Holiday Hell

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Harry woke up about twelve hours later not having a damn clue where in the whole entire world he was. All he knew was that his head was throbbing like a drum and he could barely open his eyes. The harsh sunlight burned its way into his sockets and he winced as he struggled up to his feet. He tried to figure out where he was and it took him way longer than he would like to admit to realise that he was in his hotel room. He had forgotten about the holiday all together. He tried to piece the previous night together and it came back to him slowly. He remembered the fight between him and Abigail. Meeting Daisy. Getting asked out. Going out. All the drinking. And that kiss... Oh, goddam, that kiss...

That changed everything. That boosted his confidence, diminished his insecurities, brought joy to his miserable little life. He felt so much better about himself after that. The fact that somebody was still capable of falling in love with him was a blessing more than anything. Although he was 100% certain things had not gotten any further than that, he was confident in himself that that was not the end to their... whatever it was. He could tell that she genuinely liked him. It was an instinctual thing. He couldn't wait to see her again. It sent butterflies coursing through his entire body. Just seeing the radiance that was Daisy, the receptionist, was enough to motivate him to leave his room.

Once he had scrambled himself off the floor of his messy suite, he stood up. He found himself wobbling like jelly as he did and he was surprised at his inability to do something so easy and simple. How much exactly had he had to drink last night?? He didn't know. He didn't remember. The fact he did not remember was a huge red flag. He hadn't had a hangover like this since university. He was getting way too old for this. He should have kicked the drink in long, long ago. Guess it made him feel younger again, which was really nice. A return back to the ease and carefreeness of youth. He smiled to himself.

He began to get dressed, shoving a t-shirt over his tired spaced out head. Once he slipped his jeans on, he caught sight of himself in the mirror for the first time. God, did he look awful. His hair looked as though it had been torn throughout a Wheatfield and the bags under his eyes were endless. He couldn't even keep his eyes open. The desire to sleep was incredibly overlying and he felt the need to return back to his cocoon under the blankets. He chose against this. He needed to get some tablets and not waste the remainder of his holiday holed away in bed. Moreso, he needed to see Daisy again. Just to make sure that she felt the sae way. Surely it wasn’t one sided.

Harry made his way through the hotel, down the empty corridors and past the very few early risers. He struggled for every step, it felt as though he were on the greatest trudge of his entire life. Every time he had a night like this he silently swore to himself that alcohol was a toxic poison and he could cope very well without in his system. He would promise himself that he would never drink ever ever again. He was so much better than that. This time, he knew he could not made that promise to himself. He pondered what would have happened had he not had a single drink in his system right now. Would he have had the balls to actually go ahead and kiss that girl? Maybe not.. All things considered, he decided that perhaps the horrific hangover was worth the benefits of last night. He donned his aching headache with nothing but a persevering smile of the night before. If he could go ahead and kiss the prettiest girl in the entire resort, he was able to achieve anything. He was going to be able to get through this hangover.

He arrived at the hotel shop and picked up a packet of paracetemol and a bottle of water. He paid for his things and was about to go on his way when he noticed a girl browsing through the sandwich aisle. She had a careful considerate look on her face. it took him a few moments to register who she was.

The realisation dawned on him slower than he would like to admit but then he remembered that she was the girl from the plane. The one who had poured out his inner most anxieties and fears onto. The girl who seemed to understand his inner turmoil. It would be incredibly impolite to not go and said hello. He repressed all his social anxieties and approached the girl with the widest smile he could manage. She beamed at him once she saw him.

"Hey. Wow, you look rough. Long night?"

He felt his confidence lower. He had forgotten just how terrible he had looked in the mirror. He curled into himself, folding his arms. "Yeah. You could say that."

"Did you hit the town? Anything to forget seeing you-know-who, I suppose. I saw she's here at this hotel. Of all places. Is there something going on between you or?"

"No," he was quick to snap. "She actually resents my guts. Pretty sure she wants me dead."

Jenn laughed. "Jesus. Well, that's exes for you. She's not bad though. Mind if I take a swing at her?"

He felt himself become flustered. "I mean..."

"If it's cool with you. I don't want to dive in if you still have feelings for her."

"No!" he blurted out. "Absolutely not. No. Please, be my guest. She's... I've moved on."

Jenn arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Who's the lucky girl?"

"The... receptionist." he grinned, almost embarrassed.

