Two Villains

Ch.4- Happy Birthday Kaya

I could not step foot outside of the hotel this morning. 

After reading the book for an entire day, I realized my head was throbbing in pain again.

Migraine! Ah, my good old friend!

Though I was carrying my migraine prophylactic medicines with me, taking one dose of that did not cure my throbbing and uneasy feelings. I went to the lobby to see what else could be done and saw Julia and other employees talking with guests. I waved at her from a distance, and she excused herself from others and came to me. She was shocked when she saw the agonizing grimace on my face.

"Is there any massage or spa here?" I asked Julia.

"Yeah, you need an appointment?" Concerns rose from her voice.

"Yes, my head will burst in pain. By the way, how expensive are they?" I asked.

"Girl, don't worry about it; take it as a gift from me," Julia replied with worry.

I protested. Throughout my whole life, I hated taking gifts from others.

"Girl, I get a 100% employee discount for 5 days every month. I don't use them. Take it from me." Julia grabbed my arm and took me with her to the 2nd level of the hotel palace. There was a big atrium that had topical decorations everywhere and a drizzling waterfall where old ladies were doing yoga with a hot young man instructing them.

Just adjacent to the atrium, there was a large, private room with big windows. A lady as young as me was there, clearly a masseuse. A few other masseuses were treating other guests in other rooms. God knows what instructions Julia gave her in Italian. The lady, Bianca, laid me down in one of her massage beds and asked me where I was hurting. I showed her my head, and she started to massage it with hot oils. Soothing music in a low tone floated in the air and calmed me down a bit.

I slept like a child during the massage.

But I woke up when Bianca touched my legs. I woke up and realized it was not enough time that had passed. Just 30 minutes had gone by.

"You'll feel relaxed if I massage them," Bianca said when she saw me get agitated while she touched my feet.

I nodded and said, "Just don't touch my body. My chest, my belly. Please." I pleaded. I hate the feeling of human touch on a few parts of my body. It just repulses me and reminds me of memories that I would prefer to wipe away for good.

After a 30-minute leg massage session, I left for my room and slept like a baby, again. For some reason, my body thought I was sleep-deprived.

At 7 p.m., I woke up with hunger in my stomach. I called Julia at the reception.

She was not there; she had ended her shift early and gone home. But she thoroughly instructed the other employees to take care of me if I asked them something. I called Luca to see whether he had Julia's number.

"Why do you need her number, Doctor?" Luca replied from the other side.

"I need to call a restaurant, Zafferano; the owner may be Julia's friend. I had dinner there last night, and now I'm craving the same dinner. I had a very bad headache, and I can't go there. So, I was thinking of ordering room delivery from there," I admitted.

"Well, hotels do not allow food from outside vendors; it's a very high-security premise," Luca explained.

I was sad. "Okay, I will order something from the a la carte menu," I replied.

"Wait, wait, don't order. Give me 30 minutes, Doctor," Luca told me, and without any explanation, he hung up.

Exactly 30 minutes later, my door knocked. I was lying down on my bed with an empty head; I was feeling that sick. But the knock made me stand up and open the door.