LOTUS | ManxBoy

CHAPTER II

It's not really a large hotel, no. LOTUS more of an inn in terms of size and structure. We have fourteen rooms in total, eight on the second floor and six on the first, one of which is occupied by us – me, my grandpa, and my younger sister Kiera.

She's only eight and happily makes friends among our female "visitors" despite me telling her, again and again, not to talk to strangers. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them. How a person makes a living is none of my business.

But you never know what men (or women) have in mind when they come here. I don't want Kiera running under their noses and blabbering out her name to every stranger. It's just...it's wrong, you know?

Thankfully, the women don't actually live here – we only rent rooms to those who need it – so she doesn't have a chance to get to know them better. Grandpa is looking after her when I'm out, but yeah, it's not an easy task with an eight-year-old.

At least, I can be sure she's sleeping in her bed at night.

Unlike me.

I sigh and lean my head over the desk, trying not to yawn from exhaustion. It's only one-thirty, yet I feel like I'm about to pass out. I pinch my arm and force my eyes open. May had to leave earlier today, so I have no choice but to stay up all night before Jay's shift starts.

I yawn again and check my watch. Four more hours to go. And I'd already been here since ten last night.

Groaning, I reach for my schoolbag. I really have to catch up on homework this time, or it'll end up biting me in the ass.

"Shut up, kid. Aren't you a little too young to be here?"

Pause.

Ha! I laugh, eye twitching in annoyance.

So you might be wondering about that guy the other day. No worries, I do too. Why he's so mad, you say? I'll say he's just an asshole. Yup, as simple as that. He's the king of assholes—with his grumpy face, and his equally grumpy glare, and those dark eyes, and why the hell is he so freaking tall?

I frown.

He didn't have to react like that. Well, sure, it is a little unsettling to see an underage kid at a love hotel, in the middle of the night, in the deepest part of a freaking red-light district, okay. But you see, how about you listen to what he has to say first instead of just assuming things on your own?

I live i-n-s-i-d-e the goddamn place, alright? So don't go telling me to fuck off just like that.

I grumble.

Well, those were not his exact words – but close enough.

Anyway, did you get my point?

He's rude. And an asshole. A rude asshole. And I don't like him, alright? Definitely not.

I snap out of it and notice a couple of guests eyeing me from the corner of the hallway. Shit. I drop down in the chair, embarrassed.

Was I really just glaring holes at the wall? Damn it, now they probably think I'm on drugs!

I see them carefully walking past me and toward the door.

"Have a good night," I call out, bowing to them with a smile.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, get a grip, Daniel.

I instantly feel my cheeks burning up with embarrassment.

Good lord.

I close my eyes. I really need to stop thinking about stupid things.