Dirty Little Secret

Chapter Twenty One - Cold Showers & Hotel Rooms

Panic engulfed the ballroom as soon as the lights went out, and with the lack of music to work as a buffer, the voices in the room seemed almost deafening.

The moment didn't last long. I looked up as a loud baritone voice echoed over the sound of the mass "Calm down people, calm down!" and it wasn't until I spotted him that I realized he was speaking through a megaphone.

It took the man a total of two minutes to completely silence the crowd before he continued speaking "There's been a power outage due to the storm, there is no need to panic." His eyes danced along the crowd sternly before he repeated "I repeat, there is no need to panic. A status orange has been sent out and all citizens are advised to stay inside at all times." A new rush of chatter sounded through the room at the newly found information, but the man quickly silenced them "Don't worry, there are enough rooms to accommodate our guests for the night. If you would all be so kind to calmly leave the ballroom, our staff will assist you further in the lobby."

The chatter continued as people slowly gathered by the exit and followed the instructions given by the staff. I looked up at Caden, who still had his arms wound around me, making it impossible for me to move from his hold.

I coughed uncomfortably, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as Caden met my eye. "I think we should go." I offered uncertainly, glancing at the people as they moved around us, indicating that we should do the same.

"Er," Caden coughed "yeah. Yeah we- we should." He stuttered before quickly releasing me from his grip. I ran my hands down my dress to flatten it out as soon as he let me go, careful to avoid eye contact with Caden.

Without saying another word, Caden and I maneuvered ourselves through the crowd, and at one point I felt Caden's hand return to the small of my back, once again awakening the unwanted butterflies in my stomach.

It wasn't long until we spotted Veronica in the lobby, and we quickly made our way over to her. "Nina, Caden." Veronica sounded relieved as she spotted us "I've been looking all over for you guys. Are the two of you alright?"

I nodded, not seeing any reason why we wouldn't be "We're fine, just a little shaken. What about you?"

"I'm alright, though I think the two of you better go stand in line if you want to have your key before midnight." She motioned towards the long line of people gathering by the reception desk, which was growing longer by the second.

"What time is it now?" I asked her.

She glanced at the small elegant watch that adorned her left wrist and read "It's eleven thirty."

My eyes widened as I took in the information "Shit." I hissed.

"What's wrong?" Veronica asked.

"I uh- nothing, I just need to make a quick phone call. Please excuse me." I quickly walked away from the pair and retrieved my phone from my clutch, cursing once again when I realized it had died. I hadn't expected to be here after eleven, let alone spend the night. I needed to call Jenna.

I walked back over to Caden and Veronica and gently tugged on Caden's sleeve, grabbing his attention. "Can I borrow your phone?" I asked.

He nodded and reached inside his jacket, retrieving his phone from his inside pocket before handing it to me.

I unlocked his phone, feeling my cheeks heat up a little at the image of two young boys standing on the beach, the older one with his arm slung around the younger one's shoulder. I suspected it might be Caden and his brother, but looking at it for too long felt intrusive so I quickly pulled up the keypad.

I looked up Caden, who was watching me intently, no doubt noticing the blush on my cheeks as the light of his screen lit up my face. In an attempt to remove the attention from myself I asked "Why don't you go wait in line? I'll be right there."