Luke & Elliot

Luke sighed with pleasure as he settled deeper into the hot, bubbling water of the whirlpool bath. He could felt the tension borne from a long week vanishing as the jets of air massaged his body. This was certainly the life, he thought, wiping a damp strand of dark blond hair away from his face and gazing round the luxurious hotel bathroom. Fitted out in white marble, its pure white fittings were clean and elegant, given warmth by the subtle lighting and the actual daylight coming through the one-way view window. It was a far cry from the cramped bathroom Luke shared with his flatmates. There, showers were the order of the day, often with someone banging on the door to hurry you up in the morning. Taking a bath would require about three months written notice, even supposing Luke cared to try to fit his long frame into the narrow avocado monstrosity.

Another few minutes soaking and Luke reluctantly turned the jets off and stepped out of the bath, letting the water drain out as he began towelling off. The extra thick fluffy towels were another luxury after the scratchy thin set he was still using at home. Mum had given them to him when he’d first gone off to Uni, and they were still doing the job five years later; he’d not got round to buying any more and at least they no longer shed that irritating fluff all over.

Once the bath was fully drained he dropped one towel in it to soak up the remaining drops of water and, still naked, began to wipe up the floor with the other one. Cleaning the bathroom was a pain and he’d learned from experience it was best not to get dressed until everything was done. Luke wiped the bath down thoroughly and bundled both towels into a laundry bag, then rapidly pulled on his clothes and blow-dried his hair. He didn’t normally bother when he was at home, but he could hardly wander the hotel with wet hair. He checked his appearance in the mirror, which luckily didn’t steam up in the well-ventilated room, and took a final quick glance around to check everything was as he left it.

Luke took his first step out of the bathroom, still relaxed despite having to go back to reality, when he heard a rattling at the main door of the room.

Shit was all he could think. No one was supposed to be booked into this room for three days!

Luke froze for what must have only been a second but seemed far longer, until the door handle began to turn and he came back to his senses, heart pounding with adrenalin as he rapidly dived under the bed with the laundry bag. He knew the first thing a guest in a hotel room usually did was check out the bathroom, so he couldn’t stay in there. The cream linen bedspread fell down to the floor, however, so he was reasonably hidden as long as whoever came in didn’t peer under it.

Luke’s heart was in his throat as he lay in an uncomfortable flattened sprawl under what was thankfully a King size bed. He didn’t even have room to lift his head and every muscle was tense, the effects of his illicit relaxing bath having disappeared in the instant he heard the doorknob rattle. Maybe it’s just a room inspection, he thought hopefully. They’ll be gone in a few minutes and I can get out of here.

Luke listened intently as the footsteps came closer, and held his breath when they stopped right by the bed. They’re just going to check that the bed is made properly… they’ll go in a moment... he willed. The sound of someone settling on the bed was enough to prove him wrong.

Shit. Now what am I going to do? Elliot will kill me if I get caught under a guest’s bed. Luke panicked thinking of the new, strict hotel manager. He’d only been in place for six months but he’d already tightened up on procedures. Most of the time Luke was grateful, as Elliot had also improved working conditions. And he’d proven himself to be fair and supportive of his staff, such as when Luke had been stuck with a malicious complaint by a disgruntled customer who’d been asked to stop disturbing other guests. Elliot had soon sorted the situation out. But Luke knew there was no way Elliot would look on this situation with approval. I’ll be lucky not to be sacked. Why did I ever think it was a good idea to use the bloody bath?

Luke had known at the time that he was on dodgy ground using one of the bathrooms. It wasn’t exactly forbidden, but that was only because no one had ever thought to forbid it. That first time, the hot water had gone in his flat and it had been a couple of days before they could get a plumber to come out and fix the boiler. He’d only intended for it to be a one-off, but the experience had been so good he hadn’t been able to resist doing it a couple of times since. I swear I won’t ever do it again, just let me get out of this with my job intact, Luke thought desperately.

