Ruki's Guide to Love and Fear (A JO1/Shiroiwa Ruki Fanfic)

Chapter 14

"You mean I'm stuck here overnight?" Ruki asked.

"Hey, it's not all that bad," the manager said through the phone. "Look, I know you love the comforts of your own room, but the company has already booked you a suite at the hotel the photoshoot is being run out of. I heard it's a five-star hotel!"

"Really?" Ruki muttered, still trying to process the fact that he wasn't going home that night.

"Yeah. All you have to do is show your reservation, which I'm sending you right now, at the front desk, and the suite is yours!"

"Right."

"Okay, glad you're up to speed now. How's the photoshoot going?"

"Uhhh, great." I just confessed to Momoko, so just great, manager.

"Good to hear. Keep up the good work! Call me if there's any problems!"

"'Kay, bye."

"Talk to you later, Ruki! Be good!" The manager hung up.

Setting his phone down on the table in front of him, he sighed.

This is not what I wanted to happen at all...

******

After the photoshoot ended, Ruki headed to the front desk to get his room key. Momoko must have had the same idea because she was already standing at the front desk. She had changed out of her costume, but her hair was still in luxurious curls. Just like he thought, she had actually twisted her ankle, so she had been granted a pair of crutches.

Ruki noticed she was making a point not to look at him as he approached. He waited until she had been done being helped to speak to the desk clerk.

"I'm here to pick up my room key," Ruki said to the man as he showed him his reservation.

The man typed the information into his computer then spoke, "That's funny. That young woman that I just helped has the same room reservation."

Momoko, who was still rummaging around in her bag on the other side of the counter, froze.

Ruki cleared his throat. "There must be a mistake. My company reserved two separate rooms for me and my, um, colleague."

"Sorry for the inconvenience. Let me look into that right now," the clerk said, turning back to the computer.

Ruki waited for a minute or two, keenly aware that Momoko was waiting nervously at the other end of the counter.

The desk clerk looked up from the computer. "I'm really sorry, sir, but I'm only finding a record that your company made one reservation here. Normally, this would be an easy fix, but, in light of the road closure, every room is booked tonight."

Of course. What was the saying? 'When it rains, it pours.' Except, in this case, it was snow.

"That's all right," Ruki said, hiding the slight panic that was currently invading his mind with his signature smile. "I'm just going to make a call to see if we can figure this out."

Without hesitation, he dialed the manager.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Manager-san, there's a slight problem." Ruki began explaining the situation, and the manager decided to first call Lapone to see if they could do anything to get another room.

After hanging up, Ruki went to sit down in the lobby lounge chair and was soon joined by Momoko. She wore an unamused look on her face.

"Hey," Ruki greeted her tentatively.