Hotel Strangers
I met the stranger at a resort.
Paul and I were still a ‘couple’ a week after he left. We never broke up but he hadn’t reached out to me not even once since his departure. My father had taken his new wife, baby son, my younger brother, and me to an all inclusive hotel to spend his vacations. I had been guilttriped by him to come along as, in his own words, we never spent time together.
I can’t believe I decided to go with him over taking a much needed trip to New York with my friends. That’s the thing about family; they know how to guilt you into doing things that make you miserable all in the name of “Love”.
It was a particularly hot September and, as we arrived, I immediately regretted accepting my dad’s invitation. I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy spending time in the scalding heat of the beach and I sure as hell knew I wasn’t in the mood to make new fleeting friends that would last me a weekend.
The first thing I did when we arrived was to lock myself in my room and cry. I jumped into the bed and wrestled with the obscene amount of pillows until I was comfortable enough to let my sorrows flow out.
I knew my dad wasn’t going to be too concerned about my whereabouts . We had never lived together since I was a baby and he wasn’t about to start getting parental and intimate with me during his only free weekend out of the year.
A loud knock woke me from the nap I hadn’t intended to take. It was my dad informing me that the buffet was open and to come have lunch. I reluctantly shouted so he could hear me through the door “I’ll meet you there in a minute”.
I had gone to many all-inclusives throughout my childhood and I knew to manage my expectations regarding the food that I’d find at any hotel buffet. I walked slowly through the jungle trails leading up to the common eating area.
Before entering, I waited a little trying to prepare myself for the small talk that lay ahead of me. While I was waiting I noticed a guy that seemed to be around my age walking into the buffet with his little brother, mother and another woman who I later found out was his mother’s best friend.
We quickly shared glances. The first thing I noticed was his plastic dark green wristband, which indicated to the hotel’s staff that he was over 18 years old. “Ok he is a year older than me” a mental note was taken by me. He’s eyes lingered on mine and later went down my body as if he was scanning me, but it felt good. It didn’t feel like the horrible glances you get from cat callers on the street. It felt more like an acknowledgment. It was as if he told me with his eyes “I see you and I like what I see”. I did the same to him and that was exactly what I thought too.
Everyone was waiting for me at the table so I quickly turned to the food instead and staled a little longer before sitting down. I grabbed the usual, pasta. You can never go wrong with pasta, even in an all inclusive hotel. Then I looked over every section as though I was an inspector of sorts. It was all a plot to spend the least amount of time at the family table, but alas my time had run out.
Pleasantries were interchanged by all of us. At some point, I was holding my head on my hands with my elbows leaning against the table. I was looking at the exit of the restaurant trying to visualize myself free from this boring existence.
Then the guy from before walked past my table. I saw him laughing with his mom and brother. He had a wide smile and a deep voice. I kept on staring, not really worrying about them noticing my child like curiosity for him.
As he walked towards the exit, he leaned back a little turning his head towards me. Another glance was exchanged and I took a second mental note. He was trying to get my attention.
The rest of the day was uneventful. I promised my brother I would not leave him alone with dad as he was not fond of his new wife so we decided to venture into a pool and soak in the water for a while.
I stayed hidden from the sun as I always do. There was a sitting area inside the pool and a barman on the other side. I wasn’t in the mood for drinking but at least this place had a roof and I could sit there while watching my brother play with other kids.
The sun decided to set and It was time to get out. My toes were all wrinkled and I could tell I was slightly sunburnt despite my efforts. We walked towards our room using one of the many jungle trails but it wasn’t the right one. This one led us to a common area covered by a palapa.
We had found a sort of play room. This place had a pool table, lounge couches, a hockey table and yet another bar. One thing is for sure, all inclusive hotels have no shortage of bars.
As luck would have it, the guy from the buffet was there. He was sitting in one of the couches with his left leg widley crossed over on top of his right leg with his arms extended. He was looking at his brother who was playing by the pool table and I could tell he was pretty bored.
When we stepped unto the place, he looked in our direction and smiled at me. It’s really easy to run into people in a hotel but I was really glad that luck would have us meet again.
I asked him if my brother could play with his. The best excuse I could come up with to start a conversation. It helped that my brother was actually interested in playing pool.
“Of course” he responded as he nodded in my direction. Our siblings started playing as if they had been friends for years and I walked away towards the bar to watch them play from a distance.
When I turned around there he was. He introduced himself to me and extended his hand. It took me a minute to respond as I was surprised by how close he was to me. His name was Marius.
Marius and I agreed that after dinner that night we would go to a dancing club inside the hotel. That place was usually reserved for people over 18 so I told him I would not be able to go but he assured me he would be able to get us both in and asked me to just meet him there after 10pm.
He had managed to ask his mom’s friend to lend him her “adult” bracelet so I could put it on. We enjoyed a bit of dancing and drank a couple of cocktails but the music was terrible and the alcohol was worse. After 30 minutes we decide to get out and walk by the beach.
There was a full moon; a perfect setting for an intimate moment. I was glad that my day had turned around from crying to this. Paul could go fuck himself righ then. My mind was pleasantly distracted with this new person.
We sat on two lounge chairs and talked a little more. Our conversation wasn’t extremely stimulating though. He was beautiful and charismatic alright but not the brightest. He would do anyway.
I think he noticed that I was getting bored because he stood up from his chair and sat next to me on mine. Marius grabbed me by the back of my neck with both of his hands and leaned in to kiss me.
I had been starving for passion for so long that I held on to his kiss like I was holding on for my life. I pulled him even closer towards me and leaned back. We were touching each other exploring our topography. His hand sliding below my skirt and confidently squeezing my thigh. My pelvis pressing against his and my arms wrapped around his back.
I finally felt desired after a year of neglect and I was willing to go all the way but as things were getting heated a bright light shined on us.
It was a security guard from the hotel.
We were asked to leave and basically to get a room but Marius and I both shared our rooms with our siblings so It would be impossible to do so. The moment was gone by then and I was pretty tired. I told him good night and headed back to my room without giving him a chance to make up a plan for the next day.
Despite the adventure from the night before, the morning hit me once again like a brick wall. I was still heartbroken. The person I wanted to be loved by was still gone and I was trapped in a hotel with my distant father and his new family.
I eventually slept with Marius, but sex with him wouldn’t fill the void in my soul. Nor would the coming encounters with multiple strangers in the following months.
Ariann Art