Page 23 of Don't Scare Me, My Love

“I promise, the scariest thing in there is my bachelor pad,” Jason added, making a face.

“Okay, I’m out of here,” I laughed.

We made our way to the double doors. The white light under the roof shone through them, revealing a red carpet in the foyer. The sound of some water dripping down a pipe made me search for its source, but I couldn’t find it.

Jason pulled the keys out of his coat. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” I replied, watching as he pushed the doors open as if we were trapped in a holiday movie and he was the concierge.

He stepped inside and flipped a switch to his right. A majestic chandelier in the center of the main hall flickered, trying its best to paint the room in vivid colors. Only half of its lights still worked. The other half had become home to several spiders and their webs. Two wooden staircases on either side of the room enclosed a wooden window frame and a fireplace in between. Dark chestnut paneling held paintings of the mountains, lakes, trees, and wildlife.

The door slammed shut behind us, the unexpected bang making me jump.

“Sorry,” Jason said, coming up to me, his eyes on the chandelier. “The cobwebs make it feel cozy, do they?” He laughed and walked over to the reception desk on the right, which still housed a gold bell and a book where people signed their names when they checked in. Behind the desk was a wooden board with thirty hooks, each holding a key with a different number on its back. “So, what do you want to see? I mostly use the part downstairs.” He pointed to the right. “That’s where the dining hall used to be, but it’s now my living room, bedroom,yoga studio… all in one.”

“Yoga studio?”

“A guy’s got to work on his flexibility somehow.” He rang the bell on the desk as he headed down the hall past the reception and turned left into the second door. Behind it was a commercial kitchen, half hidden behind plastic sheets to keep it from getting dusty.

Spices and kitchen utensils, such as paper towels, cups, and a cutting board, surrounded the stove in the opposite corner of the room. A dried red streak ran down the side of a pot that still stood on the stove as if waiting to be reheated.

“This is my kitchen, which is way too big for me,” Jason said, walking past the stove and the plastic cover to a swinging door on the other side of the room. He turned to me and pushed it open with his back as if he were a waiter carrying someone's dinner. “And here’s what used to be the dining room.”

As I strolled past him, he flipped another switch, turning on twelve gold sconces with black satin shades. The room was as high as the entrance hall. The entire left wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the moonlit mountains. A wooden table with eight chairs in front of it almost cried out for a dinner party to be held so that everyone could admire themagnificent view. On the opposite side of the room, a fireplace the size of my minivan was the focal point, although it now only served as a backdrop for a giant TV. A leather couch that easily accommodated five people, a golden coffee table with a glass top, and two old-fashioned armchairs completed the set. To the right was an unmade king-size bed with two nightstands and a dark wooden dresser that matched the hotel's overall style. All of this furniture had probably been taken from other rooms. What made it a real bachelor pad, though, were the clothes lying around.

“How?” I asked, trying to understand how he ended up living alone in a place like this. “Why? And…what?”

Jason laughed, making a face as if my guffawing made him uncomfortable.

“Seems like you get that reaction every time you bring people here,” I teased him.

“No. I rarely do. I think most people would freak out. This place gets pretty spooky at night. When the wind blows, it makes a lot of noise that might make you think you are not alone.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? Then you can tell the guys you invite over that you’ll defend them, so they’ll run right into your arms at the first frightening sound?”

“Sure. A lot of people tend to run into the arms of the scary guy with the eye patch when their brain tells them they’re about to get murdered.”

“Iwould.”

“Why does that answer not surprise me at all?” He walked to the left nightstand, opened the top drawer, and pulled out a flashlight. As quickly as it had appeared, it also disappeared into the inside pocket of his coat. “Want to see upstairs?”

“Is that where you kill people so you don’t get blood on your sheets?”

“Well, there is only one way to find out.” He went to the door right next to the swinging door we had just come through. “Or… we could leave if you’re too scared.”

“A reminder that I canalwaysleave. Classic trap before you try to overthrow me.”

“You watch too many horror movies.”

“There is no such thing astoo manyhorror movies.” I flexed my right biceps. “Besides, I’m taller and stronger than you. Try coming at me,” I laughed.

Jason joined in. “Yeah. No way. I wouldn’t stand a chance. With you, it would probably be easiest to wait until you fall asleep and?—“

“You would have to invite me over to stay with you first, though. And you’d have to make me so tired that I fall asleep.”

“I could think of things that would tire you out, but…” Jason shrugged with a mischievous grin on his face. “Well, we’ll see what the night brings.”

My chest fluttered. But before we could engage in any more teasing, he put his hand flat on the door and pushed it open, revealing a very unappealing white, drab room that must have been a break room for the staff. I followed him inside.

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