Walking over the beautiful marble floors of the large building Andres had brought me to, I felt my feet stuttering as they stepped. Eventually, I came to a stop, staring in wonder at the scene surrounding me. Crystal chandeliers were hanging from the high ceilings and swirls of gold framing the tall chiffon walls and pillars. People in high-end suits and outfits filtered through the room while brightly smiling employees stood at their disposal, some carrying the suitcases as they led them through the hotel.
I could not help but feel hesitant; this was far from anything I had ever seen before. The grandiosity of the hotel was bordering magical and my mind was filled with images of castles from fantasy films I had watched. It resembled, slightly, the home of the White Queen in Alice in wonderland: White like snow, shiny like pearls and tall like the oldest centurion trees.
My hesitation to move any further into the expansive room was noticed by Andres, who had turned to look at me with a curious expression. The sight, almost humorous in its oddity, made him smile while his eyes shone with amusement. My shoes were sliding backwards on the clean floors while tiny squeaks fluttered into the air, thankfully drowned out by the bustling around us.
Andres folded his arms over his chest. "Lena, what are you doing?" He asked, taking steps towards me with every small shuffle I made away from him.
My eyes, previously occupied with the scenery, found their way back to the man. "Going to our hotel, this is clearly the wrong place," The smile on my lips signalled that I was joking around but the feverish movement of my eyes told a different story. I was intimidated by the expensiveness of the hotel and couldn't shake the out-of-place feeling that sat on my chest. It felt heavy and uncomfortable, like wearing a thick coat in decent weather.
"Darling, this is our hotel. It's only four-star, I know, I hope you aren't too disappointed." Andres laughed, reaching for my hand before tugging me towards him.
Stumbling, I fell into place at his side and looked up towards him with wide eyes. While his expression was warm and pleasing, I was too fixated on the new information about the hotel to appreciate the comfort his face gave me. Four-stars? And he dared suggest I could be disappointed with such a rating? A four-star hotel was beyond my expectations and made me feel like I should have been someone important to be staying at somewhere so high-class.
Not allowing me to dwell on my thoughts any longer, the tall man led me towards the mahogany desk that sat at the very back of the large lobby. Once there, Andres let go of my hand to pull out his wallet and quickly fell into polite conversation with the small, blonde receptionist who was behind the desk.
I was standing awkwardly to the side, unsure of what to do, when my roaming eyes caught the gaze of another employee further down the reception desk. The young man seemed barely taller than me, with long, black hair that hung over the top of his grey eyes and clear, pale skin that made his features stand out. Despite his handsomeness, the man seemed incredibly nervous and shy as we looked at one another, giving him an air of vulnerability.
In an attempt to be polite, I smiled at him and raised my hand to wave.
The man's grey eyes flew open in shock and his arms jolted suddenly. The stack of paper he had been holding fell from his shaking hands and landed on the desk with a thud. Pages went flying everywhere; on top, in front of and behind the desk. The man yelped and let out a quiet curse as he watched his work spread itself around him.
Unable to simply watch the man fumble after his paperwork helplessly, I found myself jogging towards him. I picked up the pages that had flown over the front of the desk, putting them in a neat pile atop the wood that separated the two of us. The man had gathered the paper on his side, too, and soon we were face to face.
"You dropped these," I said softly, trying to be cautious in case he still felt anxious.
"T-thank you, Miss," He stuttered, placing the small pile I had made atop the rest of the paper. "I'm not used to being a receptionist yet, I'm usually just a bell boy."
His voice calmed down as he spoke, indicating that his nervousness was beginning to fade. Seeing him grow a little more relaxed gave me the confidence to speak again, and I found myself wanting to reassure the boy. "You're doing great," I said, reaching out to pat his hand gently as it laid, clenched across the desk.
There was a small, boyish smile that adorned his face as the man rubbed the back of his neck while shaking his head at my words. "Hardly. I mean, I just knocked over a hell of a lot of paperwork," there was a light-hearted tone to the comment, indicating that the man wasn't being entirely self-deprecating with his words.
"Knocking over some paper doesn't make you a bad receptionist," I countered, pointing a finger in his direction to emphasise my point.
"It doesn't make me a good one either," Was his instant reply.
A loud laugh erupted from my chest, encouraged by the chuckles coming from the receptionist across from me. It was surprisingly easy to converse with this stranger and I found myself wanting to get to know him better. However, before I could think of anything to say, another voice spoke.
"Darling?" Andres was next to me before I realised he had moved and I felt his warm hand settling into a spot on my lower back. He smiled and held a key up in front of me, shaking it slightly so that it made a jingling sound. "Are you ready to go?"
My mouth gaped open and I glanced between the two men near me. As much as I wished to get to know this receptionist further, I was more tired than I thought and didn't want to keep Andres waiting either. Especially when he had done so much for me. "Yeah," I answered, putting a smile on my face.
