They settled into the hotel as instructed, Jay had put his Laptop onto the small desk in the corner as Maddie threw her shoes off and almost instantly hopped into the shower. The steam from the hot shower swirled and danced through the air. It began to rise in wisps, wrapping the bathroom in a veil. The warm mist hung suspended, creating a comforting atmosphere.
The soothing scent of steam filled the space with a subtle hint of relaxation. Jay finally had a chance to sit and take a look at his email, now that his headache was completely gone for the time being he could see if Aki shot him anything. Didn't see anything for now but he kept his laptop open just in case one came up before he went to sleep.
Maddie on the other hand wasn't as idle with her time, In a steep corner of the bathroom, she channeled her inner artist and inadvertently transformed into a musical sculpture. Holding up a bottle of shampoo as a makeshift microphone, she unleashed her creativity. The rhythmic cascade of water served as her background beat, while the tiles echoed the melody of her imaginary stage. Her fingers curled gracefully beside the shampoo bottle, mimicking the fluid movements of the master singer. In the mirror, she saw the reflection of herself lost in the moment, her eyes shining with the joy of the game.
The shower cloth became her curtain call, swaying with every excited movement. As she sang music to her invisible audience, the warm air seemed to carry the spirit of the live show. The bathroom was turned into an intimate concert hall, where the shampoo bottle became her trusted prop, and the tiles were a secret game that captured her sweet desires, the sound of the sweet rain songs, time who embraced musical pleasures within the limits of the liberating space.
The sudden misstep during her spirited activity startled her. A bar of soap had found its way onto the bathroom floor. The stomp had inadvertently connected her foot to the slippery pavement, causing her to suddenly fall. The spontaneous concert of the bathroom turned out to be impromptu.
As the soap-induced missteps continued, she lost her balance, falling into the shower curtain with an unintentional shriek as the graceful movement suddenly turned into a disaster. The shower captured by the noise played its part by making an unexpected partner in her unscripted performance. She found herself stuck in the shower curtains in an unexpected turn of events during her bathroom concert. When she finally escaped her curtain-shaped restraints, she dried herself off with a duck-printed towel before tying her hair into a small ponytail and putting her clothes on. She noticed a bit of steam coming off her body before putting them on and she bit her hand out of reflex, letting out another yelp before wondering why the hell she did that.
Making her way out of the bathroom, Jay's laptop caught her eye, it wasn't the laptop itself but more the ping that came from it. she looked around for a little before noticing the hotel was a little more organized than it was before she left; her suitcase was neatly placed in a small corner, her shoes placed by the door, Jay's shoes placed on the other side of the doorway instead of right next to hers bummed her slightly.
She wasn't entirely down, it wasn't like he was much to like, and she didn't see why Aki may have been interested in the guy. He was no fun, and short-tempered, what she did on the plane wasn't out of attraction per se, it was more out of boredom. She wanted to see what the guy was made of, what the fondness was all about, now that she knows he's no big deal she can leave it be.
"Though...." before she could finish her thought, Jay had come out, his eyes were searching around the room, he looked almost like a cat.
He had a breath of relief at the sight of the room still all tidy. "The idiot's gotta have some fun at some point right...?" she muttered under her breath. She brushed herself off before calling him over.
"Jay! Hey! Come over here! I wanna show you something!" her voice had a hint of mischief in it.
Jay rolled his eyes, walking over there with his guard down and within the first 3 seconds of him being there, he was sacked in the face with a pillow. An evil smirk formed on Maddie's face as she fell on her back and laughed. She had engaged in a war she believed she would win 100%. When he got back up she swung the pillow again but was countered quickly with a pillow to her jaw. She stumbled back on the bed, gripping the sheets in a futile attempt to stay on the bed after the brain rattling counter she took. She bounced up in a half daze, glaring at Jay as if he killed her entire bloodline for a chocolate bar.
"What the hell! Did you hit me with a fucking rock?" She yelled, no matter how angry she had tried to appear at that moment all Jay could see was a chibi version of herself yelling.
"you attacked, I countered. I know the basic rules of a pillow fight" He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, he looked like he was gonna say something else but was met with a pillow to the face before he could do so.
A few hours later they were both seen behind some sort of protection, Maddie had hidden behind the bed and Jay was behind a wall. Sweat beads ran down his face, peaking out the wall, a pillow was thrown and he narrowly dodged it. Small footsteps became closer and he took the chance to peak out and finish her off with one hit but she had hopped onto the bed last minute, slamming the pillow on his head and making him trip, falling as Maddie continued to bombard him with pillow attacks until he gave up.
"I give you win alright, I'm tired!" he caught the pillow, and they made eye contact, he was panting, and a triumphant smile had crept onto his face.
At that moment a pleasant sense of playful amusement lingered in the air, and it was then that a genuine laugh erupted from deep inside him. His smile was like a breath of fresh air, breaking the atmosphere. It began with a low laugh, touched with a mixture of surprise and amusement. As he laughed, it was heartfelt and full of fun. An authentic sound filled the room, creating an infectious energy that made Maddie jump a little, like a cat who'd just seen something new.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement, why? She didn't understand why she was so happy? was it because the dumbass knew how to smile and have fun after all? it was that stupid smile. She took her phone and snapped a picture before he could react, sending it to Aki almost as soon as she took the picture. He couldn't stop her because she had already been across the room by then and she had finally made up her mind, If Aki was fond of this writer, romantically or not, she'd make sure she was noticed by him. That's that.