We enjoyed each other’s company for another half an hour. As the sun started setting down in the west, I knew that it was time for us to move. I checked my map for the route to the hotel. Emily’s sister's wedding would be held in a five-star hotel in Central Jakarta, and would take us on a half-hour trip.
Now that I think about it, Emily’s parents didn’t say anything about how I would return home to my apartment. My parent’s home should be closer, only one and a half hours away by bus from the hotel, but I hadn’t contacted them yet. I thought about calling them when I saw Emily’s eyes on me.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling my parents. Going back to Serpong would take too long.”
“My bad.”
“Your bad…?”
“My parents booked a room for you, forgot to tell you that.”
“Woah.”
Not only did they trust their daughter to me, they went as far as getting me a room? I knew that they invited me and my family to attend the party, but I wasn’t expecting them to go that far.
“Well, it’s for your entire family… but your parents said they were busy for the night.”
“Ah, I see. Should we get going, then?”
“Okay.”
We both got up and headed back toward the car.
After an hour and forty-five minutes on the road, a bit longer than expected thanks to traffic, we arrived at the hotel. The single building towered over its surroundings, its lobby alone occupying its first two floors. I stopped in front of it, thinking about dropping off Emily first as I searched for a place to park, but Emily told me to take her with me. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t ask and instead drove into the parking lot.
From the basement, we took an elevator up back to the lobby.
“Woah…”
I had picked up the car at Emily’s house last night, and from there took it back to my apartment, so this was the first time I entered the hotel.
“This is… weird.”
Emily voiced my thoughts. I was partly surprised due to how grand it looked. The lobby could be divided into two distinct parts. The main part, where the receptionist was located, was roughly two stories high. Left of that main part, was the lobby’s wings. Unlike the main part, the wing’s roof was located around four stories high, creating a large open space. Platforms circled the outer edges of that open space, with stairs leading up to them. Several doors were visible from the ground floor, but I couldn’t tell where they led to.
Large white pillars held the entire structure together. White walls surrounded the building, except for the sides facing the street and where floor-to-ceiling glass panels made up the walls. A separate bar was tucked away at the end, formed by black marble on all sides. While it all gave the lobby a very luxurious feeling, just one part of it made me confused.
“Why red?”
I asked as I looked down. Emily shook her head.
“I had no idea.”
With the exception of the bar, the entire lobby had its floor covered by sparkling red marble, including the staircase that went up to the other floors. The escalators retained their usual black coloring, at the very least. It felt so different and weird, especially with the white wall that surrounded it. None of the ornaments nearby, the plants and wall decorations, had a red color, either. They were formed mostly by green and yellow and occasionally gold.
We spent quite some time pondering about it, but ultimately, we didn’t find any answer to why the floor was red. Well, neither of us were architects, after all, and despite studying color theory, I feel none of the emotions associated with the color red well up inside me.
Well, technically the color red represented rage, but I didn’t think the designers wanted me to be angry at the flooring.
After not finding anything, we made our way to the lobby and sat down on one of the sofas. Emily brought her phone out and called someone. She talked with someone over the phone for a whopping fifteen seconds, before returning it into her bag. The elevator let out a ting, prompting our heads to turn that way. From inside came out a familiar face. A girl with long brown hair tied in a ponytail looked around, searching for us. Her cedar brown eyes, the same as Emily’s, scanned the lobby for us. We rose from our seats and approached her. She saw us coming and waved, a large grin on her lips.
“Ah, there you are. I couldn’t find you.”
It was Emily’s sister, Olivia. Olivia came close and hugged Emily.
“Good to see you again, my dear little sister.”
“You’re choking me!”
Emily pushed Olivia away, a slightly annoyed look on her face.
“I’m glad to see you again, but please, be wary of your own strength.”
“Hahaha, sorry for that.”
Olivia brought her hand toward Emily’s head and rustled her hair.
“You’ve grown, haven’t you?”
“I’ve been away for a month, sis. Don’t treat me like a child.”
“You’re still a child to me.”
Despite saying that, Emily didn’t react. She continued letting her big sister pat her head. Looking satisfied, Olivia then turned her attention toward me.