Luke had been working at the hotel for years, starting as a part-time bellhop when he was at Uni and working full-time as a receptionist for the last couple of years since he’d graduated. At first he’d intended to get a ‘proper’ job but that was easier said than done, and he’d gradually become used to the idea that this was it for him. After all, the pay was decent, the uniform suits were okay and were provided by the hotel, and his workmates were for the most part a great bunch. He’d even begun to wonder if there couldn’t be something more between him and Elliot; he was sure he hadn’t imagined those occasional looks from the other man. But that would be all over if he got caught. I really don’t want to lose this job, Luke thought again. I’m going to just have to wait here and leave when I can. I only hope this guy goes out for dinner and doesn’t get room service. I should be able to sneak out then.

Luke couldn’t see his watch in his awkward position so he had no idea how long he had already been lying motionless under the bed, but the minutes dragged by endlessly. He tried counting seconds for a while but lost count somewhere in the 600s and gave it up as a bad job. The boredom and discomfort began to overtake his fear as he could do nothing but wait patiently, something the normally exuberant and active young man had never been very good at.

The stranger seemed to be fully settled down on the bed. Luke guessed from the rhythmic clicking noise that he was using a laptop and wondered what the man found so important to do on a computer when he hadn’t even taken any time to make a drink or unpack.

The quiet was interrupted when the man suddenly began to speak. The noise made Luke jump; he banged his head on the bed and grimaced at the sharp pain, but luckily the other’s voice covered the sound of the thump.

“Yeah, it’s me,” the voice said in an impatient tone. “I’m in. Got the plans up on the screen.”

There was silence for a short time while the person on the other end of the line obviously replied.

“Nah, it was a piece of cake, no one suspects a thing,” the voice above Luke continued. “You were right, an empty room is a perfect base. So, you all ready to go on your end?”

Luke frowned, wondered what on earth the other man was talking about. He was trying not to leap to conclusions but something in the words made him suspicious of what was happening. The next words removed any doubt that the stranger above him was up to no good.

“Okay, mate, I’ll see you in a few. People shouldn’t be so stupid to take their valuables on holiday and then just leave them lying around. This’ll be the easiest pickings we’ve ever made!” the man laughed.

Luke’s eyes widened as he realised the man was a thief. Thoughts ran madly through his head as he tried to decide what to do. This was his hotel, there was no way he was letting this wanker get away with his plans. Not only would it ruin people’s holidays, it could also have a huge knock-on effect on the hotel if they were hit with the bad publicity of a major robbery. Not just on the hotel, on Elliot, who was the manager and, knowing him, would take full responsibility… Luke wasn’t going to let that happen.

Without any further thought, Luke launched himself from under the bed to take the thief by surprise. Or at least, he tried to launch himself from under the bed. Long minutes of remaining motionless had caused his muscles to stiffen up, and the tight fit and resistance of the plush carpet meant that he ended up wriggling out more than anything else. He vaguely heard the other man yelling and scrambling to his feet as Luke’s head popped out from under the bed like a tortoise’s from out of its shell, but any element of surprise was lost by the time he’d rolled out completely.

The first inkling that he was in serious trouble came when Luke felt rather than saw the kick which took him in the side while he was still on hands and knees, about to get up. All the breath left his body and he doubled over, crashing painfully into the bedside cabinet, hands automatically pressing on his injured side as if to hold in the pain.

“Okay, so what the hell are you doing here?” he heard the other man say, but was too busy trying to catch his breath to reply. This whole thing was a shock – he’d never been in a fight before, never even been mugged, and hadn’t realised how much a kick like that could bloody hurt, enough to put him out of action. How come they always got up and carried on fighting immediately in television?

Luke looked up desperately when he saw feet come into his line of vision, trying to crawl backwards out of the way but finding he was already back against the wall. Luckily the stranger seemed to realise he’d already won the fight as he made no further move towards Luke, merely standing with tension in his body and a heavy frown on his face.

