Before We Go; Tim Wright X Reader

Ch: 05

Cupping her face in her hands, she sighs shakily. The panic from before slowly fading away and she can finally breathe normally. The only thing she could do now was wait for the faceless man to go away.

She just hopes she didn't have to wait long.

***

Y/N sits completely still in the silence of the hotel lobby, her mind running a mile a minute yet not a single thought could interrupt or even pierce her quiet surroundings. She took this slow, relaxed moment to ponder on all that had happened that day. She wasn't sure how long she was asleep, but she felt a bit better now that she had gotten some shut-eye. Even though her eyelids still felt heavy as weights, it was better than the state she was in before; functioning as if she were half alive and seeing things that weren't there. She wishes the faceless man was a mere hallucination, however, he was very real.

Looking out the glass doors to the sky, she assumes it is at least 5 in the morning, maybe even earlier than that. It was still quite dark outside since the sun has yet to rise over the horizon, the faint light of stars could still be noticeably seen. Gazing at her environment, she doesn't see one person. She is aware that she can't stay here long, she is positive that people would soon start flooding downstairs along with a few employees. She didn't want to be found here sitting on the floor.

Y/N didn't like the smell of the hotel; it was too flowery. The walls were too plain, spare the four watercolor paintings. The hotel was too claustrophobic, too cramped. Maybe that's why she didn't like it the second she first stepped inside.

Hearing one of the two glass doors opening from her left, she watches as the man from before walked in. She examines him for a few seconds, noting he wore a blue and black plaid shirt and a belt that secured around his hips. From the way he was dressed and displayed himself, she thought he seemed to be pretty laid back. Though she shouldn't judge his personality based on his attire, she was bored and tried to busy her mind in any possible way.

The man glanced around the lobby for a few seconds, tiredly looked at her from her spot on the floor. Her knees were pulled to her chest, her chin resting on her folded arms. She briefly wonders why she keeps running into him in such circumstances.

Cautious yet curious, she watches him without a word as he walks to her. He stops two feet away, so she has to strain her neck to be able to look up at him.

He doesn't say anything at first, he just stares at her and seemed to be thinking of what to say.

The man shatters the silence like glass.

"It's following you around too, huh?" His voice is blunt, he doesn't look away from her. The words that leave his lips leave Y/N in astonishment, rendering her utterly speechless. For a moment she wasn't sure what to say, her eyes slightly go wide.

"What?" Is all she could say. She wasn't going to admit it just yet, she has been alone in this for months and never thought of the possibility there may be others. She didn't want to set her hopes up too high. She mentally scolds herself for her response, who else would he be talking about? Her paranoia was more transparent than her own thoughts were.

The man dryly grunts in a bemused way, "I saw it outside just now. That's why you went back in here, wasn't it?" He seemed so suspicious of her, or maybe just cautious. She wonders why he looked so torn between the two. Why he decided to approach her despite his suspicions of her. Maybe he felt as lonely as she did and needed somebody to talk to?

Not being able to keep eye contact any longer, she looked down at his feet and mutters softly, "Yes. It was."

Since she didn't want to see his reaction, she continued to look away. It was weird. To be able to talk to someone about it. She didn't dare tell anyone because they would think she was crazy. She didn't have to worry or dread the thought of accidentally dragging this man into this mess because he was already a part of it.

It felt as if a burden that she has been carrying on her own has been lifted just a bit. The burden of facing this problem on her own, the burden of not being able to turn to help from someone who could understand. Someone who could relate.

Y/N is pulled out of her thoughts, becomes momentarily surprised when the man sits a few feet away from her on the tiled floor. She unfolds her arms so she can turn to face him but he doesn't say anything. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking into the distance and seemed to be thinking about something. His eyes have that sad look in them again, glazed over with a familiar broken longing gaze. She decides not to bother him, returns to relaxing against the wall, and enjoys the company of the man who could understand her. It felt soothing, even if he was just a stranger. She would ask his name later.

Y/N studies the ceiling in thought for a long time. Enjoying the peace and quiet of the early morning, unsure how much time has passed since she sat down. She is so soaked into the moment she jumps straight up from her slumped position when her phone starts to ring loudly in her pocket. She doesn't remember turning it back on, but she seems to be forgetting a lot of things as of lately.

As soon as she pulls out her cell phone and sees who it is, she quickly declines the call with distaste.

"Satan? Who's that?" The voice from the man beside her startles her, she nearly forgot he was there. Y/N glimpses at him, seeing a slightly amused look in his gaze. It was so much different and refreshing from his look earlier.

"...My mother." She tells him slowly, stuffing her phone back into her coat pocket. She thinks he would have smiled if the day wasn't so bleak.

His eye brightened up just a bit, "My name is Tim, by the way."

She nods just a bit, tells him her own name, "I'm Y/N."

Though the use of words was very limited, it was the most Y/N has talked to someone in quite a while. Besides her outburst while arguing with her mother a few days prior. The past few months consisted of one-sided conversations with Daniel over the phone. She hasn't seen him for almost half a year now, she thinks.

Tim suddenly arises from his spot on the floor, stands there and seemed to be waiting for her to stand up as well.

"Come on." His dark eyes peered downward at her.

"Huh?" She says surprised.

His lips curl up just a bit, only for a second, "You're leaving, aren't you? You can't stay there, people will think you're loitering."

Y/N blinks up at him, has that much time gone by already? She stands up with her bag, "Yeah, I am leaving."

He hums in response and seemed to be trying hard to make conversation with her now, "Where are you headed?"

Y/N ponders for a moment and replies shortly, "I don't know. Just somewhere away from here, I guess."

He nods slowly, walks by her side as they exit the hotel, "That's understandable."

His words sounded light and his voice has grown somewhat faint. When she thinks he was going to say something more, he doesn't and she doesn't mind. The silence was nice.

Tim follows her to the parking lot, while she was extremely cautious and took her time to examine her surroundings. Fearful that the tall man was still there, lurking. She is instantly washed with relief; he wasn't there anymore.

Once reaching her car, she turns to Tim who was pulling a cigarette out from a pack.

"It was nice meeting you, Tim." She pulls open her car door and tosses her duffle bag into the passenger seat.

As she sits down he speaks, "Maybe we'll run into each other again." He brings his smoke to his mouth, breathes in. Fumes seep from his nose and parted lips.

Y/N offers a small smile in his direction, "Maybe. Goodbye for now."

He waves goodbye as she drives away.