Contractually Yours

Adrien Russell

“All good, Martin?” I asked my middle-aged driver as he checked the car. He came to my side of the window and I rolled it down. 

“We might need a mechanic to repair it sir. It’s not my cup of tea.” He informed guiltily while holding the umbrella over his head.

I nodded in understanding and sighed as I ran out of luck with the network in my mobile too. “There’s no network here. Is there any place nearby where we can stay for the night?” I asked him. 

He thought for a second then answered. “There is a lodge across the street sir. But it isn’t very classy.” 

“That’s okay! Let’s just go there.” I stepped out of the car and Martin immediately held the umbrella over me, letting himself drench in the heavy rain. 

“Hey!” I pulled him under the umbrella along with me so he could cover both of us. He looked confused and flustered by my actions, making me chuckle. “I ain’t the only one who could catch a cold, am I?” 

He turned his eyes down with an awkward smile and then led the way to the lodge. It required us to walk for nearly seven minutes- give or take, to reach the lodge. I asked Martin to book two rooms on my name and he did. 

The lodge was not the kind of one I have stayed in before as Martin said. But I obviously do not expect a five-star hotel in case of such emergencies. I don’t mind staying here for a night since the weather was at its worst. 

“Isn’t that Adrien Russell?” I heard a girl in a group of three whisper. I did not look towards them but continued to listen. “Yes. That is.” Another whisper followed. “God! He is so handsome.” Their girly squeal made me smirk and I turned away from their sight. 

Soon, both Martin and I settled in our respective rooms and I released a heavy breath. I’ve had a tiring day. The exhaustion in me heightened as soon as my eyes fell on the bed covered with off-white sheets and I didn’t remember to lock the door. 

Turning on the heater, I removed my dress shirt and stretched my body. Right when I was about to call it a day, the door of my room banged open. I turned around in a snap with wide eyes and they fell on a womanly figure. Her long brown hair covered most of her face as she leaned on the door and breathed heavily. 

“Excuse me?” I called. 

She pushed her hair back and opened her eyes. When her face came into my sight, my jaw dropped. There stood a beautiful girl looking surprised and worried. Her eyes met mine and my heart literally skipped a beat when I looked into her hazel-colored orbs. My eyes traveled down her body on its own. She was all drenched and her clothes stuck to her body like a glove. It took me quite some time to take my eyes off her curves. I looked back at her face and a sense of satisfaction crossed me when I saw her ogling at me. Well, my body. 

She looked back at my face as I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow. That’s when she snapped out of her thoughts. 

“I- I am really sorry.” Her voice was like honey being poured in my ears. “Actually, I am in a bit of trouble and I barged into your room to hide.” She said awkwardly. 

“Trouble?” I frowned. 

“Yes. There a-are some g-goons chasing me.” I saw a glimpse of fear crossing in her eyes. My frown deepened and I picked up my shirt from the bed and put it on. 

Before I could ask her anything further, the door of my room was banged hard. The girl gasped in fear and moved aside. She looked at me with helplessness and pleading in her eyes. 

“Open the door!” A manly voice echoed. “Please” She whispered inaudibly and I moved towards her. I pulled her behind the door and opened it enough for my head to sneak out. 

“Yes?” I annoyingly asked the man in a tight black t-shirt with scars all over his visible skin. 

“We are looking for a girl who is of almost this height.” He showed her height with his hand. “Perhaps you saw someone in a blue blouse and jeans? She came into this wing a few minutes ago.” He asked in his disgustingly sore voice. 

I let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed my temples before looking at him. “It’s past midnight, buddy. Why do you think I will be roaming around in the hallways instead of sleeping peacefully on such a freezing night?” I scowled at him. “I did not see anyone like that.” With that, I shut the door on his face and looked at the trembling fine woman beside me. 

“You can sit down if you want to.” I insisted and she seated herself on the bed. She was visibly shivering so I increased the temperature of the heater and passed her one of the towels kept in the closet that she wrapped around herself muttering a ‘thank you’. 

“I am sorry to bother you. I’ll leave as soon as the way is clear.” She sounded guilty as she said. 

“It’s okay.” I sat beside her, a little away and sceptically asked. “Why are they after you? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

After a minute of thought, she sighed and answered. “They are loan sharks.”  

Her answer pretty much surprised me but I was no one to judge her. I didn’t intend on asking anything further but she herself broke the silence. 

“It’s not that I am running away by not returning their money. But the man I am indebted to, has unfairly increased the interest rate and expects me to pay him an amount I am incapable of at the moment. When I refused, he sent his men after me.” She explained herself and I stayed quiet not knowing what to say. 

“How did you end up in this lodge with them after you?” I asked after a few moments. 

“I came from Texas to attend a friend’s wedding tomorrow, but had to stay here for the night because of the weather. I had no idea that they were following me.” She sighed and rubbed her temples. 

What the hell is the security of this place up to? How could some random goons enter the lodge and they know nothing about it. I made a mental note to file a complaint against this. The very next second I realized that there was pin drop silence maintained in the hallway. 

Maybe the goons had left. 

“I guess they are gone.” The girl beside me worded my thoughts. I nodded and moved closer to the door. “Let me check.” I peeked out and thankfully, the corridor was empty. Those creeps were gone.

“All clear.” I informed her and she stood up with relief on her face. Pushing the towel away, she kept it on the table and walked towards me. 

 “Thank you for helping me.” She said as she stood by the door. I passed her a gentle smile and replied. “You’re Welcome.” 

