room after they had verified my ID. The room was in poor condition and smelt of dust and rodents. The wallpaper was peeling. I grimaced at the unpleasant looking room and sat down on the dusty bed.

I really need a drink.

I walked back to the bar after making sure I had locked the door to my room. I couldn’t afford to add being mugged to my list of troubles.

A young white lady of approximately twenty-three years  was at the bar when I got there.

“Good evening sir, what can I get for you?” she said flashing me a flirtatious smile.

“whisky please” I said

She pulled out a cut-glass tumbler and a bottle of fifty-year-old Chivas Regal Royal Salute. I was surprised to see such a cheap place have such an expensive bottle of whisky.

“can I buy the whole bottle?” I asked

The lady eyed me suspiciously for a few seconds before smiling again.

“It would cost you honey” she said flashing the same flirty smile.

“that won’t be a problem” I said and pulled out my wallet. I placed a wad of cash on the counter and from how wide her eyes became, I knew I had left a huge tip.

“can I take it to my room?” I asked even though I knew I could stick it up my ass if I pleased.

The lady was busy counting the money and just grunted a yes.

I picked up the bottle and the mug and walked up the groaning stairs back to my room.

I got out of my soiled clothes and walked into the dirty bathroom. The water smelt strongly of chlorine and I held my breath half of the time.

I looked for a first aid kit and didn’t find any, so I used my old clothes to dab a small amount of the alcoholic drink I had purchased on my torn lips. The pain was searing and I poured the drink down my dry throat. I felt the alcohol go straight to my brain and I got lightheaded for a few seconds.

With the initial plan for London changed, I had to make new plans. I picked out my phone and dialed Shanice. The time on the screen read ten-fifteen. The line rang twice before she answered. Her voice was groggy with sleep and I almost felt sorry.

“Hey sir” she said

“Hi Shanice. I need you to book a flight to Ireland for tomorrow morning”

“oh…. okay sir” she said and I hung up.

I stared at the phone screen, sleep far from my eyes.

What can someone do to kill time in this goddamn place?

Tender?

I opened the app.

Maybe I could get someone in London who would be ready to come over in the middle of the night to hang out with me. I had gotten a few too many swipes and I took my time clicking on the ‘reject’ button. I was entertaining myself when my eyes fell on a profile.

Those green orbs, those brown wavy locks that I wanted to run my hands through, that smile that caused my heart to do flips.

Marco had swiped me. First of all, I didn’t know he was on Tender. The picture on the profile was a small selfie that showed only his face. I hadn’t thought of him all day and right then all I wanted was to see his face. I clicked on the accept button and his details popped up on the screen. I already knew most of them but the detail that caught my attention was his cell phone number.

Should I call him? Wouldn’t it be creepy to call him in the middle of the night? What would he think? What will I say? Hey Marco, I saw you swiped me on Tender, can we hook up? Hell no!

I switched off the phone, all thoughts of hooking up replaced with the thought of those green orbs.

I kept turning the bottle over my lips till I passed out on the bed.

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