The 28th Stop [ Yandere x Reader ]

30 - Fate

His cloak was soaking wet as Emilio stalked through the entrance of 'Hotel Tempus'.

Rainwater darkened the fabric, so much so that it blended with his curly black hair. His olive skin glistened under the incandescent lights, his face and hands speckled with clear drops that spilled like tears. The 'Welcome' mat below him quickly formed a puddle in the middle. As Emilio wiped his sandals on the mat, he let out a loud sneeze. To his embarrassment, it echoed off the walls of the spacious building in aftershocks. Almost like the thunder outside.

"Bless y..." a voice trailed off. It started off chirpy, like a reflex. Then Emilio supposed the person recognised him, making the second word incomplete and lost to an awkward silence.

"Thank you," he murmured anyway.

His eyes fell on the young lady behind the counter, who had a phone wedged between her ear and shoulder. She gave him a disapproving look. Her mouth twitched once she noticed the puddle underneath him growing, trailing outside the mat. She whispered something on the receiver, put it on hold, and bent underneath the counter, out of sight.

Before Emilio knew it, a towel hurled towards him and smacked him upside the face.

"Clean it up!" she yelled from across the entrance hall.

Emilio couldn't help but gawk at the distance the towel travelled to hit its mark. He wondered if she played softball, or if she was a baseball pitcher.

Without saying anything, Emilio wrung his cloak outside and cleaned his mess. Once he was done, the receptionist snapped her fingers and gestured for him to throw the towel her way. She caught it effortlessly.

The phone was back to her ear. "Sorry about that!" Her voice returned to the customer service-friendly jingle. "You were saying? Ah yes, well, it's– Hey! Stop right there!"

Emilio halted at the mouth of the hallway, which lead through a series of doors on either side and ended in an elevator. He glanced over his shoulder. The lady quickly excused herself with the caller before hanging up. Hands on her hips, she frowned at him.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Suddenly, Emilio remembered a name that Gael told him a while back: 'Sara Chester'.

"I'm here to pick up the belongings of people I know," Emilio answered. "[Fake name] and Riley Winston."

Sara raised a brow. "Outsiders? Didn't know you actually associated with them. But I wouldn't put it past you, considering what your family did."

If that offhand statement hurt him, Emilio didn't show it.

Suddenly, recognition flashed in her brown eyes. "Wait, them? You know those two?" Her features muted in concern. "Do you know what happened to them? Apparently, Riley went missing and the girl was searching for him. It's been a day and I haven't seen either of them. It's– it's worrying." Hastily, Sara crossed her arms and huffed, "Only because they owe the rest of their accommodation fee, of course."

"They're fine," replied Emilio. "They took residence in other places now. Which reminds me..." He strolled over to the counter, opposite Sara. Thunk! A bag of coins was dropped between them. "...Their fees. Paid in full."

'Courtesy of Gael', Emilio mused.

"Perfect." Sara swiped the gold coins quickly into the cash register. She shook her hands from the heat that began to build from the contact. "By the way, you were going in the wrong direction. Their rooms were in the other hallway." She pointed in its direction. "Rooms 12 and 14, where 14 is Riley's. They're right next to each other."