“Thanks for bringing her here.”
“No problem.”
“Come on, let’s go.”
With Emily’s complaint, we went to the elevator. Olivia pressed the up button, and the metal doors opened. We entered the large elevator, its walls made out of reflective metal. Olivia headed for the panel and looked through the buttons, her hand floating above them. She then clicked on the number seventeen. The elevator made a hum as it made its way upward.
“How’s the journey here?”
Olivia crossed her arms and leaned back on the elevator’s wall, its silver surface reflecting a blurred image of us.
“Traffic. Couldn’t escape it.”
Olivia snickered hearing Emily’s words.
“Well, you did come back during the afternoon rush hour.”
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
“Yeah.”
The elevator let out another ting, bringing our attention toward the metal doors. It opened, revealing an empty hallway with rooms on both sides. A light gray carpet covered the floor, while two tones of brown were painted on the walls, walnut brown on top and cedar brown on the bottom. We made our way, passing wooden doors with numbers painted in amber gold on them.
Olivia brought us to room number seventeen-twenty. Using a key card, Olivia unlocked and opened the door for us. Olivia went first, me and Emily following behind her.
“Excuse me.”
I said as I entered.
“Emily!”
Emily’s mother got off the bed and threw her arms around her daughter, Emily’s father standing behind her. Unlike before, Emily accepted the hug, and Olivia simply watched from the side, her eyes glued to the two. Seeing her with slumped shoulders, I couldn’t help but say something.
“Maybe you shouldn’t hug her like you’re hugging a body pillow, sis.”
Olivia jerked her head toward me, a smile creeping on her face.
“So you still remember calling me that!”
She said as she scooped me into her embrace. Despite having a thin body, I still felt her tight grasp on me. Actually, maybe because I’m quite thin that I felt how tight her hug was. I tried to tear myself away from her.
“You have a husband, don’t you remember!?”
“I remember, I remember.”
Olivia said while flapping her hand. I hadn’t met her husband yet, but from what I heard, he’s a good guy. I didn’t talk much with Emily’s family after we separated in high school. Like with Emily, I didn’t cut all contact, but without seeing Emily, I didn’t really have a reason to talk to them. My parents still maintained their relationship, though, talking with them every now and then.
It had been three long years, and admittedly I missed being with them. I guess even with all the mess and hardships being stuck with Emily had brought, there were some positives as well.
I stood on the side as Emily caught up with her family, even if it had only been roughly a month after she left. Emily’s father then noticed me and turned around. He picked a key card up and handed it to me.
“This is the key to your room for the next two nights. Feel free to enjoy it as you wish.”
“Thank you, sorry for intruding.”
“It’s fine.”
Emily’s father said with a smile hidden under his thick mustache.
“You must be tired. Feel free to go and rest.”
“Okay, thank you very much.”
With those words, I retreated and waved goodbye to the rest of them before going out of the room. I proceeded to close the door behind me, pulling it delicately in an attempt to not make a sound.
“Ah.”
I glanced toward the voice, only to find Emily’s figure standing right of me. She turned away and waved her hand.
“It’s nothing.”
She said, albeit me knowing that those words weren’t for me. I made my way above the carpet, heading toward my room, seventeen fifteen. I tapped the card on the door and opened it. I was greeted by a large, double bedroom. I made my way inside, stepping on top of the dark purple carpet that covered the floor. I untied my shoes and set them aside. I noticed complimentary chocolates and some food set aside on the cupboard next to the TV. I read the welcome card beside them and had a taste of the purple heart chocolate. It had a sweet taste, its texture soft but not sticky.
Beside them was a mix of several food items, consisting of some fruits, four macarons all in different colors, and a fruit tart. I enjoyed them, noticing the common theme of sweetness among them.
I then sat down and messaged my mother, asking her to bring a change of clothes tomorrow. I sat down on the left bed, Emily standing not far from me. She started moving around. She glanced at me and gave a code with her eyes, making me turn away from her.
