"Welcome to the Royal peninsula Sir, ma'am."

Rafael tugged his coat as he and Susan walked past the doorman from inside the large hallway in the hotel. He heard Susan thank him with a huge smile on her face right before they headed to the reception.

Over fifteen hours on air, Rafael was trying so hard not to throw up at the reception. He had almost forgotten how much he hated flying, the distance was another reason he hated traveling so much.

"Welcome to the peninsula."  The white man at the reception told them with a smile on his face. It was the fakest and most unintended smile Rafael had ever seen. He exhaled and looked away, letting Susan deal with it so he didn't have to.

Five star hotel huh?

Susan leaned over, trying to return the smile too.

"We'd like to check into our room please. We called in to make a reservation a few hours ago." She told him "For your VVIP suite."

She placed A gold card on the table.
She watched the man hesitate for a second before he turned to the computer and typed a few words in it.

"Names please."

"Rafael Okonkwo and Susan Richards." Susan answered. The man raised his head slowly to have another look. How on earth was he supposed to spell that? Even though Rafael had a typical American accent, it was like he was sure his name didn't sound right.

"I'd like to see your IDs please."
He told them

Rafael exhaled just as Susan reached for his American passport and her Nigerian passport, she slowly dropped it on the counter. The man quickly reached for it. They watched him look at the passports carefully, one after the other

"You're Africans?" He looked up.

"Nigerians." She corrected "He has a dual citizenship." She slowly pointed at Rafael.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Rafael had to ask him.

"Uh," The man dropped the passports on the counter "Are you sure you're at the right place?" He asked them. "It's just that I don't think you're one of our executive customers. Our VVIP suits are meant exclusively for-" he looked at them both carefully, studying them from head to toe.

"I mean I just came but-" he paused. He was short of words. "There are more affordable hotels down the street, cheaper ones. I can ask someone to assist you get there if you'd like."

"What?" Rafael said almost in a whisper, he couldn't believe it.

"Maybe hotel Penislivia,"

"You have got to be kidding me." Rafael scoffed out loud, taking out his phone. He really didn't have the time to argue with anyone.

"Isn't this the Royal Peninsula?" Susan leaned closer to the counter.

"It is," the white man continued "But I'm just-"

"We just showed you our IDs and even gave you our credit card, why can't we get our reservation?"

"There are specific people we give access to our VVIP suites and protocols you simply don't qualify for-"

"Protocols are don't qualify-" Susan needed a second to catch her breath, unbelievable. "Then call someone we can talk to." Susan almost raises her voice as she dropped her Versace handbag on the table "What do you take us for? Do we look like we can not afford to stay at your VVIP suite? This is crazy, you're being racist-"

"I'm not being racist, if you'd please-"

"No, you're being racist, stereotypical, extremely ignorant, rude and completely annoying and we are not going to let this slide."

"Mr Okunko!"

God, the horror.
It was every African man's worst plight. Why didn't the westerners ever get the names right?

They both turned the moment they heard a chubby white man yell Rafael's name, running towards them as fast as he could as he tried to hold on to his trousers so it didn't fall. His jacket blown by the wind right behind him.

"Mr Okunko," the man was getting really close. Rafael scoffed to show his disgust.

"Sr. Mike, cuál es el significado de esto?" Rafael glared at the man as he bent over right in front of them to catch his breath "What on earth is the meaning of this?"

"Señor okunko,"

"Cómo puedes dejar que tus trabajadores no me respeten así?"

"lo siento mucho señor." The man joined his hands together and rubbed them against one another "I greatly apologize for our receptionist's behavior."

He slowly turned to the man behind the table who had just realized how much trouble he was in.

"We only just employed him so he has no idea the kinds of VVIP clients we have, he has only met a few."

"Educate him." Rafael had a lot of anger in his eyes.

"We will." The white man forced a smile "I-If you may, I'd take you to your room now please." He stammered, trying as hard as he could to sound nice.