Before she could step out, she had to stop at my question. “Where is your room?” 

“In the next wing.” She answered and I gave a nod. 

“Let me walk you there.” I insisted. I was worried that those goons might still be in search of her somewhere around here. She agreed and locked the door after coming out. We slowly walked towards the other wing, careful to not make any noise as she led the way.

Right when we were about to turn towards the wing of her room, she jumped back making her back bump into my front. I held her arms to prevent her from falling but she pushed us both back hiding behind the wall. I frowned when I saw terror on her face.

“They are there. Standing next to my room.” She whispered almost inaudibly. I peeked through the wall and saw three men waiting by a door. When I moved back, a mild smell of peaches hit my nostrils making me realize our proximity. 

She was trapped between my arms and the wall, with me standing too close. Her fragrance was divine. I hardly held back the urge to lean closer and take in her smell. Her cheeks and nose held a light shade of red and her frizzy hair made her look ravishing. My eyes traveled up to hers and all I saw was fear. Her pupils moved everywhere and her mind was too occupied to notice anything else. 

That made me snap out of my thoughts. This is not the time, Idiot! I scolded myself. 

“Are they armed?” I asked, coming back to my senses. 

“I-I saw one of them with a d-dagger earlier.” She stuttered looking up into my eyes. 

“It isn’t safe to stay around. Come on.” Without another thought, I held her arm and pulled her back towards my room. I entered the room card and got in. 

I locked the door and when I turned around, I felt some sort of uneasiness in my heart as I saw her. She sat on the bed with her elbows resting on her thighs and her face ducked in her palms. Her shoulders shook lightly as I heard soft sobs leave her mouth. 

I sat next to her and thought of ways to comfort her but couldn’t come up with any. Her cries stopped very soon and she wiped her tears away. I passed her the water bottle kept on the bedside and she gulped down a few sips. 

“I won’t let them harm you. You’ll be safe as long as you are with me.” Those words left my mouth with strong determination as I held her hand that was on the edge of the bed. I don’t know why but I wanted to protect her with all my might and I didn’t have to give a second thought about it. She looked at me with a mixture of emotions filled in her eyes. I saw her beautiful eyes dwell up with tears but she blinked them away looking at the other side. 

“Thank you so much and sorry for being such a bother.” Her voice cracked a little. I gave her an assuring smile. The very next thing I thought could be of help was calling the management and informing about the goons. And so I did it. 

The manager recognized me very well and did not waste time in taking action and promised to deal with the situation of the goons ASAP. 

“Achhu!” I snapped my head at the source of that delicate excuse of a sneeze. 

“Achhu!” Another.

“Achhu!” And one more.

She had caught a cold. 

I ordered two cups of hot coffee to my room and assessed her. Her clothes were still wet and that could just add on to the cold. “You should get changed.” 

She looked at me and said, “I will, once I go to my room.” I nodded at her and waited for the update from the management. My eyes couldn’t leave her face. I studied every single expression of hers. With a frown, she started checking her pockets and as if realization hit her, her eyes widened and she snapped her head towards me. 

I raised my eyebrows for her to tell me what was wrong. 

“I think I forgot my room card inside the room.” She said, panicking. 

I sighed and gave her a stern look. She bit her lip looking down at the floor and looked like was about to start crying any moment. 

“Woman, you are a magnet to troubles.” Stating that, I called the manager again and asked him to arrange for the master card. He said he could get that done but it would take another half an hour. Left with no other option, I agreed to him and he got back to work. 

Her cold was getting worse every passing minute as she sneezed non-stop. Her skin turned pale and no matter how much I increased the temperature of the heater, she was far from comfortable. Even the coffee was of no help. 

“You really need to get out of those clothes. You don’t want to fall ill before your friend’s wedding, do you?” I suggested. 

“All my belongings are in my room. What will I change into?” She whined, rubbing her palms together. Her teeth chattered as she spoke. I looked around the room and opened the closet to find two pairs of bathrobes. Although unsure, I asked her, “There is a bathrobe here. You can use them for the time being. If you’d like.” 

She hesitated for a while but since that was the best and the only option to escape from the cold, she agreed and made her way to the bathroom. Minutes later she came out wearing it, with her clothes in hand. 

The bathrobe ended a few inches below her knee and as much as I tried not to, my eyes landed on her silk like smooth skin. Suddenly there was an awkward silence in the room and none of us tried to break it. I got myself engaged in my phone while she sat on the edge of the bed, shaking her legs and fiddling with her fingers.

After a good fifteen minutes of thick tension, the door of my room was knocked and the manager informed us that everything was back in place. They had kicked out the goons, brought the master card and had unlocked her room. Thanking him, we made our way to her room. 

“Thank you and sorry once again. I have caused a lot of trouble to you.” She smiled guiltily as we reached her door. I returned the smile and replied. “I am glad I could be of help.” She was about to go in but turned around to look at me. “Can I know the name of my saviour?” 

“Adrien. Adrien Russell.” I didn’t realize that we hadn’t even known each other’s names all this while. 

“Crystal Hayes.” She raised her hand for me to shake and I took it gladly with a smile. 

After saying our ‘good nights’ and ‘’good byes’, he went back to her room and so did I. On my way, I saw a glimpse of the same group of girls I had seen down in the lobby but I was too exhausted to pay any attention. It was almost twenty minutes past three when I plopped down on the bed and sleep immediately engulfed me. 

What an eventful day had it been.