The Grand Tranquility Hotel | Alex Turner

Chapter VI - The World's First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip

She'd managed to rid all the tension from her shoulders after a steaming hot shower with a lovely lavender-scented shampoo and was now strewn out across her bed with the book she'd been reading from the library. She didn't have much planned for the day, simply wanting to refrain from causing any more distress between the others and herself. But when someone came knocking at her door, she didn't feel like she had a choice but to open it. She was met with the eyes of intrigue himself.

"Will you accompany me for the day?" Alex merely asked. "Where will we be going?" she questioned in turn.

"You wanted to know all about my hotel. So, I'll show you what I can, writer. Meet me in the service room behind the lobby when you're dressed." Looking down at her figure clad only in a soft white robe, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. She saw the corner of his lips quirk up, before he sauntered back down the hallway towards the elevator. Cheeky bastard.

Having decided on wearing a long skirt with a pristine white blouse to maintain some form of professionality, she grabbed her notebook and pen and made her way towards their one-sided agreed upon meeting point. When Nick was greeted by her 'good morning' and with the sight of Alex holding the door to the back room open for her, he gave them a look of complete bewilderment, which Alex simply deemed to ignore. She shrugged and held her notebook a bit closer to her chest before stepping through the doorway.

The room wasn't very large. In fact, most of the space was occupied by a large desk, filing cabinets and most prominently; television screens. They showed different camera angles to hallways and other communal areas, such as the library and dining hall. It was clearly live, because she could see Matt taking Mardy out for a walk in the gardens and Nick behind the counter, who still hadn't taken his eyes off of the door they'd gone through. Alex took a seat at the table that held all the electronics and cables and motioned for her to do the same.

Hesitantly lowering herself on the chair next to him, he seemed to be waiting patiently until she'd opened her notebook on a blank page and her pen had revealed its ink when she scribbled down the date on the top right corner. She looked up at him and saw a look in his eyes she could only describe to be the hesitancy of a man who was desperately trying to place his trust in a stranger for the first time in years. She felt it was her turn to take the initiative. "When did the hotel first open its doors?" she decided to start with.

The simple question seemed to bring him back to focus, as he cleared his throat. "About twelve years ago, I'd say it was." "That's quit a while. I'm guessing you were rather young to be opening a hotel," she noted, silently scribbling her pen across the paper in the meantime. She didn't dare look away from him. He nodded and grumbled a chuckle. "Young, and very inexperienced. Even though I'd had everything planned out from the start, it turned out to be a lot different in practice than what I'd expected it in my head to be."

"In what way?" He thought about it for a moment. "I guess I had to learn that I couldn't do everything beforehand and that I had to make more direct decisions on the spot. Although, I was very lucky to have Miles and Matthew at my sides. They were with me every step of the way."

She smiled softly. "Matt told me about your school years with him and Miles." "He did? Yeah, we go way back. Bit ridiculous to think I made him promise to come work for me if I ever opened a hotel. Poor lad never stood a chance choosing a different career path. Miles, however, he'd always expected to become my business partner."

"So, it hadn't really been Miles' initial ambition to become mayor?" Alex shook his head, "No. He'd always had a knack for politics and as you well know he's socially very capable. But if it hadn't been for his position today, I think this hotel would've remained a pipe dream."

She hummed, letting her eyes wander over the wide array of television screens. "This is your office?" she wondered. "Of sorts," he replied, "Though Nick often finishes his paperwork in here. It's where everything is filed."