Page 11 of Hot Mic, Cold Ice

I roll my eyes, half annoyed, half turned on. “Get moving. Let’s just get you inside before you hurt yourself or someone else. Ziggy, just tell me where your hotel is, and I'll get you there.”

“I don’t need your help, Elliot. I can find it… I just need a minute…” she mutters defiantly, her words trailing off as she looks around.

I let out another frustrated breath. “We’ve circled the same block twice. Just get over yourself and let me help you.”

Trying to put on a brave front, she smirks at me. “I’m fine. Just…fine.”

“No, you’re not," I shoot back, more firmly this time. "You’re about to trip over your own feet. Just tell me, because I’m not going to leave you here on the street corner.”

She squints at me, clearly trying to focus. “Fine…It’s…like two blocks from the convention center. Room 564, I think?”

I roll my eyes. “Unbelievable. Alright, let’s go,” I say, propelling her forward. She might be a pain in the ass, but there is no way I'm leaving her to wander around alone tonight.

I try to keep Ziggy moving, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. But I’m not that lucky. Suddenly, she stops dead in her tracks, her face paling. Before I can react, she leans forward and throws up all over me. I stand there, momentarilystunned, feeling the warmth and disgust of the situation seep deep into my bones. Great, just great. Ziggy, now looking even more miserable, wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and mumbles what I’m going to choose to believe is an apology instead of another insult. Her eyes fill with a vacant sort of embarrassment. I sigh, trying to suppress my frustration.

“Come on, let’s get you inside and cleaned up,” I say, gently guiding her toward the hotel entrance, the smell of vomit making the already long night feel endless.

Ziggy refuses to take another step, her legs wobbling and her stubbornness kicking in. I have no choice. With a resigned sigh, I scoop her up and swing her over my shoulder despite her protests and feeble attempts to resist. She pounds on my back and mumbles slurred insults, but I keep walking, determined to get her back to her hotel safely. As we reach the lobby, the front desk staff eyes us warily, clearly suspicious.

“Is everything alright here?” one of them asks, stepping forward.

“Just getting my friend back to her room,” I reply, trying to sound as calm and reassuring as possible while holding a squirming, slightly hysterical Ziggy. “She’s had a bit too much to drink.”

The staff exchange suspicious glances but reluctantly nod, allowing us to continue. I carry her to the elevator, feeling every eye in the lobby on us. Hopefully, this night will end soon. Not only did this girl ruin my game, she insulted me. She threw up all over my favorite party shirt. Yet, she still somehow inadvertently has me looking and acting like a crazy stalker. Un-fucking-believable.

I finally make it to Ziggy’s hotel room door, panting slightly from the effort of carrying her up. I gently put her down, propping her up against the wall as I fish around in her purse for the key card. She is still mumbling incoherently, alternating between insults and strange, flirtatious remarks that make the whole situation even more uncomfortable. She can’t possibly think I am into her afteranyof our interactions..

“Barnacle, I swear, if you don’t stop moving...” I mutter, trying to keep my frustration in check. My fingers finally close around the key card, and I pull it out triumphantly. Ziggy chooses that moment to lunge at me, trying to grab the card out of my hand.

“Give it back, you...you seaweed!” she slurs, her movements uncoordinated but insistent. “I already told you. DON’T. CALL. ME. THAT.”

I hold the card out of her reach and manage to swipe it through the door lock. The light turns green with a satisfying click, and I open the door. Ziggy, not one to give up easily, continues to resist as I try to guide her inside. She swats at my hands and tries to shove me away.

“No way you’re coming in, you...shark with a mustache!” she yells, her voice echoing down the hallway.

“Ziggy, I’m just trying to help you get to bed. You’re drunk,” I say, keeping my voice as calm as possible.

She stumbles forward, trying to close the door on me, but I block it with my foot. She lets out a frustrated scream and lunges again, this time aiming for my face. Like she has slipped into madness, she yells, “I’m not sleeping with you!”

I catch her wrists and hold her steady, trying to avoid making too much noise and attracting more attention. “Calm down; that is the last thing that will ever happen. And shut up, Anatife. You’re going to wake up everyone on this floor,” I whisper through gritted teeth.

Her resistance falters slightly, and I take the opportunity to maneuver her inside the room. She flails and kicks, but I manage to get her to the bed, where she collapses in a huff. I stand there for a moment, catching my breath and wondering how the hell things had escalated to this point.

“You...you think you’re so smart, don’t you?” Ziggy mutters, her voice muffled by the pillow she is face down in. “Just because you’re a hotshot goalie...”

I chuckle at it all, specifically her. “Yeah, well, at least I didn’t throw up on anyone tonight.”

She groans and rolls over to glare at me. “Get out, St. Germain. You’re the last person I want to see right now.”

I raise my hands in surrender and back out toward the door. “Fine, you aren’t going to die or something in here unsupervised, are you?”

Ziggy’s voice erupts, shrill and furious, behind me as I turn, “Get out, Elliot! Just get the hell out!”

“Alright, alright, I’m leaving,” I mutter, stepping up to the doorway. Just as I reach for the doorknob, a heavy knock resounds through the door. I open the door quickly to see a police officer standing there, his expression stern and inquisitive.

“Is everything alright here?” the officer asks, peering past me into the room where Ziggy is still yelling incoherently.

I raise my hands defensively, trying to defuse the situation. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. I know her from work. She just had a bit too much to drink, that’s all. I was just making sure she got to her room safely.”

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