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1289 Words
The flight to Singapore went very smoothly.
No obstacles were holding Eloise back, even the administrative process of getting through immigration in a neighboring country seemed too easy for her. Dragging her suitcase with one sling bag still slung over her shoulder, Eloise Campbell waltzed through the beautiful and majestic Changi International Airport filled with people.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of work, people are often racing against time. Having picked up a few tourist guides on the shelf in front of the customer service desk, Eloise was trying to decide which direction she should go.
She already had the address of the hotel where Robert and the other employees were staying. Perhaps, she should just head straight there, as the information provided by one of the HR staff seemed to be quite complete.
Making her choice, Eloise planned to relax a bit before surprising her lover. Heading to one of the customer service counters, Eloise asked where he could catch a taxi.
A young girl was kind enough to help, explaining where Eloise could go.
“Thank you,” Eloise replied equally graciously. Resuming her halting pace, the woman finally reached the airport’s official taxi stand shortly after.
Showing the address she had written on her phone screen, Eloise looked forward to the moment a taxi pulled up to take her away.
“I’ve arrived, Robert,” Eloise whispered to herself. Too excited at the thought of all the things she was going to do with him, her heart was already bursting. “How will you express yourself, hmm?”
Already lost in the shadow of love, Eloise forgot to even look around. The Singapore afternoon sky was clear, showing no signs of rain. Was this also a sign that the universe was in favor of the impending meeting?
Eloise couldn’t stop smiling. She reached for her cell phone, which had been on airplane mode, now reactivating the data package she had registered for international roaming. A few messages arrived on her phone, but none of them caught her attention.
The taxi driver seemed to glance at Eloise from the rear mirror, but said nothing until the four-wheeled vehicle pulled up to one of the hotel’s front doors.
“Here we are, Miss,” said the driver, who was probably in his mid-forties. “Thirty dollars.”
Eloise smiled. Reaching for the Singapore dollars she had prepared before, she paid the taxi fare in full.
“Thank you!”
Wasting no time, Eloise simply got up from her seat. The driver was still helping her unload her suitcase, before saying goodbye and thanking her in return. Now looking at the magnificent building in front of her, Eloise had a small chuckle. Again not wanting to waste any time, Eloise entered the hotel entrance guarded by two security guards.
Wondering where she should go, Eloise decided to move towards one of the waiting couches. Sitting there, her attention was distracted by the soft clinking of incoming messages, making Eloise smile slightly at the succession of messages. A message from Cesca.
‘Cesca Wullington: Hi, Eloise, have you arrived? If so, let me know. At least I want to make sure your plane doesn’t get lost.”
Laughing a little, Eloise looked pleased. Typing a reply quickly, she hit the send button shortly after.
‘Eloise Campbell: I’ve arrived, Ms. Wullington, just now. It’s now at the hotel where Robert is training, and I was just about to call him.’
Glancing at the watch on her left wrist, Eloise checked the time. Again he had pocketed the time when Robert would finish training each day, and it looked like that time was almost here. The shorthand was already showing at almost six o’clock, as Eloise was now typing something in her chat room with her lover.
‘Eloise Campbell: Baby, what time do you finish? Have you eaten yet?’
Sending the message, Eloise played with her erratic heartbeat. Waiting for Robert to read the message, Eloise felt like her heart was about to explode. Curiosity and longing were too strong in his chest, and Eloise couldn’t wait to smell the distinctive perfume that emanated from between the pores of Robert’s body.
Not long after, Eloise received a reply from her lover.
‘Robert Scott: Just finished, Baby. But my head is dizzy, so I’m planning to sleep. Is it okay if I call you later?
Eloise’s body suddenly stiffened. This news made her worried, because Robert seemed to be fine yesterday. Thinking quickly about what she should do, Eloise still clearly remembered the room number given to her by her friend in the HR team.
Room 404. The room where Robert and Jimmy had used during the training, and Eloise was just wondering if she should go up to surprise him. Instead of waiting for Robert to pick her up and come down, wouldn’t it be better for her to go to Robert and show up in front of him? Smiling once more as a brilliant idea crossed her mind, Eloise got up and pulled back the handle of her medium suitcase.
Heading towards the elevator, Eloise briefly asked the security guard around the lobby. Showing Eloise which direction to take to reach room number 404, the man kindly helped Eloise push the suitcase up the elevator.
Stopping on the fourth floor, Eloise frowned for a few moments. Robert and Jimmy's room number was small, and it didn’t seem difficult to locate it. Down a fairly quiet hallway, Eloise came across the number 401 first. She kept walking, until she stopped at a dark brown door, with the number 404 hanging from the top.
That’s right. This was the room where her boyfriend was.
Eloise’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest, as she looked forward to surprising the love of her life. Swinging her hand to press the bell, Eloise waited in a never-ending throbbing.
‘What will Robert say first?’
‘How will Robert look into my eyes later?’
‘How will Robert respond to me changing my mind and now preparing all the surprises for him?’
And other questions that just came and went, filling Eloise’s heart with expectations that grew too quickly.
Until then, something wrong happened.
The large door opened little by little, revealing a woman much older than Eloise. For the first few seconds, Eloise thought maybe she had the wrong room. Or did... she have the wrong hotel?
“You looking for who?” asked the woman with a cigarette tucked into her hand, her nails painted a vivid red. Not properly dressed, the woman, who was probably in her thirties or so, appeared to be wearing only a tank top and a short skirt that showed off her thighs that were no longer completely smooth.
Eloise was silent. Speechless, she thought she must have gotten the wrong room. Perhaps, she had heard wrongly from Alexa that Robert’s room was 404. Maybe the real room was 405? Or 403?
Because there was no way Robert would be in the same room as a woman, right? Especially, a woman who was much... older?
“Sorry, I seem to be mistaken-“
Eloise was just about to turn around, but her steps were halted as she heard a very recognizable voice from behind the woman. A voice that was all too familiar, the one that had accompanied her for almost a year.
“Who is it, Hon?”
In that instant, Eloise’s breath caught. Hurriedly turning around to look back at the front, Eloise froze when a man just approached the door. It made Eloise faint because that figure was the one she had been dreaming about in her sleep.
Robert.
Damn it. Robert Scott.
- Writer