"It was nice talking to you..." I trailed off, concluding quickly that I didn't know his name.
"Jacob, ma'am," He filled the gap in my sentence, giving me a polite smile. "Jacob Woods."
"Right," I said, still smiling "It was nice to meet you, Jacob."
Andres' nodded towards Jacob, acknowledging him for the first time, before taking my hand and leading me towards the elevators at the side of the reception. He wasted no time in pressing the button and swiftly pulled me into the elevator as soon as the doors opened.
Even without him saying anything, I could tell something was bothering the man. The instant the elevator doors closed, Andres let go of my hand and angled his face away from me. I could barely see the way his jaw was clenched and his eyebrows were furrowed but it was enough to show me that he was feeling very tense.
"Andres? Are you okay?" I asked, attempting to peer around the man to get a better look at his face.
As I fruitlessly tried to glance at his expression, the man leaned further away from me and cleared his throat loudly as if trying to distract me. "Everything is fine," he answered sternly, "It's been quite a long day, hasn't it?"
The elevator was almost silent after that, the faint music not enough to wash away my thoughts. I couldn't have been misreading the signs, could I? He seemed troubled, but was I just imagining things? He was right though, it had been a long day. Perhaps all that was needed was a long rest.
We reached our room not long after we left the elevator. Andres unlocked the door before motioning for me to go inside first.
The hallway led straight into a lounge area, the wall opposite me was a sheet of glass that looked out upon the rest of the city. I abandoned my bags in the middle of the room and dashed to the window. My body pressed against the glass, as close as I could get, until my breath made a fog against it.
The scene below us was breathtakingly beautiful; rows of old fashioned brick houses lined the streets, filtered in between were large gardens of green grass and colourful arrays of flowers. Streetlights illuminated the city while beams from car lights danced through the roads. It almost felt like a dream.
The warm touch of hands encasing themself around my waist proved to me that I was awake, however, and a gentle kiss to the side of my head made me realise that reality was much nicer than a dream could ever be.
My head twisted to the side, brown eyes settling for a moment on the side of Andres' face. He was observing the sight through the grand window, smiling as his eyes shone with the reflection of the evening light.
"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" I whispered, filling the silence with my breathy voice.
"It is. Although I've been on business trips to England before and it's never looked quite this beautiful," Andres' voice sounded soft and smooth. Like a warm breeze on a sunny day, it brushed my skin and forced a pleasing shiver down my spine.
Unwillingly, my body leant back against the larger frame behind me. My head fell against his shoulder, with my forehead pressed softly against his neck and I let my eyes close as waves of comfort washed over me.
"What's changed?" I asked.
The muscles in Andres' neck stretched and his head fell against mine. "There is only one explanation," he spoke slowly, purposefully teasing me. "I have brought the most beautiful sight with me."
I could not contain my laughter after hearing such a cheesy sentiment and moved so that I could face the man next to me. Once we were looking at one another I playfully hit Andres' chest. "You're just full of poetic lines," I giggled, hiding the blush on my face that his words had brought out of me.
"I wasn't always like this. You've changed me," he argued with fake offence sat on his perfect features.
Scoffing jokingly, I folded my arms across my chest. "I don't believe that for a second!"
"I'm serious! I've never complimented anyone this much in my life. I've certainly never called any other woman beautiful as many times as I have you."
"Not even your mother?" I joked, flashing him a teasing smile.
"Not even my mother." He responded, returning the smile with ease.
The two of us playfully laughed together, wrapped in one another's embrace, until Andres eventually pulled away and excused himself. I watched with curiosity as the man began looking frantically around the room before his eyes narrowed on a small pile of bags placed beside the door.
Andres shuffled through the bags before his hands grasped the handle of a shiny red one. It had white calligraphy on the front that I couldn't quite make out and seemed to be brimming with some kind of fabric. In an instant, the bag was behind Andres' back and he was walking towards me again. There was a bounce in his step, indicating excitement, that made my curiosity build.
"What is it?" I asked once he was in front of me again. My attempts to peer around him and into the bag were thwarted by Andres' fast movements and I was left in the dark about what he was holding.
Andres' face held a cheekiness mixed with pride that was only fuelled by the smirk on his face. "A present!" he said with a wink. The bag was then moved in my direction and pushed into my awaiting arms. I opened it without a moment's hesitation.
A pile of clothing caught my attention and I reached into the bag so I could get a closer look.
I pulled out a t-shirt first. It was large and thin, Belle and the beast were dancing on the front with a huge ballroom in the background. I was engrossed in the detail of it for a moment before I eventually pulled out a pair of bottoms in a similar colour. Roses littered the stretchy shorts and swirls of gold twisted around the pretty flowers.
"Pyjamas?"
"Disney pyjamas."
I rolled my eyes at the correction and let out a short laugh. I couldn't help but be as amused by the present as I was appreciative; it was out of character for Andres to buy something so...childish.
