ALTHOUGH IT'S ALWAYS CROWDED,
YOU STILL CAN FIND ROOM FOR
BROKEN HEARTED LOVERS.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

"Can I have you?"

Austin plays with my hair. He doesn't smile, doesn't talk... doesn't let me breathe. His fingers comb through the ends of my hair, which in this moment feel like strands of woven silk fabric. Perhaps he likes it.

Though that doesn't hold me back from shivering under the weight of his body. It gives me peace, in some way or the other, but it also kills me.

Austin doesn't have me, like he asked. He's almost too scared to touch me, too scared to even look at me... or maybe that's just the alcohol sitting heavy on his eyelids. They close and open slowly.

"Austin." I manage to breathe. I sound breathless. I am breathless. Austin scares me. Even the butterlies in my stomach are trying to find a way out. How can one be so perfect, so close, yet I'm afraid to touch and feel?

He hums in a question, letting me take my time before I force another word out from between my trembling lips. Sometimes I think I might've made him up, but then again, is my brain even capable of hallucinating the perfect human to exist? Maybe I'm too obsessed.

"I'm-" I whisper, but the rest refuses to leave my mouth. Words hold tightly on to my wisdom teeth, gripping at the bones and staying stuck in my throat.

When Austin's eyes close for the last time, his head falls and his lips nestle warmly in the crook of my neck. He breathes against my skin, and I start burning again.

"A-Austin?"

No answer. I feel very stupid for even assuming he knows what he's doing. He's drunk. He'll always be drunk when he calls me up to his room. What was I thinking? He'll never want me when he's sober.

Sober Austin knows what he wants. He's serious, he's rich, he's a heartthrob, one that knows himself.

He's not drunk Austin. Drunk Austin doesn't even know he's rich. He's sad, he's happy, he's careless, he's a lot closer to me, and a lot less scary.

I try gently pushing him to the side, but his large hands generously fondle my waist with each movement. I see his biceps flexing, and his back muscles too.

My lips are dry and chapped, Austin lies passed out on top of me, the AC still doesn't work, my feelings are hurt, and there's a random baby we have to take care of.

A single sigh from my mouth carries the weight of everything happening tonight. I caress Austin's bare, and broad shoulders to carefully sneak out from underneath him... but he doesn't let me.

"No..." He mumbles, and it's almost incoherent with all the hums he heavily breathes. "Don't go."

I try shaking off the feeling. I have to go. He's drunk, and he probably doesn't even know I'm here. That's a crime. I peel his strong fingers away from my waist, and find that the exact places are on fire from his touch.

"Mmmm, no." The top half of my body was child's play, my chest can properly take a breather now. But my legs are still stuck under his bare, and warm torso.

I use his shoulders as a steering wheel. Pushing one back with my palm, all the while Austin groans softly. I get him to lie on his side, before I'm finally able to pull out my right leg out from between him and the bed. Then I turn him on his back. His abs stretch a little, and his hardened chest heaves up and down.

The way his adam's apple moves makes me want to repent from all of my sins. I gulp and try to look away when I'm standing up straight, and fixing my dress pants.

He mumbles something.

"Don't go." He whispers. Eyes closed, softly breathing through his nose, and unconsciously uttering incoherencies. "Olga... Don't leave."

Air bubbles form a big lump in my throat.

Olga...

-

"I think we should hide it." Oliver suggests. He leans against the wall of the employee's room, while Holly sits with the little baby on her lap, and I sit somberly on the one and only chair in this room.

Everytime I rock back and forth, the chair squeaks.

"What like, forever?" Holly narrows her eyes at her boyfriend, then gets distracted by the baby giggling at her scrunching nose. She starts baby talking.

Oliver nods at the idea. "Forever." He replies.

Then I shake my mind out of the Austin nightmare I'm in. "We can't hide her forever!" I say, maybe a little too loud. The frustration from 225 is still pent up in me. I smack the backrest of the old, wooden chair. "She's gonna grow into an annoying toddler-" I point at her in her little pink jumpsuit, "and something you should know about annoying toddlers is that they're loud!"

Oliver has completely backed into the wall with each of my cutting words. I roll my eyes and sigh.

"Ollie baby, can't you see? She's already frustrated, leave her alone." Holly turns to her boyfriend with a creased forehead, before going back to plating kisses on the babie's tiny little face.

"I'm not frustrated...?" I scorn at her.

Holly nods with a smile, "If you say so!"

"Holly," I sigh, "I'm not."

"Well, you've had that long face ever since you came back from Mister Butler's room." Oliver says quietly, his fingers playing in front of his chest.

With a strong glare, I lift my head, "I'm. Not." I say, and stand up out of the chair, -which squeakes loudly‐ "FRUSTRATED!" The baby gets startled as I walk out of the employee's room. Both Holly and Oliver try to stop her from crying, while I bump into someone-

"Ottilie Crawford!" Damian hollers. He looks at me disgusted, "I thought your shift was over..." With an arched brow, and his hands on his hips, he leans in, "Why are you still here?"

I start stuttering through my words, "I- I was about to leave-"

A loud, and annoying, screech of a baby comes from the employee's room. Damian immediately widens his eyes, as I'm dying of worry in front of him.

"What was that?" His eyes look in the direction of the employee's room. "What's going on in there?"

"Erm, nothing! Nothing!" I hold my hands in front of his chest, in case he tries to inspect.

Damian squints at me, "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!" I exclaim. "It's just Oliver in there! Oliver!" I yell, hoping Holly and him hide the baby somewhere.

Just then-

"Rain on me, rain rain! Rain on me rain rain!"