Jenn gave him a huge grin in response. "Oh, wow. Damn. Congratulations, buddy. She's like, beyond pretty. She's like a goddess."

Harry felt a sense of victory at her approval. His hands slipped into his pockets and he was unable to conceal the smug smile that was creeping upon his face. "Thanks. I know. She's absolutely gorgeous and so funny and just... perfect."

"Somebody sounds like he's in love," teased Jenn.

He gave her a friendly shove. "Hey. Not yet. I don't know, maybe? Who knows. It could just be a holiday fling or it could be... more than that. I don't know, I haven't done anything like this before."

Jenn shrugged. "Who knows. You got to find out for yourself, pal. See where life takes you and all that. Best of luck to you."

He gave her an appreciative nod and then went on. He found himself drawn back to his room. head still in agony. He took his tablets and then settled down back into bed. A couple of hours nap would fuel him enough to sustain a proper important conversation with Daisy. He would also need to have time to freshen up to look his best. when he closed his eyes, all he saw was Daisy. Her absolute flawless beauty filled his mind. He couldn't believe he had had such astounding luck to end up with a girl as beautiful as she. He was truly blessed. He found himself drifting off to sleep and hoped his dreams contained her and only her.

His awakening was rude and abrupt. A seamless noise invaded his eardrums, whining and repetitive. It sounded like a child screaming in agony, trapped somewhere and begging to be saved. His eyes opened to a blur, unable to detect his surroundings. It was as if through he was returning to the world from a long enduring coma. He found himself being able to slowly sit up right in the bed yet still could not figure out what on earth the noise was. He crept towards the window and was met with flashing lights of reds and blues. In his dreamlike, hazy state he was completely at a loss as to what those strange lights could possibly be. His mind immediately jumped to the completely illogical conclusion of a sudden alien invasion. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before so it seemed the most reasonable explanation to him at that moment. He narrowed his eyes as the bright lights burnt their way into his sockets, leaving an imprinting mark of which he was unsure he would ever rid of. It was so excruciatingly painful he felt the need to collapse back onto his bed but fought through the pain in order to investigate this abrupt invasion. He needed to figure out what was going on. What did aliens do? What did they want? Did they want him? He read about probing but didn't fully understand it. Oh, god. He felt the desire to be back in his nice cold apartment once again.

But then he gradually began to wake up from this insane dream that he was living. Upon closer inspection, it was plain to the naked eye that this was no sort of alien invasion. This was an ambulance, waiting outside the hotel. A couple of paramedics dashed out of the vehicle and began to run their way into the hotel room. A sudden feeling of panic erupted in side of him. What disaster had he managed to sleep his way through? His mind rushed to the root of all paranoia and anxiety tore away at him. What if it was Daisy? She was wearing ridiculous heels last night. What if she had failed to take them off the night before and woke up this morning with a hangover just as bad as him? One attempt to stand up and she could have very easily broken her neck. His throat ran dry and he could feel himself running, out of control of his body, his mind focussed on the fact that he needed to find out what was happening and what it was as soon as possible. He found his way through the corridors and to a crowd of people who surrounded the scene. It was outside one of the hotel rooms, where a balcony has been tore apart. Confusion bubbled throughout him as he tried desperately to figure out what had happened. A girl lay, her body spread apart unnaturally, in the centre of the crowd.

Those stupid, goddamn high heels. She was such an i***t wearing heels like those. He knew that this couldn’t last. Something had to go wrong. The universe was damning him, misleading him into believing he could be truly happy and then tearing it away from him. He pushed through the people, tears now streaming down his face, certain to see the girl he has kissed the night before, But it wasn't her. There, lay the girl with pinks and purples laced throughout her hair. She was in converse rather than ridiculous heels. Her face screamed unquenchable agony and she wasn't even looking at him. He let out a breathy sigh, unable to even speak.

"Jenn..." he exhaled. "Jenn.... What- How? What happened? How did this happen?"

"The balcony gave in... she was leaning on it and it all collapsed..." A faceless person in he crowd relayed all he knew to him. "I told the manager they need to fix them... I told the manage they weren't safe.... Health and safety are going to go berserk over this... Oh god...."

The paramedics arrived and placed Jenn carefully on a stretcher. A wave of guilt fell over Harry and he suddenly felt like he was the one who made the balconies unsafe. He was the one who had left her to nap. If only he had stuck around for a little while longer. If he asked her to come for a cup of tea with him, this might have never happened. The guilt was tremendously powerful.