I then lay down on the soft bed, planting my face inside its fluffy pillow, letting it sink in. I remained in that position for a while, letting my face enjoy the sheer fluffiness. After a few seconds had passed, I pulled my face up, and turned it carefully away from Emily. I then took my phone out of my pocket and texted Emily, asking her to tell me if she finished washing herself. I then heard a knock on my door.
Oh dear…
“Emily.”
I called out. Emily should be the only one who was able to hear me.
“What is it?”
She replied in a hushed tone.
“You’re in the toilet?”
“Don’t say you wanted to watch me bathe?”
“Of course not! Had you undressed?”
“So you do want to watch me, you pervert!”
She said in a slightly stronger voice, but still silent enough that it sounded like she was whispering.
“That’s not it, I swear! Someone’s knocking on my door, I was wondering if I can answer it?”
I then heard that knock again.
“Ouw… well, I hadn’t undressed yet, so fine by me.”
“Then what’s that fuss for?”
I let out a sigh as I stood back up and made my way to the door. I opened it, finding Emily’s father standing outside.
“Simon, here are some clothes your parents asked us to give you. I apologize for forgetting.”
Emily’s father said, a bag in his hand.
“Ah, sorry for the trouble.”
“No problem. Please accept it as a token of gratitude for taking our daughter with you.”
“Ah, it’s… it’s my honor.”
Emily’s father's fine mustache twisted upward and left. I closed the door and returned into the room.
“What was that?”
“Your father brought me some clothes.”
I checked my notifications and found a message from my mother. My mother had forgotten to tell me about the room and that they had left some clothes with Emily’s family. I typed in a quick reply before turning toward Emily, who seemed to be sitting on the toilet.
“Oh, do you mind if I take a while? It’s not every day I get a chance to chill out in the bath.”
“Fine by me, not like I have anything else to do anyway.”
I then made my way back to the left bed and once again threw myself onto it. I faced downward and let my body and face sink into the soft mattress and pillow.
“Anyway, I’m naked now, so don’t turn around.”
“Saying that makes me want to turn around-”
“Turn around and I’ll end your life right here.”
“I’m just joking.”
“Isn’t it scary how you can actually do it?”
“You’re right…”
Since the item we held can interact with the other person, if we actually wanted to do it, we can. The thought never crossed each of our minds, though. We never really interacted that way, except for when we first woke up next to each other.
“Isn’t it weird…”
“Weird?”
“Like, how far our lives are linked together, to the point that we can do that if we wanted to.”
“Just making sure… you’re just joking… right?”
“... As long as you don’t turn around.”
I glued myself to the bed, making sure to not see her no matter what happened.
“I wonder how things will be if you’re not the one I’m stuck with.”
Emily muttered under her breath. It’s weird to think that her voice traveled all the way past the soundproof walls to my ears. Since I glued my face to the pillows, that was the only thing that I could feel. But, had our relationship been any different, we may be exchanging more than one sense.
“I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, either.”
Despite the three years gap in our friendship, Emily is still my closest friend, with Caleb close behind. After those words, we remained silent. This particular silence felt awkward, mainly because of the conversation we had before. While I trust that Emily would never actually harm me, I couldn’t help but want to change the conversation topic. A question popped up in my mind.
"What's your favorite color?"
I then heard a snicker, which soon turned into a full-blown laugh.
"Pfft! You know the answer!"
"Oh, yeah, pink."
"You're so bad at this!"
Emily couldn't hold her laugh and burst out laughing. I held myself down, my eyes on the darkness before me. I let the pillow suck out any embarrassment I got from asking that question. She started making weird noises, wheezing all the while.
"Hahahue ueh uh cough!"
"Emily? What's wrong?"
"No- huh? I'm fine!"
She yelled. Her family must have heard the weird noises she was making and called out to her.
"You're alright?"
"Yeah, I got a bit of water in my mouth, that's all."
She let out a wheeze as she calmed herself down.
"Still, you're terrible."
"In my defense, you're the one putting pressure on me."
"I literally did nothing!"
She complained. The air then became quiet once more. I couldn't hear anything but the calm hum of the air conditioning.
"Say, Simon…"
"What is it?"
"Will you marry me?"