Hooked Into You

"Timothy Bradford, checking in for two rooms," Tim said to the overnight concierge once they finally made it to the hotel.

The woman with the name tag reading "Maddie" asked for his ID and credit card while pulling up records on her computer.

"We have you booked for a king suite with our super spa package?" Maddie reported with an upturn in her inflection at the end of her sentence. There was only one room booked under Timothy Bradford's name, not two.

"Yeah, there should be two rooms. That one and a basic queen suite." Tim forcefully kept his eyes forward, already feeling the heated gaze of Lucy standing beside him.

"Yes, our records show you called on Wednesday to upgrade your booking."

"No, to add to. Not upgrade." Tim tried to keep the worry and frustration out of his tone.

"Oh, I'm sorry for the confusion sir," Maddie looked flustered, clicking around on her terminal to track down the paper trail.

"Do I need to rebook the queen?" Tim dared a glance at Lucy. She looked two things Tim didn't care for; amused, and panicked.

"I'm sorry sir, but we're all booked up from the reunion." Maddie glanced between the two guests, not picking up on a reason why one room might be unacceptable. They looked like a couple, obviously arriving together at three in the morning.

"Does the king suite have a pull-out? A cot? Anything?"

Maddie did more clicking on her computer and from her facial expressions, Tim was not hopeful about alternative sleeping arrangements.

"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, sir. All of our cots are currently checked out and the king suite only has a loveseat and an armchair. It's quite a romantic room." Maddie looked between the two and saw the woman deflate and worry her lip while glancing nervously at the back of Timothy's head.

In her mind, this was a couple going through a hard time.

The narrative Maddie assigned to them was that the woman wanted to decrease the distance between the two while the man wanted to increase it. The hotel was a popular place for couples looking to rekindle a breaking relationship. Clearly, she had misread the situation. The woman almost looked disappointed about the prospect of sharing a romantic room with this Timothy Bradford guy.

"I can have extra blankets and pillows sent up to your room, and apply a discount or credit to your reservation. Again, I apologize for our misunderstanding in the process of your original booking. Please contact the front desk with any additional requests at any time. We are dedicated to providing a comfortable and satisfactory stay at our hotel and spa and are regretful we were not able to meet your expectations for your stay." Maddie processed the check-in and pushed a set of room keys forward on the desk.

She completed the rest of the check-in requirements while Lucy pulled out a brochure on the desk and began to flip through it while Tim filled out his parking information.

Maddie thought she might use the opportunity to test her theories about their relationship.

"I highly recommend the mud bath if you're not afraid to get a little dirty," Maddie leaned in toward Lucy, pointing to the image on the brochure. "The mud does amazing things for your skin. My boyfriend can't get enough of me after I do it."

Lucy glanced up with a hint of surprise in her eyes and it was like she suddenly remembered she had the opportunity to both practice UC work in a safe environment and tease Timothy Bradford to hell and back. Why not have a little fun while she was away from her real-life problems?

"Oh, I'm not afraid to get a little dirty," Lucy conversed easily with the woman, despite the early hours. "Though I'm more interested in the yoni rejuvenation session you offer. Tim's not big on vacationing down south, do you think it could help encourage him?"

"Oh absolutely! I'll even apply a 10% discount to your booking. You're here for the reunion?" Maddie took back Tim's completed paperwork and looked at him for confirmation. He had a variation on the high and tight haircut she'd been seeing all day atop hundreds of guests' heads.

"Yes," Tim confirmed. "Thanks, Maddie," He picked up his bag and room key and glanced over at the elevator he desperately wanted to board so he could maybe, just maybe get an hour or two shut-eye before the morning's events.

"Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, please enjoy your stay and let me know if there's anything we can do to make it better." Maddie nodded to Lucy and busied herself behind the desk as Tim escorted her away.

"Do I want to know what a yoni is?" Tim asked when the elevator doors closed.