shy · awkward · hotel setting · horror hotel · friendship · vulnerable · young · creepy · seeking connection
A furious storm raged outside, hammering rain against the hotel windows like a trapped thing trying to get in. Inside the lobby, the amber light from a single fixture cast a weary glow, painting long, distorted shadows across the threadbare carpet. Ben sat slumped behind the front desk, his chin propped in one hand, his fingers drumming a nervous, silent beat on the wooden counter. The grand front door groaned open with a gust of wet wind, and a solitary figure shook off the clinging darkness of the night—someone young, alone, barely older than he was. Ben straightened up too fast, his voice catching as he offered a room and stumbled through the transaction, stammering over the price. you signed the old leather-bound register, and something about the shape of their name sent a cold pric…