Scrum Half

36

I sat in the car for five minutes, trying to think about what I would say to him. But every way I thought about i couldn't express my feelings for him enough. I decided it would be better not to pre-plan it, as in the moment it would be more spontaneous, raw, genuine: more organically my feelings. After hyping myself up, the adrenaline starting to rise, I decided I would try the front desk to find out which room he was in.

As I walked towards to front doors, it started to rain. The LED lights of the hotel illuminated the pathway, as the evening grew darker. The entrance to The Goose was two grand, glass doors with gigantic golden bars for handles. The hotel was Art Deco themed: it was just as beautiful as the night when I confessed my feelings for Ben. As I drew closer to the entrance the doorman moved the glass panel to let me through to reception. My hair was slightly damp from the mist of rain outside that was now progressing into a harsh shower. I walked along the red velvet carpet towards the front desk, avoiding the Japanese peace lilies that were meticulously placed either side.

I walked up to the foyer, slightly out of breath.

"Hello there sir, can I help you?" said the receptionist. She was in her late twenties, and had dark hair scooped into a low bun, with a lapel pin that read 'Sophie'.

"Okay bit of a long story, but my partner has my credit card. He has a room here. I don't know which room he's in, so if I tell you his name, please could you tell me the room number?"

"One second sir..." muttered Sophie as she began to type various things into the computer system, while spinning slightly from side to side on her office chair. She picked up the phone with her left hand and dialled a four digit code.

"Good Evening Sir...I have a man waiting in reception for you..." she took the phone away from her ear and covered the mic with her other hand. "What did you say your name was?"

"Matthew." I replied, as I blushed ever so slightly.

"He says his name is Matthew, could you let me know if I'm okay to send him on up?...Uhuh...Okay...sorry to bother you Sir...I'll sort that room service for you now...have a nice evening." Sophie placed the phone back on the stand and turned to me.

"I'm very sorry Mr..."

"Flynn"

"Yes Mr Flynn, Mr Alley hasn't given me consent to give you his room number, so I'm afraid I'm unable to tell you. It's against our privacy policy. I'm very sorry."

"Oh yeah thanks...Sophie."

Frustrated, I walked away, scratching my head and thinking about what to do next. I couldn't just leave. I'd come all this way. I needed to talk to him.

I walked out of the hotel, and went to go and sit in my car to think of a plan. As I made my way across the courtyard towards the car park, I turned around for a quick glance. I saw out of all the balconies on the second floor, one of them had the lights on, illuminating a figure looking out across the front of the hotel. I walked towards it just to check who it was, just incase It was him. it was now raining very hard. Upon closer inspection to the balcony, I could see a tall figure with curly brown hair, stood in a white fluffy bathrobe, looking at me. I shouted out to him and waved. he looked at me, then looked away. I ran closer and shouted towards him again, flailing my arms in the air. he looked at my dead in the eye and drew the curtain, and walked away from the balcony door. I could tell he was still very upset. I picked up some stones from the gravel and began to throw them towards the sliding glass doors of the room. I carried on for about five minutes, but was still unable to get his attention.

I tried ringing him, over and over again, but still to no avail. I was getting more desperate, as time was pressing on. I decided I needed to take more drastic measures. I had to climb.

The balcony below was easily within my reach. I hoped no-one was in that room, so I went ahead and clambered on top, hoisting myself up with the railings as support, despite their wet and slippery nature as a result of the storm and lashings of rain. I stood on the top ledge of the railings, and knew I'd have to jump to reach the bottom ledge of Ben's balcony. I tipped from side to side as I gathered my balance as I prepared to jump. as I bent my knees and propelled myself upwards, my left foot slipped away from the edge.

Luckily I had reached the second floor, and was hanging by my right hand.

I swung my left hand onto the other side of the ledge, and grabbed one of the railings with my right, allowing me to pull myself over the barrier and onto the patio of Ben's room. I had made it.