Chapter 47
CHARLOTTE
1 putered the From and let on a low whole. The in front of nur resible a Beaulind dream
“This is so beautiful.
Thank you for your kind words about the whe. Me receptioned set of wallout dowly to the midifle of the room and turned around to stare at the breathtaking decor.
“Edwards.” I replied, turning my eyes away from the decor to gaze out the window. The stunning California landscape greeted me, and a smile crept across my face. “This is the perfect way to begin my new life here
She smiled at my response and assured me she’d ensure I had a great time in the hotel. I thanked her for her service and fully turned my attention to the room as she quietly closed the door behind her.
I walked towards my luggage positioned in the corner of the room and placed it in the closet that had too much space than I could care to use. When I was done with that, I took one step back and sighed. “My life seems like a movie. I don’t know who’s in charge, but I need them to take it easy,” I muttered to myself as I toured the suite with mixed feelings.
I had been trying to refrain myself from capitalizing on my past, but it seemed like that was my routine now. Every action, conversation, thought and experience seemed to drag me back to Milan and force me to make comparisons with the present. Staying in a suite like this was something I never anticipated, and while I was glad to be a beneficiary of this sort of benevolence, I was skeptical about it.
I guess it made sense to be. Anyone would take a chance like this with both hands, but knowing their benefactor would make it even better. I knew the receptionist’s response would be echoed by other members of staff if I tried to snoop around and ask questions. I could decide to speak to the manager or anyone up the ladder, but I had no interest in initiating that conversation at this point.
I walked back into the room, sat on the bed, and exhaled. I was here. It was time to chart a new course, but first, I had to call Maria. I reached for my bag and emptied the contents onto the bed. Along with my notepad, phone and some other things I had stuffed in, there was Thiago’s card. I stared at it for a minute and shifted my gaze to my phone before my mind had the chance to amplify the thoughts that were forming.
I picked up the phone and called the estate’s phone. As I waited for her to pick up, I chuckled at the thought of knowing the number by heart. It became apparent that no matter how far one runs from a seemingly traumatic situation, there are things that will never be forgotten.
When I heard the dial tone, I pulled the phone from my ear and pouted. There were only two reasons she wasn’t picking up the phone: it was located in the study, and she was possibly far from it or she wasn’t home. I couldn’t ascertain which option seemed plausible given that the dynamics of the house had changed given that the new staff were present.
I decided to call again in a few hours and decided to focus on being here. I reached for the phone to order dinner but decided against it. If anything, it would be refreshing to see the city and experience it rather than keep myself
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Chapter 47
cooped up in here. Being left alone with my thoughts didn’t seem like an idea I wanted to explore at the moment so I picked up the items from the mattress and stuffed them back into the bag.
I stared at the card one last time and contemplated reaching out to its owner. I stood up and walked towards the window to stare at the landscape that had caught my eye earlier. It looked as beautiful as ever and the sound of the waves crashing in the distance left me yearning for some time alone on the beach. I made a mental note to visit later in the day, possibly after I had toured the city and had dinner. I fiddled with the card for a bit, then put it away as quickly as I shelved the thought of seeing Thiago again.
“Perhaps, some other time,” I said and decided to take a bath. Meeting a man I had just met on the plane wasn’t a priority; ensuring my plan was on track was.
I had ticked off the first part of it, it wouldn’t make sense if I were unable to stay on track and achieve my goals. Not that Thiago proved to be a distraction at this point though; if I were being honest, he wasn’t necessarily significant in the grand scheme of things, at least not to me, not right now.
I was tempted to think our paths would never cross again but I knew better than to test fate. I walked away from the window and moved to the bathroom. The first phase of my new life had just begun; I wasn’t going to let a hyper fixation that I didn’t account for make me lose focus of my plans. The feeling of water running down my body left
me feeling refreshed and a few minutes after the bath, I had fallen asleep.
A few hours later, I opened my eyes and looked outside the window; the sun had set, leaving a warm glow on the city. I sat up in bed and looked around, trying to recollect where I was. A smile spread across my face as I remembered and I thanked my stars that I had been able to sleep well for the first time in a while.
Perhaps this change of environment was great for me after all. I got out of bed, took a quick shower, changed into some fresh clothes and stepped out of the suite. When I arrived at the reception, there was a different woman at the counter. I resisted the urge to ask about the lady I had met earlier, handed her my keycard and exited the
establishment.
Once outside, a gust of wind blew and the scent of the sea filled my nostrils. The city seemed to call my name as I hailed a taxi and I was ready for the experience that awaited me. Driving through the city as the day turned into night was a different experience.
I hadn’t reserved a spot at any restaurants before leaving the hotel so I decided to rely on the driver’s recommendation. I was skeptical about it but then, what better way to experience a place you barely remember than following the advice of someone who had lived there longer than I have? This driver seemed like the one that drove me to the hotel earlier–cheerful and ready to assist. This made me consider the possibility that everyone who lived here was like this which put the events on the plane into perspective but I reminded myself to keep my guard
- up.
A few experiences were not the benchmark for the people here, at this point in my life, I should know better than to think everyone would be nice to me because a few people were. I knew that this brand of cynicism wasn’t great for my perspective and that I should be more open to the idea of being receptive to people but I was willing to stay on
this side of the fence.
As we drove through the streets, I stared at the people huddled in a corner chatting or moving in and out of shops with bags stuffed with things they had picked out. A part of me missed the feeling of buying something new but I knew that shopping was a red zone for me. I had more than enough clothes from the sprees I went on with Maria and until I had ticked off some other things I deemed more important on my current scale of preference, I intended
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The doved to tad in front of mail on the corner of dinner paused tho9’s food
Ast walked towards the entrance, my eyes weed the reserved on situated next to it. This made me chuckle as the image of people working met and inleting the rope of des food a few few away flashed through my mind. I stepped into the reelistuse and asked predved, the scope of freshly cooked food filled the
de Flooked around and sighed contentedly, ged the 1 was how to have a grea
Chapter 48
