I.VI The First of Many..

"Just me and you now."

Eremes reopened his unfinished work and carefully remade his previous setup albeit with Athena not being there. With the raincoat back in place, he then meticulously resumed his work, moving noticeably faster than before. The sooner he finished, the sooner he can get her back in her bed.

Even as he worked, Eremes continued to monitor Athena's condition, occasionally glancing in her direction to make sure that she's still there. Her reactions disturbed him. No one can have that look of pure terror without a valid reason. Just, what happened to her that made her fear something about going back? He- Oh.

His thoughts were interrupted by the smooth humming of the cell tower's mechanisms. The previously dead light now emitting a cool green signifying its status. Job well done.

"Finally!"

He was finally done! The blasted thing was finally fixed. He closed the box for good and had begun to pack up when he saw Athena's sleeping form, her face still wet from the rain as she continued on her dreamless slumber.

Forgoing the tools for later, Eremes carefully lifted her form. His arms supporting her full weight as he struggled to keep his balance. Slowly but surely, he made his way towards the rooftop entrance and back into the hotel.

"Where do I go from here though?"

The man has once again remembered that he didn't know where Athena lived. In the hotel's 50 floors, it's gonna be a nightmare to search each of the floors' 20 rooms for her. He can't exactly try to ask the other tenants if they knew 'cause it's the middle of the night, but he can't just leave her in the lobby either. He suppressed a sigh. Might as well ask reception.

".....ro..m...3.01..2.."

Was that? He glanced at his passenger to see that she was still sleeping, but... 3012 huh? Maybe he didn't have to ask after all. He made a beeline for the elevator with a clear destination in mind. Once at the elevator and carefully prodding the elevator panel for their shared destination, Eremes carefully searched for her keycard, as to not wake the tenant up.

The elevator dinged as they arrived on the 30th floor, cold metal doors opening as Eremes immediately went to find her room.

"3010...3011..." The amount of water damage that they were inflicting on the carpet was the least of his worries. "...3012."

Arriving at his destination, he was now staring at a brown mahogany door with a keycard scanner. It was one of the more expensive rooms that he can only dream of using. And Athena lives here? Wow.

Shaking away his disbelief, he pulled out her keycard to unlock the door only to stop when he felt her body stir. It seems she's waking up now. Perfect timing.

He watched as his sleeping companion slowly made her way back to the world of the living. She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, emerald meeting sapphire as he stared into her. He can't help but smirk when he saw her face contort from impassive to confusion as she assessed her surroundings, her head turning rapidly until she was ultimately facing him. He wiped his smirk from his face when he saw a slight hint of panic on her face. He should just get it over with.

"Had a good nap?"

"Where are we?"

"We're in front of room three-oh-twelve."

"Why did you come here? And could you put me down? I think I can stand on my own two feet."

Aand she's back to her usual snarky self. He lowered her to the ground and instantly she hopped back onto her feet.

"And I believe that keycard is mine?"

"Sorry." He presented the small plastic card to its rightful owner. "You weren't waking up so.."

"Forget it. It was my fault anyway."

He sheepishly smiled as he returned her keycard. He watched as Athena opened her door and went inside her room. He couldn't see anything inside, but maybe that's for the best.

⬛⬛⬛

She stood behind her door, hair still glistening from the rain. She took one last look at her unwanted savior, his brown wavy hair was slicked back by the water and his face filled with worry for someone he had only just met. What did she do to deserve the attention?

"I guess this is it huh?"

"I suppose."

An awkward silence stood between them. Maybe she should-

"Well, I'll see you around then."

"Thank you." Oh, thank god...

She softly closed the door before once more facing her unlit room. She's had a long night, not that it was anything special. But it was the first time someone actually caught her during one of her episodes. With the thoughts of suicide now reduced back to a tolerable level, perhaps she felt grateful for the man, for dealing with her during her lowest. But at the same time, she loathed him, for giving her another chance at life.

For giving her an inkling of hope.

Wordlessly, her feet mechanically went to her shower. It was 2 in the morning, might as well try to get some work done.

A novel doesn't write itself after all.

⬛⬛⬛

Eremes could only watch as his once-charge closed the door in front of him. He let out a sigh that he thought he didn't have that late into the night. He glanced down at his watch and scrunched his brows at the time, it was already past 2 in the morning. That took way longer than he thought. He supposed that he might as well take a shower and go sleep now that his job was done. 

"Best head back to my room now, I guess." 

He spun around and headed straight back to the elevator. As the hotel's head of maintenance, he was required to have a room on site. Eremes didn't really expect that arrangement when he first applied to work as maintenance staff, but then again he was at Midas, and the city just can't seem to pull any punches when it comes to extravagance. He opened the elevator and punched the button for the ground floor, where his room was located.

The elevator hums as it began its descent. Through the glass panes, he saw that the storm outside had let up now, only being reduced to a slight drizzle as it cleared up to let the lights of the city skyline to shine through. It was beautiful, he supposed. And now that the repairman can relax, he allowed his thoughts to linger back to the young woman he just inadvertently saved tonight. 

Athena huh. Why did he get the feeling that tonight wasn't the last time that he's going to be hearing from her? Maybe because as he's said before, they live in the same building after all. But after going through the events at the rooftop with her, one could say that he's still worried about her. Who was she hiding from? She said that she didn't want to go back...

*Ding*

The elevator announced its job well done as the door opened up to the ground floor of the hotel.

"I'll think about it in the morning" It's far too late into the night for some deep thinking.

And as he strode towards his room, there was only a single thought swimming in his mind: a hot shower first, then go sleep. Whatever problems tonight created, he'll maybe sort out in the morning.

...

He forgot something.. Something vital for his work..

"Fucking toolbox..."

The irate repairman once more went up the elevator. He better get a pay raise for that job.

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