A Disturbed Man
Enrico
After leaving the restaurant, Hannah and I headed straight for the elevator. However, I hadn't mentioned to her yet that I didn't intend to go up to her suite that night. The truth was that her perfume still bothered me, and the image of the girl crouched on the restaurant floor, focused on picking up the shards of glass, wouldn't leave my mind. This scene troubled me because it resembled Rachel, although I was sure it couldn't be her in any way.
Rachel and manual labor were completely incompatible, and I knew she would do anything to avoid this kind of situation, not to mention the money she had gotten from Kael. So, why did this image insist on haunting my thoughts?
"You're acting strange, Enrico," Hannah pointed out, looking at me suspiciously. "Something happened when we were at the restaurant? I saw you get nervous all of a sudden, but I still can't understand the reason."
Well, what bothered me was something I would never tell Hannah, so I needed an excuse... a good excuse.
"I'm worried about Joseph," I said, another half-truth. I was concerned about Joseph; I still couldn't understand what was causing his strange and, let's say, even rebellious behavior. But that wasn't what made me nervous, as Hannah so aptly pointed out.
"Is he still refusing to eat?" She asked, touching my shoulder. "That's very serious, Enrico. He's already quite old; he can't go so many days without eating like this."
Of course, Hannah was right, but that was completely beyond my control, and I could do nothing more than what I was already doing. But that didn't diminish my concern for the situation itself.
We had reached the elevator, and Hannah quickly pressed the button to call it.
"Yes, he's still on a food strike, Hannah," I replied to her question. "Tomorrow, the psychologist will try to talk to him. Maybe then we can understand what's going on since he doesn't open up to anyone."
"Not even to you?"
Hannah's question would have been funny if the matter weren't so serious to me.
"Even less with me, Hannah."
She quickly realized the slip and apologized.
"Sorry, Enrico. Sometimes, I forget about the difficult relationship you've always had with Joseph."
Before I could respond, the elevator doors opened, and Hannah held my arm, inviting me to enter. I didn't want to be unpleasant, especially since we had always had a good relationship, but that night I couldn't go up with her. I tried to explain in the best way possible to avoid awkwardness.
"I'm not going up tonight, Hannah," I said in a low tone. "I'm tired... the day was exhausting; I spent all the time at the nursing home with my father."
She looked at me analytically, as if trying to probe my thoughts, probably looking for some clue that I wasn't being sincere. I knew Hannah well and knew how suspicious she could be about men. Even without wanting to worsen the bad impression she seemed to have about the male gender, being with her that night when I wasn't in the mood for it would only make things worse.
"Maybe I can help you," she suggested. "A massage, what do you say?"
"Sorry, Hannah..."
I didn't want to be firmer, but that night, all I needed was a well-deserved rest. I had made a mistake by scheduling that meeting with Hannah.
"Alright then," she finally conceded. "I understand that you must be exhausted. On the first day, my aunt went to the nursing home, I also arrived at the hotel completely exhausted."
I almost let out a sigh of relief hearing her words. I didn't want to hurt anyone.
"So, I'll be going," I said, smiling more naturally.
Hannah approached me and discreetly pulled me into a hug, her lips getting close to mine. The proximity brought back the strong smell of her perfume, which was now even more present in my senses. I almost wrinkled my nose because the scent was entirely unpleasant to me.
We had reached the elevator, and Hannah quickly pressed the button to call it.
"Yes, he's still on a food strike, Hannah," I replied to her question. "Tomorrow, the psychologist will try to talk to him. Maybe then we can understand what's going on since he doesn't open up to anyone."
"Not even to you?"
Hannah's question would have been funny if the matter weren't so serious to me.
"Even less with me, Hannah."
She quickly realized the slip and apologized.
"Sorry, Enrico. Sometimes, I forget about the difficult relationship you've always had with Joseph."
Before I could respond, the elevator doors opened, and Hannah held my arm, inviting me to enter. I didn't want to be unpleasant, especially since we had always had a good relationship, but that night I couldn't go up with her. I tried to explain in the best way possible to avoid awkwardness.
"I'm not going up tonight, Hannah," I said in a low tone. "I'm tired... the day was exhausting; I spent all the time at the nursing home with my father."
She looked at me analytically, as if trying to probe my thoughts, probably looking for some clue that I wasn't being sincere. I knew Hannah well and knew how suspicious she could be about men. Even without wanting to worsen the bad impression she seemed to have about the male gender, being with her that night when I wasn't in the mood for it would only make things worse.
"Maybe I can help you," she suggested. "A massage, what do you say?"
"Sorry, Hannah..."
I didn't want to be firmer, but that night, all I needed was a well-deserved rest. I had made a mistake by scheduling that meeting with Hannah.
"Alright then," she finally conceded. "I understand that you must be exhausted. On the first day, my aunt went to the nursing home, I also arrived at the hotel completely exhausted."
I almost let out a sigh of relief hearing her words. I didn't want to hurt anyone.
"So, I'll be going," I said, smiling more naturally.
Hannah approached me and discreetly pulled me into a hug, her lips getting close to mine. The proximity brought back the strong smell of her perfume, which was now even more present in my senses. I almost wrinkled my nose because the scent was entirely unpleasant to me.
Still, I allowed our lips to touch delicately and quickly, distancing myself as briefly as possible.
"Shall we talk tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes, of course," I replied, smiling, bidding farewell once again with a wave.
I walked towards the hotel parking lot, where I had left my car. Upon reaching the vehicle, I sat in the driver's seat as if it were the best place in the world for me.
"What a night!" I thought, lowering my head onto the steering wheel, but my real desire was to bang my head right there. How could I let myself be affected by a girl like Rachel? And even worse, by a girl only slightly resembling her, since I couldn't even see the face of the girl or any part of her body.
All I saw, and it was enough to ruin the rest of my night, was her hair and nothing more.
"Damn!"
I looked around the parking lot, determined to leave as quickly as possible before any other girl appeared and I started to think she looked like Rachel. I was even beginning to doubt if the girl who entered the elevator was her.
I started the car, turned on the headlights, and saw some people approaching from the service entrance.
I smirked sarcastically. Was the girl from the restaurant among them?
It was a group of about five people, two women, and three men, by my count, but the women had their hair tied up, and the dim light of the place didn't allow me to see their features.
I'd better get out of there as quickly as possible!
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