Chapter 4: Stuck in the Room with a Stranger
"Really?" Sera asked teasingly and laughed.
"Yes. Please stop being rude," Loreen chided since it was truly rude to the man who helped her.
'Is she trying to make me look like I always pick up men wherever I go?'
"Well, I think it's time to go to our private room. I already reserved a spacious room for us. I don't think I will be able to call my driver to pick us up so why not sleep here for a night?" Sera said out of the blue.
"But I need to go home now, I still have a lot to do," Loreen didn't feel like sleeping here. Surely the price was exorbitant.
Sera did say she would pay for everything, but Loreen still had her worries.
"I really cannot have my driver head here. It's already late. And I am too dizzy and tipsy. Let's go," Sera said and walked away on her own.
Sera glanced back at her when she did not say anything and added, "You can ask your handsome man to assist you. You are heavy for me."
She even winked and quickly vanished into the crowd.
Loreen was left speechless. Sera just decided everything on her own.
Thankfully, she had at least handed her the key card. The room number was also there.
Loreen had no choice but to follow Sera.
But when she rose, she realized she truly cannot control her body anymore. It felt like her limbs had turned to jelly. She could barely even feel her foot stepping on the ground.
'I, I have drunk too much?'
When Loreen tried to walk, her steps were making a shaky X. She almost tripped on her own foot. The liquor seems to have gone further into her bloodstream.
She made a misstep and felt herself falling on the ground.
A familiar grip stabilized her. It was handsome Mr. Unknown. He had no choice but to help her again.
Probably because he could not stomach just letting someone fall to the floor. And it was clear that she could not walk on her own without falling.
"Let me help you. What number is your room?" he asked, and Loreen showed the key card she was holding.
"Oh, it's just in front of mine. I'm retiring for the night too. Might as well go together," he offered politely so she would not feel like she was imposing.
"Thank you," was all she could say. This was the first time she experienced this kind of thing.
It would have been difficult to even leave the pavilion if it wasn't for his help. With him supporting her weight, they made it out of the crowd easily and used the elevator to go several floors up.
When they arrived at the private room, more bottles of expensive liquor were already prepared.
Sera was already enjoying her second glanced. Her eyes glinted at the sight of Loreen arriving with Mr. Unknown. It was as if she was saying, 'I knew it!'
"Loreen, you're finally here. These tastes good," Sera handed me a glass convincing me it will be our last bottle of liquor before we will sleep.
"Here, you too, Mister," she even gave the guy a glass and excused herself since her phone suddenly rung.
Sera went to the balcony, but her voice became angrier and angrier as she spoke with whoever it was who called her.
Loreen and the man who helped her simply drank the liquor Sera handed them while they waited for her call to be over. After what seemed like a heated conversation, Sera hung up with clear annoyance on her voice.
Sera suddenly turned to Loreen with an unexplainable expression.
"I'm sorry, Loreen. I need to go. They said we have urgent business to attend to, so I need to get back. We might be going back to Australia earlier than expected. We might not see each other for a while. Till next time," Sera said and began walking out of the room.
"Wait! Sera, what do you mean? Let me go with you. I'll go home too," Loreen quickly said.
If only she could get to a cab, she would crawl back to her apartment if she had to.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. We won't be able to drop you off. Don't worry, everything is already paid for the night, so just enjoy yourself. I can't help you anymore than this," Sera winked at Loreen and Mr. Unknown.
He hadn't had the chance to leave since he hadn't even downed the contents of his glass.
'Huh? What was that supposed to mean? She was the one who called me here.'
"Wait!"
Loreen was sitting on a couch by the wall, so she used it to support herself as she walked and tried to follow Sera.
But the door slammed shut in her face a before she could get out. It was too loud, she felt like her soul left her body and returned.
'Huh?'
She turned pale when she tried to turn the knob and it wouldn't budge.
'How will I get out of this room?'
"What's wrong with this door?" Loreen tried to open it several times, but it won't.
"Let me see," someone said.
She balked when she realized she was still with this guy whose name she does not even know.
Loreen let go of the knob and settled her back against the wall as the man tried opening the door several times. It didn't work either.
He inspected it and said, "The latch may have gotten jammed. I'll call the staff to open it."
'Ah, damn it! I shouldn't have come here,' Loreen thought once again as she sighed.
She internally cursed as she a got headache from all this. She was supposed to be doing her research. But now, she's here drunk and stuck in a hotel room with a stranger.
Not that she hated this man or that he was a bad person. He had kindly assisted her several times. But never in her life did Loreen think something like this would happen to her.
Even if Sera didn't like her, should she have just left her with a stranger after inviting her out? Sure, Loreen was a capable adult, but she's drunk.
What if this man was an evil murderer hiding his talons?
She might be dead by tomorrow before she knew it. Thankfully, he seems to be a good person.
Loreen wondered how much of this Sera had planned. She did not even mention their batchmates again nor try to explain why they did not show up. It meant they were not on their way here in the first place. Several hours had passed and none of them came.
It was just a lie from Sera. But what would she get by doing all this?
Everything was just so frustrating that Loreen cried bitterly. She realized she had just made her situation worse. She should have asked the guards or this man to help her get a cab and that would have been the end of the story. Whatever happens after that will be her problem.
"Are you alright? Don't be scared. Hotel security will come and open it shortly," the man assured her and assisted her back to her seat.
"I'm not. I just felt so pathetic. I'm so sorry for troubling you. You got stuck here as well because of me."
Loreen was embarrassed when she realized he thought she feared he would do something to her which was why she was crying. She quickly dried her tears.
Loreen's vision was blurry, but she could tell he was from a rich family. She was not so full of herself to think he would even think of her that way.
"It's alright. It wasn't your fault."
'How is it not?' she wanted to say but kept her mouth shut instead.
He was too kind. If it was someone else, they may be screaming at her now for wasting their time.
It was so pathetic she could die from embarrassment. If only she could go out to at least get a cab for herself, she would do her best to get home no matter what.
'Ah, I'll ask the hotel security once they open the door.'
But an hour passed, and no one came. The telephone did not work anymore either.
Loreen did not have her phone with her. She had forgotten it in her apartment due to the rush earlier.
And Mr. Unknown's phone was dead. He said he had been using it for calls this morning. He was supposed to charge it once he got to his room, but this happened.
Feeling restless, Loreen gulped the rest of the drink in the bottle Sera was holding earlier. She opened another bottle when it ran out. She resigned herself to this situation and simply drank.
'Who cares about anything anymore? I'll just get even more drunk and sleep. Sera said everything was already paid anyway.'
Loreen decided to just drown herself in alcohol. Maybe, she would forget about her worries for a moment. She would do her research tomorrow since she was already drunk anyway.
She enjoyed the silence and kept drinking on her own. The time simply went by.
But while she was opening the third bottle a hand snatched it from her.