It wasn't long before I realised that the bag still held a few items and I was quickly engrossed with pulling them out. The items in question were a pair of long pyjama bottoms and a thin vest, both a shade of red with an image of Gaston on each. They didn't seem as shaped as my own and I concluded that they were likely men's clothing.
Noticing my confused look, Andres cleared his throat to grab my attention. "They're mine," he said, sticking his head in the air as if expecting me to tease him.
My eyes moved back and forth between the pyjamas and Andres, attempting to imagine the large man in such dainty looking clothes. While I was sure there would be a slight strangeness to the ensemble, the thought of Andres wearing Gaston themed clothes felt fitting.
I giggled. "You'll be everyone's favourite guy."
Andres shot me a confused look, the reference going over his head, and I shook my head in disappointment.
"Shall we get changed?" The man said, changing the subject. There was a hidden excitement behind his words and I didn't know if he was more excited to see me wearing the new pyjamas or to put on his own.
The man didn't wait for an answer and grasped my hand in his, taking the men's pyjamas in the process. I dropped the red shopping bag and followed Andres willingly, giggling with childish delight. We settled into the large bedroom and Andres wasted no time in stripping off his clothes.
While the sight was entrancing, my mind had taken a negative turn as we entered the room. The realisation that I needed to undress and put on these new clothes was intimidating because I didn't have a good relationship with clothes.
My biggest concern was that these pyjamas, that Andres had so lovingly bought for me, would not fit. I did not want to face the embarrassment of being seen attempting to put on fabric that was far too tight.
I was trembling at the thought and the anxiety forced me to turn away from the dark-haired man who was currently undressing. Before Andres could notice my distress, I pushed my way into the en-suite bathroom attached to the large bedroom.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled off the clothes I had been wearing throughout the day and let them fall into a heap on the tiled floor. Knowing that my lower body was smaller than my upper, I attempted to put on the shorts first.
I was happily surprised when they slipped up my thighs and settled onto my hips snugly. They weren't too short, reaching the middle of my thighs, but also weren't too tight against my skin.
As thrilled as I was about the shorts, the real challenge was in the form of the light colour t-shirt that was waiting for me. It was my torso that made me the most self-conscious; there were so many parts of it I didn't like. I was mostly afraid that the top would be tight and show off all the unwanted curves of my stomach.
Still, I held out hope and pulled the top over my head until it settled over my body.
Turning to face the mirror, I observed the sight of myself dressed in these new pyjamas. The t-shirt, that I had been so wary about, flowed down to reach just above the bottom of the shorts and didn't fit too tightly against my chest or shoulders as I had expected.
Most importantly, my stomach was not constricted by the material nor was it flaunted about like a flag atop a pirate ship. It was loose, allowing air to get underneath the cotton and cool me down. I couldn't have picked a better set of pyjamas myself and I was in disbelief that Andres had done such a good job when he had never bought me clothes previously. We hadn't even been shopping together before!
Just as my thoughts settled on Andres, there was a perfectly timed knock at the bathroom door.
"Lena?" As much as he tried, Andres couldn't hide the nervous edge to his tone. "Are they okay? If they don't fit then I'll change them. Or if you don't like them, I can exchange them for something else."
I almost laughed at how quickly Andres was speaking. It was obvious that he had put a lot of thought into this and was insecure about how good of a job he had done. Staying in silence would be torturous for him and so I took the initiative and opened the door that separated us.
Despite the scattered clothing on the bathroom floor, Andres' eyes stayed on me. "Wow," He started, a grin appearing on his lips. "You look adorable."
I turned red instantly but the blush didn't stop me from thanking him and returning the favour.
Andres was wearing his red, checked pyjamas bottoms and the matching red top, despite not liking to sleep in a t-shirt. He looked surprisingly comfortable in the outfit as if he had been waiting his entire life to wear something so childishly casual. I was in awe at how well the relaxed outfit suited him.
The man moved towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to his warm body. The look on Andres' face showed pure admiration and I felt especially loved as we stood against one another under the bright light of the bathroom.
"How did you know my size?" I asked, unable to hold back the curiosity anymore.
The man in front of me fought a blush as he formulated an answer. "I may have checked your other pyjamas."
My heart burst with affection at hearing Andres' confession. How was it possible that I had such a caring man in my life? "Thank you," I giggled quietly, "I really love them."
Lifting myself onto my toes, I moved so that we were inches apart before kissing Andres passionately. The man wasted no time in kissing me back and familiar feelings of warmth flooded my chest and stomach simultaneously. As usual, his lips took control of mine and I was left to the whim of the man pressed against me.
When we pulled apart, my breathing was laboured and my features were flushed from the activity. I smiled, unable to contain the joy inside me.
"I love you," I said.
His face lit up, lips already prepared to answer back to me. "I love you too."