Right Hallway, Wrong Person
There were three things I wanted after spending four hours running errands.
Food.
A long hot shower.
And absolutely nobody talking to me. Not my staff, a guest looking for directions, literally nobody.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
I stepped off the private elevator onto the top floor of my hotel letting out a deep breath, with one hand wrapped around my plastic shopping bag and the other holding my phone.
My headphones were still blasting music over my ears.
The penthouse level was quiet and usually mostly empty, just the way I liked it.
The soft cream-colored wallpaper, gold-trimmed doors, the abstract paintings, huge modern light fixtures hanging from the ceiling like the chandeliers weren’t dramatic enough.
It was peaceful.
Expensive.
Mine.
I smiled to myself.
People always looked at me strangely whenever I said I owned a hotel.
I guess I can’t really blame them either I mean I didn’t exactly look like a hotel owner.
Today, I was wearing ripped jean shorts, a basic spaghetti-strap tank top, high-top Nikes, and my hair thrown into a messy bun.
I looked more like someone who had just escaped a college campus than the owner of a luxury hotel.
And honestly?
I preferred it that way.
I walked toward my suite, completely unaware that five very famous men were standing approximately twenty feet away.
Until one of them spoke.
“That’s her.”
I stopped.
I couldn’t hear him.
My headphones were too loud.
I kept walking.
“That’s definitely her.”
Another voice.
Still nothing.
I reached my door.
Digging for my keycard from my purse.
And that’s when I noticed the five guys standing across the hall.
All staring at me.
I stared back.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Nobody moved.
I slowly lowered one side of my headphones.
“...Can I help you?”
The tallest one stepped forward.
He was tall, dressed completely in black, with dark hair falling slightly over his eyes.
He looked annoyingly good.
Like,ridiculouslygood.
The kind of good that made you briefly question whether your standards were too high.
Then he frowned.
“Are you following us?”
I blinked hard, utterly confused.
“...What?”
One of the other guys whispered something to him.
He looked at me again.
“You’ve been outside our suite before.”
My mouth dropped open.
“I have literally never seen you before in my life.”
That wasn’t completely true.
They looked familiar.
Very familiar.
But I couldn’t place them.
Which, apparently, was the worst possible answer.
The silver-haired guy’s eyes widened.
“She doesn’t recognize us.”
“That’s impossible,” another whispered.
I looked between them.
“Okay...”
The youngest-looking one stepped forward.
“You’re not a fan?”
I stared at him.
Then at the others.
Then back at him.
“No.”
Silence.
One of them looked offended.
Actually offended.
“You’re not?”
I shrugged.
“Should I be?”
The black-haired guy’s eyebrow lifted.
“You don’t know who we are?”
I looked at all five of them again before answering.
“No.”
The silence became painful.
Then I smiled politely.
“Umm... should I call security?”
They all started talking at once.
“Wait—”
“She’s serious.”
“How does she not know?”
“Maybe she’s pretending.”
“She could be trying to get closer to us.”
I slowly put my headphones around my neck.
“Okay, first of all...”
I pointed at myself.
“I live here.”
Then I pointed at my door.
“That’s my room.”
Then I pointed at them.
“And you five are standing in front of it looking at me like I just crawled through your bedroom window or something.”
Nobody said anything.
I pulled out my keycard.
“Also...”
I held it up.
The silver-haired guy covered his mouth.
I could see him trying not to laugh.
The black-haired guy didn’t look amused.
He crossed his arms.
“You’re the owner?”
“Yes.”
“Of the hotel?”
“No.”
I paused.
“Only of this floor.”
His expression didn’t change.
I sighed.
“I’m kidding. Yes I’m the owner of the hotel.”
That finally made one of them laugh.
The youngest one turned away, shoulders shaking.
I looked at them suspiciously.
“Are you guys okay?”
The silver-haired one nodded quickly.
“Perfectly.”
“Because this is getting a little weird.”
I swiped my keycard.
The door beeped.
I opened it.
Before stepping inside, I looked over my shoulder.
“By the way...”
Five pairs of eyes landed on me.
“If you guys are actually famous or something...”
I shrugged.
“Congratulations.”
Then I walked inside and shut the door.
I leaned against it.
Silence.
I pulled my headphones off completely.
“What just happened?” I asked myself.
Outside my door, the five men stared at each other.
One finally spoke.
“She really doesn’t know who we are.”
The youngest grinned.
“I like her” He said.
The leader frowned.
“We need to be careful.”
“Why?”
“Because either she’s telling the truth...”
He glanced toward my closed door.
“...or she’s the best actress we’ve ever met.”
Inside my suite, I dropped my shopping bags onto the kitchen counter.
I had no idea who those five idiots were.
And I definitely didn’t know that meeting them would completely change my life.
At least...
Not yet.