“So how much did you hear, then?” the man said, but he seemed to be talking to himself rather than to Luke as he carried on immediately. “Too bloody much, that’s what. Shit, this was supposed to be easy. Why the hell did you have to muck it up? What am I supposed to do with you?”

Luke didn’t say anything, wondering how on earth his evening had gone so bad so quickly. He didn’t know what to do; he was in no shape to try and attack the thief again, but his pride and determination refused to let him just do nothing. Maybe he could get to the phone if the other man’s attention slipped… In the meantime, he would just have to be patient. Again, he thought to himself in almost hysterical amusement. If I didn’t know better, I’d wonder if this is all some sort of big plot to teach me patience.

The thief grabbed up his mobile phone, keeping his eye on Luke the whole time, and angrily stabbed a couple of buttons to dial. “We’ve got a problem,” he snapped out to whoever answered.

“A big one!” The man raised his voice as if speaking over someone, then carried on at a more reasonable tone. “Some fucking joker was already in this room. He must’ve heard everything.”

“Get rid of him?” the man said, loudly again, and Luke’s heart sank. “How am I supposed to get rid of him? I left my magic wand at home today!”

There was silence for a moment and then more yelling. “It is not just my problem! We’re in this together.”

Luke decided that now was as good as it was going to get and began to inch his way backwards along the wall as slowly as he possibly could. He knew the room phone had been on the bedside cabinet that had crashed to the floor when he’d banged into it; if he could find it he could call for help.

Just when he was beginning to think this was going to work the thief suddenly turned his full attention back to Luke. “Oi! Stop right there, matey,” he warned, moving closer threateningly, still with the phone held up to his face but no less intimidating for currently only having one hand free.

Before Luke could react in any way, both he and the other man were startled to hear the sound of the doorknob rattling. For one horrifying moment Luke thought it must be the person on the other end of the phone coming to help his accomplice, but the man’s shocked reaction as he whirled to face the new threat soon convinced him that he was wrong. Even as the door was opening Luke seized this golden opportunity, blindly groping for the nearest thing with his right hand. Gripping his find, he lurched to his feet, still clutching his injured side with his left hand, and swung as hard as he could at the back of the thief.

The laundry bag took the other man completely by surprise and he stumbled back, even as Luke doubled over in pain from his action. The move could have been disastrous but just then Elliot, with Dave the burly security guard at his side, entered the room.

Luke could have cried with relief to see the other man appear, as if his wishes had conjured him up. “Elliot! He’s planning a robbery,” he managed to gasp out.

Elliot and Dave paused in surprise on seeing the strange scene in front of them, but they reacted quickly enough when the thief tried to push past them to escape. Dave grabbed hold of his arms and held him effortlessly, while Elliot made his way over to Luke, slipping a strong arm supportively around him and helping him over to the bed.

“I heard them planning it,” Luke tried to get the full story out quickly. “He’s got an accomplice on the end of the phone, and this laptop has got something to do with it…”

“It’s okay, Luke, there’ll be time to tell us later,” Elliot said soothingly. “Sit down and tell me what hurts, now.”

“It’s my left side. He kicked me and then I fell into the cabinet. It hurts like hell, Elliot,” Luke admitted. He couldn’t help but cry out as the other man, crouched down beside him, gently touched the affected area. Elliot stopped immediately and got up, still keeping a protective arm on Luke’s shoulder as he spoke.

“Right, you’re going to have that checked out in hospital, you might have cracked some ribs. Dave, will you take this individual someplace safe and call the police, please, while I take Luke to casualty. Oh, you’d better secure that phone and laptop, too.”

“I can just take some ibuprofen, I’m sure I’ll be okay,” Luke tried to protest - he didn’t want to waste his Friday night in casualty, he’d be there for hours - but Elliot stopped his complaint with a look and a raised eyebrow. The brown eyes looking directly into Luke’s own blue eyes were full of determination and Luke abruptly decided discretion would be the better part of valour on this occasion.