Susan quickly picked up the passports and everything else from the counter, she eyed the man behind the counter and walked after Rafael.

"Sir,"
The white man turned to the other white man as he hurried back to the counter, adjusting his tie.
"I'm really sorry, I had no idea-"

"Clear your desk." The man whispered to him, trying not to have any eye contact " You're fired."

He turned and hurried quickly behind Rafael who turned to see if he was coming.

Rafael turned back the moment he waved at them.
They all walked away.

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

Rafael walked out of the bedroom, staring into his phone as he found his way towards the living room.
He let out a sigh, hurrying to one of the long sofas in the living room. He threw himself in it and threw his legs on the glass table in front of him.

He scoffed and then threw his phone on the sofa.

What on earth was he waiting for?
Why was he waiting?

He heard a tiny beep on his phone and it made him turn to grab it quickly. It was a text, it had to be. Who was it from? Was it from her?

It wasn't.

Rafael clicked his tongue in disappointment.

What is wrong with you?
He asked himself in his head. Why was he like that? Why was he waiting for a text from someone who probably had no reason to? He threw his head on the head rest and took a deep breath.

He shut his eyes for a second and rubbed his forehead. After that long exhausting journey, he sure needed a whole night's rest.

He opened an eye the moment he heard the tiny beep from the air conditioner, he saw Susan trying to turn it up a little bit just how he liked it.

She turned slowly with a wide smile on her face, dropping the remote slowly on the sofa while she walked towards him with a glass of water and a tiny tray. It had to be time for his drugs. He had almost forgotten, it was one of those times Rafael wondered what he could have ever done without his assistant .

"Time for your drugs, and a change of bandaids." She sat on the sofa, conscious of her really tiny night dress but not too conscious to notice more than a half portion of her thighs were exposed already.

Rafael opened both his eyes and sat straight. He slowly reached for the pills in the tray. He threw them into his mouth and swallowed then he reached for the glass cup and took a long sip till he had emptied it. That sour taste.

He stuck his tongue out to show his disgust
Susan chuckled

"Are you okay?"

"I would be. " He turned a bit just so Susan could have access to his injured arm. "Let's do this."

Susan scoffed jokingly and then reached for his bandaid. She slowly started to loosen it while Rafael turned back to his phone.

Still no text.

"Are you expecting a call from someone?" Susan asked not bothering to stop what she was doing.

"Nope." Rafael bit his lip.

"Are you sure?" She gently massaged the wounded area with cotton wool. It didn't sting him anymore like it used to. His wound was healing. Rafael ignored her.

Susan slowly reached for the fresh bandaid in the tray.

"You seem to have been really distracted all night."

"I have?" Rafael still had his eyes glued to his phone's screen.

"Yeah." Susan wrapped the bandaid carefully around his arm.

"I guess I'm still tired from the trip that's all-"

He was saying when he felt Susan's thin hands slowly reach for his jaw. Rafael frowned as she pulled his face gently to face her.

She bit her lower lip.

"Why don't I change that?" She leaned closer to him, taking her time with it,  "Why don't I help you relax?" She pushed herself to him. Rafael backed out quickly, grabbing her arm as fast as he could to stop her

"Susan, what are you doing?"
Susan stopped for a minute.

"What does it look like?" She chuckled, managing to climb on top of him quickly, resting herself on his genitals and trying to wrap her legs around him "I'm trying to make you feel better, isn't that what you want?"

"Trying to -" Rafael gently grabbed her by both arms and pushed her back to the sofa. "What is wrong with you Susan?" He raised his voice slightly glaring at her as tears filled her eyes "Why are you being like this?"

"What am I supposed to do then?!" She yelled back at him

"What?" Rafael whispered, not believing his ears.

"Why did you bring me here with you if this isn't what you wanted?"

"You're my assistant," Rafael tried so hard to control his frustration "It's your job to go wherever I ask you to."

