Chapter 5 Asia
It seemed like Christmas flew by and now it was the new year. I was taking a vacation with my mom to help her get away and hopefully alleviate her seasonal depression, along with taking a moment to breathe myself.
Bella and Blake’s relationship seemed to be blossoming. They had been on at least three dates by now, and from the way she had been talking, she probably already fucked him but didn’t want to tell me she did.
Bella was funny like that. She would overtly flirt and shout it from the rooftops that she needed some dick, but then when she got it, she hid in a corner like she had done something wrong. I chuckled at the thought of my friend. I loved her to death, with her weird ass.
Sooner or later she would give me the tea, but right now, she probably was holding back to not jinx it.
I was happy for her. Blake seemed to be putting a smile on her face from the way she perked up whenever she talked about him.
She often hinted that now that she was squared away, we needed to find me a man, but I didn’t let her go too far down the rabbit hole with that idea. The last thing I needed her to do was try to hook me up with another blind date.
“This is beautiful,” Ma breathed as she looked around the hotel. I had to admit, the hotel was nice. It was a beautiful change of scenery from where we lived up north and the fact that fifty degrees was considered cold in this area didn’t hurt either.
“Let’s get settled in our room, then I need to submit some things for my job,” I explained.
I was a digital content creator for a startup company and because of my work, they were beginning to take off.
As their success grew, they kept sending me more tasks to do.
Some of it wasn’t exactly within the scope of our contract, but I figured I would give them a couple months and then propose a raise in my salary.
They were good people so I had no doubt they would agree.
Ma and I went through the motions of checking in then headed to our room. The room was beautiful as well. We oohed and ahhed over the simple yet elegant decor, and my mom got a kick out of the button controlled shades.
“Asia, look!” she kept saying, and I giggled at the sight of her. She was like a kid in a candy store. My mom loved all things gadgets and technology, though most of it kicked her ass when she used it for the first time.
The shades in our room were controlled by a series of buttons on the wall. One button allowed you to slide down a light shade that still allowed some sun to filter through the room, while the other button allowed for heavier shade that would leave us in total darkness.
It wasn’t anything special, but seeing her light up when she’d been so depressed was a win in my book.
“A’ight, Ma, I’m gonna head downstairs to the lobby to get some work done. I’ll be back up in a few.”
She was barely paying attention as she was now fixated on the remote control for the huge flatscreen TV that was affixed to our walls.
I watched as she muttered and cursed under her breath. “This damn thing… why do they… Asia!” she called out as if I had already left the room. Then she looked up at me. “Can you work this thing? It won’t let me change the channel. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”
I walked over and studied the buttons on the remote. It was different from the standard smart TV remotes, but I was able to easily figure out how to get Ma to the guide so she could select her true crime shows.
“Here,” I said, after navigating to the guide for her.
“Thank you,” she beamed. “Don’t stay down there too long because I’m gonna be hungry soon.”
“I won’t.”
I exited the room as Ma scooted back on her propped up pillows and watched some show about a woman who murdered her husband and almost got away with it.
I shook my head and chuckled again as I exited the room, laptop bag in hand.
Why was Ma into all that evil shit? I couldn’t stomach those kinds of shows, but she watched them all.
People killing their kids, friends killing friends, and then they would describe what happened in gruesome detail. I couldn’t do it.
As I pressed the button for the elevator, however, I felt like a hypocrite because although I wouldn’t watch true crime shows, I was quick to pick up a thriller novel by Toni Larue’ or a horror story by Linette King.
“Shit, maybe something’s wrong with me too,” I mused.
The elevator ride down was quick, and soon, I was situated on one of the sofas in the spacious lobby, taking in the sights as I puttered away on my laptop.
I finished my work faster than expected, feeling oddly satisfied as I sent off the last file. This project was turning out better than I'd anticipated—maybe the change of scenery was what I needed for my creativity. I closed a few tabs and shut down my laptop, sliding it into my bag.
The lobby had filled with more people since I'd sat down. A group of businessmen in matching navy suits huddled near the front desk, a family with two exhausted children slumped on their luggage, and a couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other by the concierge desk.
I pulled out my phone and texted Ma.
Just finished. You hungry yet?
The response came in seconds.
Starving! This show has a lady who poisoned her husband's food. Maybe we should order room service instead of going out?
I chuckled and shook my head.
Ma, you're too much. Room service sounds good though. Want me to bring up a menu?
Yes please! Something with pasta maybe? And dessert!
I smiled at her enthusiasm. Ma had been picking at her food for weeks before this trip, so her appetite returning was another good sign.
Got it. Be up in a few.
I was about to get up when the hotel's revolving doors spun, and three men walked in. My eyes drifted toward the movement, then focused on the tallest of the three. Something about his silhouette made my fingers freeze over my phone screen.
There was something familiar in the way he carried himself, the slight lean in his posture.
The men were talking, their backs to me as they approached the front desk.
The tallest one wore a black leather jacket that fit his shoulders perfectly, dark jeans, and boots.
He wasn’t wearing the beanie he donned when I first met him, but there was no mistaking that profile when he turned.
My heart stuttered.
Nyree.