Page 37 of The Daughters of Nyx

14

IVY

THE lobby had a café and its own restaurant.I almost thought I was in heaven.

I didn’t realise how badly I was looking forward to this writing retreat until it finally rolled around. Two nights at a semi-fancy hotel; just me, my laptop, a pile of edits, and an unfinished draft. The bag of gummy worms was already calling my name, and so was the promise of an endless supply of caffeine with aStarbuckson the corner.

I was going to get so much work done here.

The check-in process went smoothly and with my key in hand, I walked straight into the café, taking in the menu immediately. They had all the basics, so I settled on a caramel latte in a travel mug shoved unceremoniously into my bag.

There was a counter filled with premade muffins and banana bread, but Thea had already packed me an assortment from our freezer from the last two baking sessions.

Turning to wait off to the side, I bumped into the man behind me; his wallet dropped, as well as his key, and my cheeks burned. “I’m so sorry,” I said, not getting the chance to pick up his things.

The man waved me off with an irritated scowl. “It’s fine. No harm done.”

The hairs on my arms rose at the sound of his voice. I stiffened as he retrieved his wallet and key, standing to his full height. He had to be taller than Elias, at least 6’7”, imposing and broad, kind of scary in the way he stared down at me. He was decently handsome, with defined features and striking blue eyes that stood out against his tanned skin. His hair was neatly combed back, shoulder length, and looked odd against the dress shirt and slacks.

I knew his type well enough that I quickly averted my eyes and shuffled aside, letting him place his order.

When the barista called my name, I grabbed my coffee with a forced smile and thanks, and quickly ducked out of the café, rushing to the elevators like hell was on my heels. Something about him feltoff.

I tried to push those thoughts aside as I slid into the elevator. The hotel felt much brighter and more open than theCamilla, modern and sleek. Even the elevators conveyed that.

As the doors closed, I caught sight of the man again and suppressed a shudder.

Yeah, definitely don’t want to run into him again.

The doors opened on the eighth floor, and I quickly stepped off so a waiting family could jump on. The two fathers and their three children looked about as excited as any other person about to brave the chilly fall day.

A couple of signs pointed to different rooms, and I turned right to find mine.801…803…I paused at807and pulled my key from my back pocket. As soon as it passed over the card reader, the light on the handle pinged green, the lock clicked over, and I pushed my way inside.

The room was basic, but it had what I needed: a double bed, a small, two-seater couch by the window, a desk, and a mini fridge.

Time to write.

~

After thirty minutes of setting up my space, my phone buzzed with a text. I grinned; I’d already checked in with Thea, giving her my room number, the hotel information, and multiple photos of the room. We’d gone over checking if there were hidden cameras and made sure the locks on the door were definitely working.

Adrian’s new nickname in my phone popped up, as well as his message. With the retreat and work, I hadn’t been able to go out with him again, and I was beginning to wonder if things between us and Rowan were awkward now. Rowan had apparently asked for my number, which I let Adrian pass along, and I waited for something from him, but never received anything.

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment over it.

BLUEY:have you settled in?

ME:yep. Ready to stay up late and work like hell.

BLUEY:don’t over work yourself. Text if you need anything.

That was one thing he’d become since our date: attentive. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing, though. I’d dated guys where they were perfect in the beginning—too good to be true. And then they’d done one-eighties and their personalities had changed overnight.

Fear made me put the phone down without responding, and instead, I surveyed the room. The bed was completely opened up to allow for easy sleep, and the desk had all my essentials: coffee on a portable warmer, laptop open, notebooks flipped to relevant pages, proof edition ready to be edited, and a pillow for my aching back.

We’ve got this.My phone went onto silent mode, and as I made it to the desk, I pulled out my headphones and settled in with a Regency playlist. As the instrumentals played, I worked.

Every hour or so, I found myself checking my phone, stuck on a scene that needed to be written, and no motivation to write it. I’d turned to my usual channels of inspiration with no luck, and a thought was unfortunately stuck in the forefront of my mind.

---