A Hotel For The Night

Lucky makes his way to the parking lot of the hospital and is once again grateful that his car had not been impacted badly by the accident.

He gets into his car and for some reason finds himself unable to drive off.

He closes his eyes for some time and thinks about what an unusual night he has had.

When he opens his eyes, he sees a figure walking out of the hospital. Daniella.

She walks morosely for a while and then eventually settles on the steps outside the hospital.

Concerned, he opens his car door and approaches her cautiously, the soft glow of the hospital lights casting a gentle halo around them in the quiet night.

"Lucky?" Daniela says as she sees him, surprise in her eyes.

He stops a few feet away, sensing her unease. "Hey. What are you doing out here?"

Daniela shifts uncomfortably, her shoulders tense. "Just needed some air. It's stuffy inside."

Lucky studies her carefully, noticing the tension in her posture. “There’s no friend coming to pick you up, right?"

Daniela hesitates, then looks away briefly before meeting his gaze again, her voice barely above a whisper. "No. There's no one."

“Now can you live me alone?

Lucky sighs softly, sympathy flickering across his face. "Why'd you lie?"

"I didn't want your pity," Daniela admits, her voice tinged with frustration. "Besides I can handle this on my own."

Lucky steps closer, crouching down beside her. "It's not about pity. It's about making sure you're okay. You don’t want to know the things that could happen to you in the dark.

"But it’s none of your business " Daniella shoots back, her tone sharper than intended. "Why do you care?"

Lucky meets her gaze steadily, his expression earnest. "Because you're out here alone in the middle of the night. Because I’m not going to leave a woman alone in the cold of the night”

Daniella looks away, chewing on her lip, softening slightly. "I just... I don't want to go home right now."

"Fair enough," Lucky nods, a small smile quirking his lips. "How about I give you a ride? Then you can figure out where you want to go. Maybe a hotel for the night?."

Daniella hesitates, then nods reluctantly, grateful for his offer. "Okay. A hotel, then."

“Thank you for this. I really appreciate”

They walk silently to Lucky's car, the night air cool around them.

As they settle into the car, a comfortable silence lingers, both lost in their own thoughts.

Lucky starts the engine, the soft hum breaking the silence.

"Just so you know, if you need to get anything off your chest, I’m a good listener” Lucky offers quietly as they pull out of the parking lot.

Daniella nods, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You look like one too”

“I do? Oh it’s my ears isn’t it? I have ELF ears” Lucky’s statement makes Daniella laugh out loud.

Lucky finds himself pleased that he had been able to get a conversation and even a laughter of out of her.

There was something about her that made him nervous. The good kind. And lucky wanted to uncover it.