I took Van's words to heart and got to work. It wasn't going to be easy to get people into a hotel, but it certainly wasn't going to happen if I didn't start somewhere. As she had said, the best place was with friends. By the time I got home that day, I was so tired that I ended up going to bed immediately. The next day, however, once work was done, I hopped onto my phone and started scrolling through my contacts.
It was a bit sad going through them, seeing names I hadn't even thought of in years. All of them, now, seemed like missed opportunities. If I had still been in regular contact, I could have called a few of them right now to check if they would be willing to help me out. But that wasn't going to happen, so I started looking for the names I knew would pick up immediately and probably respond positively.
The very first one I thought of was Liam. Not only was he a good friend, he was also rich. If there was anyone with more contacts, it was him. I had a whole story ready to make him spend at least a night at the place, so all I had to do was convince him to meet me tomorrow. It felt wrong to sell something over a call, so a face to face was the least I could do.
Thankfully, it didn't even take him a second to agree. He said he was free the entire day, so we decided to meet in the afternoon at a burger joint we used to frequent a few years back. That done, I went back to playing games to kill time.
The next day, I waited for him for half an hour. Not because he was late, but because I got there ahead of time. He was a man of his word and would get there when he claimed, but he would also probably want to leave when he wanted. Having that amount of wealth on your shoulders meant that you were never truly free to do whatever you wanted. Responsibilities and restrictions weighed heavy.
When he arrived, he looked as fantastic as ever. Liam was one of the few people I personally knew who I would genuinely classify as handsome. He had quite a natural, positive charisma that attracted everyone around him. Just being his friend always felt great. You would think his money would bring ego, but he somehow managed to ground himself when talking to others. Nobody could guess his true standing if they were meeting him for the first time.
"How have you been?" He shook my hand and laughed, "Damn, it's been a while since we met, huh?"
"True. How long? Two, three years?"
"Shit, I thought it was longer than that! Certainly felt like it. You got a job now and everything."
"Oh, this? Nah. This one dude from my building put in a word for me at a hotel his relative owns. I don't do much. Just pick up luggage and greet people and stuff."
"I mean, it's better than doing nothing. You've got to be feeling good at least having a job, right? Something to do day in and day out."
"You got that right."
He looked at the tables and gestured at one with four seats on it, "Anyways, let's sit. I'll go grab the lemonades."
It was a tradition to drink lemonades when we came to this place. We had tried them on a whim one day while on the way back from an internship, and been hooked ever since. They were probably the greatest lemonades I had had in my entire life.
I went and sat down on the seats he had been looking at, assuming that's what he wanted. Four was weird, since there was only two of us. I wondered if he had asked someone else to join. Or maybe he was gonna stay after I left to meet someone else. While I was wondering, he put down the lemonade glass in front of me and sat down opposite.
"So, what's this scheme you mentioned? You need my help cause your bosses are being annoying assholes?"
"Something like that?" I picked the glass up, "This hotel isn't really that popular. Not a lot of guests to work with. To combat that, they decided to run a competition of sorts. They're seeing which person working there can get more people in this whole month. Whoever wins gets small benefits and a chance at a promotion. It's annoying as fuck, but I can't just not participate."
"Oof, that's wild. Who even does that?" Liam started laughing, "But don't worry. You got it. I'll drop by if you want. Got a few people from back in the day who probably wouldn't mind joining either. We could party like we used to!"
"Yeahh, I don't think I'll just be allowed to leave work and drink with all of you."
"Hey, you leave that to me. Let me see how many of the others are down, and I'll let you know when we'll come. But even if they all say no, you bet I'll be there. You consider that promotion received."
This is why Liam was the greatest friend a human being could ask for. I asked him for help, and he gave it. No ulterior motives, no asking for things in return. He saw a friend who was in a dire situation and jumped in with everything he had.
"How about you do something to me in return though, huh?" He asked.
Scratch that, then. Never fucking mind.
"Uh...sure! What do you have in mind?"
"Um...about that. It's not really something you have a choice in, exactly. I mean, you could stand up and leave but I really hope you don't do that." He shrugged, "I kinda want you to meet someone."
"Meet? Someone? Me?"
What part of him thought that I would be good at just talking to someone he suddenly dropped down in front of me?
"Look, trust me, you guys will be perfect. It's just that she doesn't really have a lot of friends and doesn't get a lot. I invited her today hoping you could talk to her a bit, you know?" Liam looked serious, "I don't really like saying things like this out loud, but you're one of the coolest people I know. A lot of my other friends would probably make her uncomfortable, but you wouldn't. I just want her to feel better about things and get over that fear of meeting people."
That was touching. Very touching. I'd never expected someone like Liam to tell me he thought of so highly. Even so, how exactly did he think this was going to work out? First of all, it was a she he was talking about. She was gonna be uncomfortable out of the gate anyways. And second, what about my fear of meeting people? Why did that suddenly not exist?
"Oh. Uh, yeah, sure! No problem! Sounds like a plan. Is she coming right now?" I ended up asking.
It would just feel rude to say anything to him right now. He was being honest with his words. And if he thought we'd be alright together, then I had no reason to question him. I trusted him enough to know he had everyone's best interests in mind.
"Yeah. I told her to get here about half an hour after we decided to meet, so she'll be there eventually. We can catch up until then. I just wanted to let you know instead of having her appear out of nowhere. Just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. And of course, you can leave if you want. I don't want to force you to do this."
"No, no. Don't worry. You're cool. It's a good idea. If it'll make her feel better and all that. I don't mind at all."
Little did I know. I was going to be really glad I said those words.
