By The Beach ✔

Part 1. The Sunshine State

While Dinah pressed the elevator button, I took a look around. While I looked around us at the wondrous designs and shook my head.

The walls were adorned with beautiful artwork. The hotel's value drew me back, as did the exquisite designs on the walls, which were a gleaming golden color. Near the elevators, paintings of beaches, sunsets, and birds hung on the walls. It was fitting for the theme they were presenting to tourists.

We walked into the right-hand elevator, which had just opened. As she moved floor number six, I turned to Dinah. As the elevator rose, I clung to the rails.

"So, have you and Will called it quits? Or are you really going to rekindle your relationship after your vacation?" As the floor number hit four, Dinah eventually brought up the topic of my ex-boyfriend.

My thanks to you, Dinah; I was just trying to think about Will while on this trip, I thought sarcastically. The doors swooped to the side, and we marched out of the elevator, thinking sarcastically about the phone call. As we counted room numbers to find ours, I crossed my arms.

"No, Will is no longer in my life "As I neared room 701, she gave me a look that said she didn't believe me, and I shrugged.

"I am. It was the last time he cheated on me. Twice in a two-year period? I really want to relax and forget about him during our trip. No man-whore is worthy of my time." Dinah just looked at me as I focused on the door numbers; I heard her sigh and saw her look at the door numbers.

Will had been my boyfriend since tenth grade, we went to college in New York together, and last year I found him cheating on me with a girl; we broke up for a bit, then he apologized. I couldn't forget what had happened, so I took him back against my best judgment. Just to discover that he lied again a few months ago; you can see where this is headed. I broke up with him for good, and Dinah doesn't think it would last. Only, this time it will stick because I want to enjoy the vacation. Not cry and curl up with a bucket of Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Two months ago, I already had the breakdown. I did not want another one.

"Found it!" Dinah yelled as she strode up to room 713, she slid in her card, that the woman had passed her, and swung open the door. We walked in and dropped our cards on the low side table before standing side by side and checking out the room.

"Wow." We said in sync.

The carpet had been blackened, and a gold rug was placed between two queen-sized beds, one of which carried a black comforter with a gold swirl pattern on it. Over each bed was a beach scene, one with chairs and an umbrella painted on it and the other with birds painted on it. Under the glass was a white window seat with clear dark blue curtains.

A dresser sat under a TV hung on the wall, with a remote and radio on top. Beside the dresser was a mini-fridge, which Dinah went straight to hoping for drinks.

"Holy crap! Gold mine!"

I turned and realized Dinah was holding wine. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow toward my cousin, "Only you could locate the wine faster than the restroom." She smiled while I rolled my eyes.

Dinah searched for a wine glass while I proceeded to a door on our right and found the bathroom. It was light blue themed with birds decorating the walls. A basic toilet, deep sink with sufficient room to hold both of our toiletries. Also, a tub sat on its own while a corner shower with a blue curtain sat in the far back corner.

"Okay. I approve," I stated, coming out of the bathroom to notice my cousin resting on the bed near the door with a wine glass already in her hand. The guy was already gone and our luggage (two bags apiece) sat on our beds. I crossed my arms "But, what is the special event for a fancy hotel?"

Dinah laughed, "Why should there be a special occasion? I wanted us to have a good time this time around," she said as she sipped her glass of wine before placing it on the side table. She got up and stretched her arms.

"Let's go find some food, I am starved" She yawned, and I rolled my eyes as we walked towards the door. We closed the door behind us and stopped to stare at each other.

"Please tell me you grabbed a key card," we both said in sync as we faced the other and turned to gaze at the hotel door.

I grabbed Dinah's shoulder. "Dinah, stop, we can get somebody to let us in", I told her, precisely as an alarm went off. I held my hands to my ears as others began coming out of their rooms to see what was going on.

The elderly couple who were watching outside their room started laughing when Dinah told them we had forgotten our keys.

She waves her hand, "Don't worry about it, sweetie. It goes on all the time," she told us as they closed the door and an employee came moving down the hall to shut off the alarm and help us back into our room.

That wasn't embarrassing at all.

(How does Everyone like the First Chapter of T.F.H  so far? Let me know in the comments! I will update it on Wednesdays, Sundays, and Fridays. <3 -Love, Lee. Edited on 1/14/21)