The Dutch couple walk in through the doors of Andromeda Hotel. Jesus, not more drunk people. They come back from their short night at the club, and sing their anthem, dancing in the middle of the reception hall. Thankfully, Damian is distracted by their twerking.

Andromeda has never been so chaotic at night.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no gentlemen!" He rushes over to them, worrying they might be making too much noise.

"Come dance with us!" They take Damian in between them, teaching him how to twerk, all the while Damian holds his palms together and starts praying for them to stop.

I use this time to take a quick glimpse inside the employee's room. Holly holds the baby, sushing her, while Oliver has his pointer finger inside the baby's mouth, letting her suck on the fat and stout skin.

I'm standing baffled, creasing my entire face.

"What?" Holly lifts her brows, and holds her hand up, facing the back of it towards me. "I have nails on."

I quickly nod, "Whatever! Just keep the baby quiet!" And close the door on them.

That was... a sight to see.

I quickly rush over to the twerking trio and hold the couple by their arms, "Gentlemen! Guess what I have?!" I ask them, and draw out their room keys from my back pocket, "How about I take you two up to your room?" They nod playfully and follow me after.

Damian fixes his shirt, annoyed, and tired. "Aunt Mary's bean casserole!" He scorns and stomps out of the Hotel.

-

Holly and Oliver had decided to take the baby home with them, last night. Thank god. But I don't know what we're supposed to do now.

I fix my tie and start refilling the key board, yawning, because I couldn't sleep last night.

My mind is hazy. Mostly because of what happened in 225. I considered fleeing when I walked into Andromeda this morning. What if Austin remembers it this time. I mean, it seemed like he remembered the other night, so why not last night?

As my fingers work automatically, finding a key and hanging it in its place, I get startled by the reception bell.

"Anyone there?"

I turn around to meet a 5'7, brown haired man. He smiles and greets me with his elbows on the reception counter. I narrow my eyes and approach him.

With a sigh, "What are you doing here?"

He chuckles, scratching the back of his neck.

Right as he's about to answer, I hear the elevator ding. The doors open to reveal Austin. Hungover.

He walks over and unknowingly pushes the 5'7 man with his elbow. "Could you give me another one of those painkillers? My head's killing me."

He groans and buries his head in his hands.

I nod, but my eyes travel to the brown haired man standing annoyed. "What the hell man?" He scorns.

Austin lifts his head, "Oh I'm sorry man." And starts rubbing his temples.

While I'm rummaging through my bag again-

"Wait a minute." The guy points at the dirty blonde haired man slouching beside him. "You look familiar... What was your name? Right! Austin Butler!"

Austin nods while tiredly reaching for the box of painkillers I set in front of him, before I rush into the employee's room to get him a glass of water.

"My sister's absolutely obsessed with you." The guy tells Austin, the second I come back.

I stop in my tracks, rolling my eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Austin replies, tiredly reaching for the glass of water in my hands. He swallows the pills and turns to the guy, "Who's your sister?"

With a confused grin, "Ottie." The guy shrugs and points at me standing with reddening cheeks.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck...

I don't dare to look Austin in the face, but I can feel his stare. "Is that so?" His deep, exhausted voice rings between my eardrums. "Ottie never told me she had a brother..." I can almost hear his smirk.

He reaches his hand our for my -plainspoken- brother to shake.

Hugo happily accepts, "I'm Hugo, by the way!"

Austin nods, "Nice to meet you." And turns to me with a smile, "I also didn't know Ottie was obsessed with me..."

Hugo chuckles, "She won't shut up about you."

I glare at him, but in the process, also meet eyes with austin. His stare shreds my soul into thin slivers of flushed flesh, and nervous bones.

Pearly white teeth show between his plump lips, which form a dangerous smirk. It's almost disguised as a grin, but a sneaky one at that. His eyes never leave mine, and it continues to make my skin crawl.

I realize that the flutters in my stomach might not be butterflies, but cutting knives... and not the ones used for slicing through soft butter. I'm cut open.

"Thank you so much, Ottie." He emphasized my name like it's the prettiest thing he's ever spoken. "For the painkillers." And sneak in a wink, managing to hide it from Hugo, before he waves us both goodbye.

My mouth agape, my eyes wide, my body shivering, and my throat dry, I gulp. I freeze. I die.

"He really does look hotter in person." Hugo takes his eyes off of Austin's back, and turns to me with a cheeky face. His arms rest on the counter.

It takes me a while to do the same, but when I do- "What the fuck are you doing here?!" I smack his wrist.

"What? I can't see my sister?"

I click my tongue, "I'm working. Leave!"

"I will, but I have to tell you something first."

"Ugh!" With my eyes rolling into the back of my head, and a groany sigh, "What?!" I scorn.

Hugo licks his lips, "Maria is divorcing dad again."

"What?!" I stop everything I'm doing and lean over the counter. Hugo nods franctically. "Wait! What happened again?!" My eyes shot open.

Hugo shrugs, "I don't really know, but I guess he pissed her off again. She sounded serious this time."

My jaw mops the floor.

The step-mother I was talking about. She has a pretty bumpy relationship with men, especially my dad.

"She's gonna stay here for a couple months." He then adds.

"Here?!" I exclaim, "Why?"

Hugo shrugs, "I guess until she finds a new place."

Oh no. That woman is a crazy one.

I guess Andromeda Hotel won't be quiet for a long time.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

➥ IN THE NEXT CHAPTER

Ottie's still nervous around Austin,
her step-mother Maria creates chaos.

Austin has an event to attend,
and asks Ottie to join him.

Oh and... There's still a baby problem.

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