"Is that all I am to you?" She asked him almost in a whisper "Your assistant? H-how could-" She was breathing so fast. "I've waited, I waited for you for so long, for so so long-" she paused for a second, trying to catch her breath. Susan swallowed hard. "And I stayed by your side, even when things weren't good with you. I worshiped you and did everything you asked me to all for what?"

She got up quickly, throwing the tray on the sofa
"Just so I could be called just your assistant?!" She raised her voice

Rafael exhaled.
He didn't need this, he didn't want any of it.

"And you knew. You knew I loved you, you knew I've always loved you and you took good care of me, you made me feel like it was okay, like it was okay to have these feelings for you because there was a chance you'd love me back someday if I just stuck to you and supported you and did all you asked, if I was just patient with you. You led me on."

Rafael sat up.

"I never did."

"You didn't stop me either."

"Susan-"

"It's because of her isn't it?" She blurted out. Rafael scoffed. Just what was she talking about now?

"That woman, Olivia. It's because of her isn't it."

"It's not." Rafael got up quickly.

"It's her. She's the reason you're like this, you won't even look at me."

"She's not okay!" Rafael has no idea when he yelled those words out. Why was she doing it? Why was she pushing him and trying to force words out of him?she was wrong, she had to be. "She's not." Rafael took one step towards her and froze.
Susan scoffed

"I'm such a fool." She forced a smile on her tear- filled face . "I saw the signs, how you were unnecessary rude to her, how you complained about how irritated she made you feel and then you took a bullet for her, how you look at her, how you look when you're not with her, how you keep looking at your phone just to see if she called or texted, "

"Come on, that's not true Susan,"

She raised her head to meet his. Rafael was getting really angry and impatient. He had so much of those in his eyes.

"You love her."

"That's not true." He told her.

"You love her!" Susan yelled back at him.

There was silence in the room just as Rafael stood where he was. He was almost losing his mind and patience and had a hand over his lips. He needed to breathe, he needed to calm his nerves a minute. He could feel his veins trying to pop up from his forehead.

He took a deep breath, and then sniffed out loud. He slowly dropped his hands from his lips, tapping his feet continuously. Susan just glared at him.

"I don't love her." He slowly raised his head to meet hers "I just-" he scoffed "I can't love her or anyone else. I don't know what that is, I'm incapable of loving anyone, of having such useless feelings."

Susan scoffed.

"Keep telling that to yourself but you're not actually doing a great job at hiding it anymore. Very soon, everyone's going to see it, just like I see it. They're going to see just how attracted you've become to this woman and it's going to hurt you to know that your heart isn't completely made of stone after all. You're not totally incapable of not loving anyone."

"Susan,"
She sniffed.

"I'm tired," she raised her tiny sleeve up her shoulders "I should go to bed, we have a long day tomorrow."

She turned as a drop of tear fell from her face.

"Come on, Susan!"

Rafael called after her as she walked away from the living room as fast as she could without turning back.

Rafael sniffed, nodding his head as fast as he could just as his phone beeped. He slowly raised it to see what it was.

Olivia's name popped up on his locked screen. Her message too.

"Hey, how are you? Did you arrive safely ? I'm sorry I didn't text earlier. I'm really worried about you. Please text me back.-Olivia"

Rafael scoffed.
What was this? Was this some kind of a joke or a plan? Why now? It wasn't true, what Susan said, it wasn't true. He couldn't, he wasn't possibly in love with her or anyone. Susan was wrong, his feelings weren't wavering. He wasn't wavering.

He held on tight to his phone and screamed, smashing it as hard as he could on the wall. It broke and fell to the ground.

"Oh,"
Rafael raked his fingers through his thick hair, drawing deep breaths as fast as he could. He needed to breathe, he needed air and the air conditioner wasn't helping at all.

He took in a deep breath and shut his eyes for a second.

Breathe Rafael, Breathe.