Chapter One #2
Wait a minute. Who was that guy? And why was he looking at me like that?
Victor asks himself, just realizing someone was next to him.
He walks out of the restroom to look for the man.
As he looks around, the man he thought he saw is nowhere to be found.
Victor shakes his head and shrugs it off, just thinking to himself that it is just a coincidence.
As Victor returns to his friends, Amber can be heard arguing with the rental car agent. “What’s going on over there?” he asks Elliott and Frank.
“Apparently, they messed up on the rental,” Elliott responds before sipping his frozen daiquiri.
“Where the hell did you get a frozen daiquiri?” Victor asks with a perplexed look.
Elliott points to a small stand about 30 feet away. “Over there.”
“Seems pretty reckless having alcohol next to where you rent cars,” Victor judges.
“I’m not the one driving,” Elliott says as he takes a big gulp of his frozen beverage. “Ahhh fuck, brain freeze.” Elliott keels over, pressing his thumb against his temple.
Frank laughs at Elliott’s pain. “Dumbass.”
Amber and Lupe walk over to the boys, keys in hand. “Finally!” Amber expresses aggravated exhaustion. “Let’s get going before traffic gets bad. I need a drink after this.”
Elliott points towards the stand. “They have frozen daiquiris over there.”
Victor shakes his head while rolling his eyes. He turns his attention to Amber. “So, what happened?”
Lupe looks at Amber, cocking an eyebrow. “She used her charm to get us an upgrade. Even though she paid for a smaller car.”
Amber sports a shit-eating grin. “What can I say? I know how customer service works. Come on, I got us a nice SUV.”
Victor sits in the back of the SUV and stares out the window, lost in thought. All he can think about is getting to his hotel room, closing the curtains, and sleeping all weekend. Will my friends notice if I don’t show up tonight?
“No!” Elliott slaps Victor on his leg. “Don’t start thinking you can wallow and stay in your room all weekend.”
Victor looks over at Elliott, holding back his surprised expression. “I wasn’t thinking that.”
Elliott glares as he points his finger in Victor’s face. “I know you, Victor. Here’s the plan: you’re going to shower, put on something sexy, and we’re hitting Bourbon Street.”
“I don’t have anything sexy,” Victor responds softly.
Elliott smirks as he continues holding out his finger. “I packed your bag, so I know what outfits you have.”
Lupe turns around in the passenger seat. “Elliott, let Victor relax. If he needs to be alone with his thoughts, just let him. Don’t try pushing him to do something he doesn’t want to do.”
Elliott sits back and huffs, “He’s been this way for over two weeks. He needs to get out of this funk.”
Lupe cranes her neck around and looks at Victor. “He’ll get out of it in time. Perhaps we’ll just go out for dinner tonight. I know this cute café just a few blocks from the hotel.”
“Why on earth would we want to go to a café?” Elliott protests. “We should hit the bars first.”
“Second that thought,” Frank responds from his seat in the back.
Amber looks at the boys in the rearview mirror. “You two need to behave yourselves. This is Victor’s birthday weekend.”
Victor isn’t paying attention to what his friends are saying. He looks out of the window and asks, “Does anyone know if Lucas and Jon are coming?”
Lupe shifts to better see Victor sitting behind her. “I got a text from them before we took off. They’ll be here tonight.”
Victor nods and checks out from the conversation around him.
His friends try to involve him, but he doesn’t hear them.
All he wants to do is get to his hotel room.
As they pass by a familiar street corner, Victor is reminded of a time when he and James went to a restaurant down the road.
He lets out a deep sigh, trying to hold back the tears from forming.
Amber turns onto Canal Street and a few minutes later pulls into the entrance of the Marriott hotel. Victor opens his door and looks up at the tall building as he steps out.
“I haven’t stayed at this hotel in a while,” Victor says. “Looks like they finally updated their lobby.”
“That was three years ago,” Elliott comments as he helps Frank grab everyone’s luggage from the back. “You haven’t had a layover in New Orleans since then?”
Victor shakes his head as he collects his luggage and enters the lobby.
As they wait in line, Frank and Elliott excitedly talk about which bars they want to hit while Amber and Lupe look at places to visit on their phones.
When one of them asks Victor a question, he vaguely replies with shrugging his shoulders.
When Amber shows him something on her phone, he simply smiles and nods, agreeing with her so she will let him be.
Once it’s Victor’s turn, the clerk at the front desk greets Victor. “Welcome to the Marriott. May I have your name, please?”
Victor lifts his sunglasses and places them on his head. “Victor Russo.”
The clerk smiles cheerfully. “Welcome, Mr. Russo. I have you confirmed in a one-bedroom suite on the concierge level. Let me get your welcome gift for being a Platinum Elite member with us.” Before she turns around, she looks back at Victor, “Would you like me to get someone to help you take your things to your room?”
“No, no, it’s okay,” Victor interjects. “Is there any way I can have a standard king room instead?”
The clerk tries her best not to frown. “I’m sorry, Mr. Russo. We are all booked up for this weekend. But you get to enjoy free breakfast in our concierge lounge every morning during your stay with us.”
Victor sighs deeply. “That’s okay. Thank you, though.”
The clerk smiles and hands Victor his welcome gift and key card. “Here’s your key, Mr. Russo. Would you like to set up a turndown service?”
Victor shakes his head and thanks the clerk as he heads to the elevator.
He doesn’t pay attention as his friends are waving their arms. He just heads to the elevators and up to his room.
He knows he’s going to get an earful about it later, but all he wants is just to be alone for a while.
As Victor exits the elevator onto his floor, he looks down as he walks, almost bumping into a man.
“Excuse me,” Victor mutters without really looking at him.
The man doesn’t say anything but has a sly smile as he steps into the elevator and watches Victor walk away. “You’re excused, Victor,” the man says softly as the elevator doors close.
Victor pauses in the middle of the hallway when he recognizes the scent of the man’s cologne.
It’s the same scent of leather and sandalwood from the airport restroom.
Victor twists around but doesn’t see anyone in the hallway.
Victor shakes it off and proceeds to his room.
He unlocks the door and looks around the giant room.
Victor takes a deep, long sigh. “Well, happy birthday to me.”