Desolate [Pokémon Arven x Protagonist]

Delving Deeper

Dusk faded in around us with a fantastic purple hue while we filled the dimming evening with mundane stories of school life and laughter. We ran around the town, hand in hand, Arven leading the way while I begged him to slow down, struggling to find rhythm with my tall boots. It was cold, but we were exploring the town's beautiful wind-down in a movie-like haste, enjoying each other's company more than what we were surrounded with. When we felt our muscles aching, we slowed down and took a moment to breathe. With the wind picking up, I slid out of one of my sleeves and let Arven hide inside my jacket, shivering against my side. He took up more than half of the long garment. Also starting to shiver more, I realized we'd freeze to death if we rode back to the academy. We paused in front of a hotel and stared up at the sign for a while in uneasy quiet.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," I broke the silence.

Arven snapped towards me, even a bit defensively. "Why not?" He shifted nervously. "What do you think would happen?"

I didn't want to tell him, but I was aware of how I was with other people. The last time I spent a night with someone was the day before my mom died. Just sharing a home gave me such awful anxiety. I didn't know why, but it did, and I didn't want Arven to see that part of me, yet. Not right after we started dating. I didn't know how to explain it to him at that moment. "I don't know how I feel about sharing a room."

"I understand," Arven muttered so sweetly. "We could get a room with two beds, I have no problem with that. You have your student I.D. right?"

I nodded and went through my purse to flick through my pockets to find it. "What do I need it for?"

Arven elbowed me. "You didn't know academy students get hotel stays for free?" I shook my head. "How else do you think Clavell expects us to explore the island? Cyclizar are expensive and hard to catch."

I shrugged. "I guess that makes sense." A violent shiver ran through my body. "We do need to hurry and get inside before we freeze in place." We stepped in unison, still sharing my jacket. For the first time, Arven was cold beside me. I hoped we wouldn't catch a cold from staying out so late in the frigid night.

There was a grizzled, older man at the counter, catching up on some reading while he waited out his shift. "Good evening. Two or one room?" He asked, placing his novel upside down on the desk.

"One two-bedroom room, please, and we're Naranja Academy students." Arven rolled his I.D. onto the desk and gestured for me to do the same.

The man took a closer look at both of our I.D's and gave us a welcoming smile, handing Arven a pair of room keys. "Enjoy your stay, and good luck on your studies."

We both thanked him and headed down the echoing hallway in search of our room number. I already started to feel uncomfortable. The walls felt like they were closing in on my sides, and I couldn't see the end of the hall. It was so dark. I could swear I could hear shouting on the other side. Even in my loose clothing, the air felt hot.

"Here it is!" Arven whisper-shouted, though the gentle voice still rang down the empty, repetitive hall. He chipped the key in the door's scanner, and it opened. He was the first inside and held the door for me. The room was neat and eerily unlived in. There were two, ironed beds like we requested, but besides them, there was a single chair, a single desk, and a single book on top. A nightstand held a warm lamp on either side of each bed. I took off my boots and sat on one of the beds quietly. There was a bathroom by the door and a window across from it. "Hey, are you doing okay?" Arven asked me, walking over to sit beside me. "You're never this quiet, and when you are, you're having one of those moments." He was smiling, but it faded when I didn't say anything. "We could try to ride back if you want."