“Come on then,” Elliot said, his expression lighter now Luke had agreed to his plan.

****

In the end Luke and Elliot had spent three hours in casualty where they had thankfully discovered that Luke’s ribs were neither cracked nor broken. He had a massive bruise all over his left side which had already come up in some spectacular colours, but the soft tissue injury would take far less time to heal than broken bones. It was now nearly ten in the evening and they had returned to the hotel to try and sort out some of the mess from the events of the evening. Dave had reported that the police had removed the thief and wanted to interview them the next day. Then Luke had to somehow explain to Elliot exactly what had happened that evening. All during their long wait he’d tried to think up exactly what to say to make it all sound less – less stupid, but he hadn’t been able to come up with a good spin at all. Nothing remained but to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Luke finished his explanation and waited with apprehension for Elliot’s reaction. The other man had listened without interrupting, though Luke had seen him begin to speak and stop himself on a couple of occasions. When Luke stopped talking Elliot shook his head in disbelief.

“It always happens to you, Luke, doesn’t it?” he said. His tone was a mixture of wry amusement and sternness.

“You’ve got to believe me, Elliot, I never meant for it all to happen! Well, except for the bath, but I promise you I won’t do that again. Please don’t fire me.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. The disciplinary procedures don’t exactly cover hiding under beds and taking on thieves,” Elliot said. “You’ll get a formal warning for using hotel facilities without permission, but apart from that the hotel owes you a debt of gratitude for stopping this guy.”

Luke relaxed back into his chair with an explosive sigh of relief, smiling up at Elliot, but the other man didn’t return the smile and he could feel his own freeze on his face at the dark expression in the other man’s eyes.

“Don’t relax too soon, Luke,” frowned Elliot. “I said the hotel owes you a debt of gratitude. I myself am very unhappy with your behaviour this evening. I think you were reckless and showed a complete lack of thought for your own safety. If the couple in the next room hadn’t complained about the crashes and shouting, and we hadn’t realised something was wrong because that room was supposed to be empty, I don’t know what might have happened.”

Luke shrank into his chair, unable to say anything in his own defence as he knew himself how lucky he’d been to escape relatively unscathed.

“If you were mine, I’d know what to do with you,” Elliot said. “But let’s clear the air now - I understand you aren’t interested and I won’t mention this subject again. It won’t affect our working relationship. But I hope you find someone to take you in hand soon, Luke, because you sure as hell need someone looking out for you.”

Luke was gobsmacked – why on earth was Elliot saying he wasn’t interested? As far as he knew he’d never even received the invitation! There was no way he’d have turned that down. Then it suddenly clicked – those looks. Elliot must have been waiting for him to make the first move, no doubt not wanting to take advantage of the fact that he was the boss. He could have kicked himself – he never had been very good at subtle, but he hoped it hadn’t lost him any chance of a relationship.

The other man was getting up, obviously thinking the conversation was at an end. “Wait!” Luke said desperately.

“You have to know, I don’t do signs,” he said somewhat incoherently. Elliot looked at him in incomprehension.

“You have to come straight out and tell me something if you want me to know it,” Luke tried again. “I didn’t realise what you meant before. With the looks, you know,” he added awkwardly.

Elliot sank back into his office chair again, a strange look on his face. He steepled his fingers together and gazed at Luke for a moment before seeming to come to some kind of a decision.

“So if I were to come straight out and tell you I was interested in you, what would you say?” he asked in a conversational tone.

Luke didn’t hesitate in his reply. “I’d say I was interested, too.” He smiled, looking directly into the other man’s eyes before allowing his gaze to scan Elliot’s handsome, fine-boned face with interest, lingering on those firm lips which he’d had so many fantasies about. He’d never dared be so open before, he’d always tried to hide his desire from his boss, and that had obviously been a mistake which he wasn’t going to repeat. “Very interested,” he said in a low growl.

Elliot visibly shivered and Luke’s grin widened. It looked like something good was finally going to come out of this terrible evening after all.