When she finally arrived twenty minutes later, though, I did not think very much of her. Her blonde hair was pushed back with a hairband, drawing focus to her shining, pretty eyes. Her complexion was fair, but not too much. Just the right amount. Her body wasn't anything to write home about, mainly because I couldn't make any of it out. She wore baggy cargo pants and a loose t-shirt that refused to give a clue about what she actually looked like. The chest-length jacket she wore over it was off-season, but certainly unique. She was exactly as Liam had described her. Quiet, clearly not very sociable, trying hard to stand out and be cool. In a way, it was cute.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I'll wait until you're done." She spoke in a meek voice after reaching the table.
"No, Nao! Get over here." Liam moved aside and cleared space for her to sit down.
"Huh?" She looked up at me, and then back at him.
"This is an old friend of mine, from college. Alex. And Alex, this is Nao. I met her at work, and we started from there."
"Hey!" I tried my best to sound cheerful and happy.
"Hi. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry for interrupting, I really didn't know someone else was gonna be here too. Just…a little confused." She sat down and braved a smile.
"Well, for what it's worth, neither did I. Liam just sprung this on me, but it's cool. Always nice to meet one of his friends. He only keeps the most stellar company, if I may say so."
She chuckled. That was a good start. I looked at Liam, and he looked like he was impressed.
"Nao is actually a very good writer. I know you used to read a lot, so that might be something you guys could base yourselves on. I guess I also read here and there, so I'm not completely alien to it." Liam added.
"Not really, actually. I'm hardly good. I've only really dabbled in some online stuff, and that's still not very popular. I'm trying to finish something so that I can get an actual agent."
That was still impressive. She looked like she was the same age as us. In her early 20s. At least she had a clear goal she wanted to work towards. I was sitting here to convince an old friend to come stay at a hotel I was a bellboy at, all because a bunch of succubi got me emotional and horny at the same time.
"As far as I am concerned, you've got your entire life figured out. Trust me, your competition is not very tough."
"I know, right? I keep telling her that it's not like we're better. In fact, it's a miracle someone like her even thinks of talking with us." Liam laughed. Always the one trying to make others feel better. It was working too. Nao seemed much more comfortable sitting here now than she did five minutes ago.
"Ok, damn. Shut up. Got the point, you're embarrassing me."
"And that is Nao."
Or maybe that's what he was actually trying to do.
"Hey, Nao. Nice to meet you." I waved towards her.
She sighed, "All of your friends are just like you, aren't they, Liam?"
"Hey, I only keep the most stellar company. He said it, not me. Don't blame me for having impeccable taste in human beings."
"Sure you don't have a tongue burn?" She pulled the menu towards her and opened it, browsing.
Liam took it from her and put it aside, "We're getting the classic chicken sandwich. Trust me."
"I don't eat chicken." She reached to grab the menu back, but he raised it up and threw it towards the table beside us.
"Yes, you do." He called for the waiter, and immediately ordered three of the sandwiches.
"Oh, fuck you." She took out her phone and started browsing.
I didn't feel like involving myself between their banter. She seemed to be happy right there. I had a few things I felt like I could add, but she probably wouldn't find it easy to start talking like that with someone she had just met. Maybe after giving it some time, I could try.
Once the order was done, the talking decreased, and the banter almost disappeared. We started talking about the work we had been doing, and about other things that had happened with our families and other friends. After we ate the food, Nao opened up a bit more, talking about her own work and little comic incidents that had happened to her recently. She was a surprisingly normal person, once you took away all the anxiety that covered her. I got why Liam had wanted to introduce me to her. People like her probably didn't get a lot of people approaching them to interact. I knew Nao appreciated this a lot. I would have too, once upon a time.
She reminded me of myself in that way. There had been a time when I had almost given up on human connection. That was when Liam had stuck with me the most. Even now, when I had stopped talking to me, he had continued to occasionally send me messages on my socials, asking how I was doing. Now, he was doing the same for Nao. But this time, I could be with him and help her out too. Plus, the more I heard her talk, the cuter I thought she was. There was a kind honesty to her that was difficult to find these days. Especially after all the horniness I had just partaken in recently, this was a breath of fresh air.
"Are both of you free for a while?" Liam asked once we were ready to leave, "There's this place I really wanted to check out. It just opened up and seems interesting."
"I am, so sure. What is it?" Nao asked.
I nodded too.
Liam took us out of the building and unlocked his car, walking towards it with a mysterious air. Nao and I looked at each other, probably sharing the same thought about how unnecessarily dramatic he was. He got into his car, opened the doors to let us in, and once we were, he immediately locked the doors. Then, with us captured, he turned and smiled, "Make sure your seatbelts are tight, kids. We're going to a haunted house!"
I got exactly why he had been so excited when we got there. It was a proper haunted house through and through, down to the excess exterior. It had been forever since I had seen one of those. So much of a forever that I was tempted to take out my phone and take an image of the place. Who knew for how long they were gonna be in business? They probably weren't going to get a lot of people coming there, given the way most of us preferred films and shows instead.
Liam excitedly led us in, and got three tickets for us to enter.
"I fucking hate you." Nao whispered to him as we stood in front of the entrance to the actual haunted house portion of the building. I looked at her questioningly, and she noticed it. Turning back the door, she murmured, "I've got quite an irrational fear of ghosts even though I know nothing like that actually exists."
"Oh." I whispered back, "That's fine. Cause, honestly? Same. I'm pretty sure everyone who says they aren't scared of ghosts are just lying."
I had good reason to be like that now, though. Ghosts probably did actually exist. Who knew if one of them had even followed me from their world into this one. I wasn't going to tell her that, though. As long as she believed that she was genuinely safe in this world, it was alright. Some innocent souls deserved to stay innocent. I noticed her take a deep breath and inch just a little bit closer to me as the door opened. Liam ignored our fears and walked straight in without hesitation. Then, the two of us followed.