The man doesn’t say anything but has a sly smile as he steps into the elevator and watches Victor walk away. “You’re excused, Victor,” the man says softly as the elevator doors close.
Victor pauses in the middle of the hallway when he recognizes the scent of the man’s cologne. It’s the same scent of leather and sandalwood from the airport restroom. Victor twists around but doesn’t see anyone in the hallway. Victor shakes it off and proceeds to his room. He unlocks the door and looks around the giant room.
Victor takes a deep, long sigh. “Well, happy birthday to me.”
Chapter Two
Victor is curled in bed, hugging a pillow, staring at the wall. The curtains are closed, so he cannot tell how late it is without looking at the clock. His bags are still in the living room of his suite, just where he left them. The television is on and muted, still on the welcome screen with his name and the caption “Happy Birthday” in bold white letters. The sounds of traffic on the streets below are low, yet still audible, providing subtle white noise as Victor lays still. As he stares off into space, there’s a knock on his door.
“Victor? It’s Lucas.”
Lucas has been Victor’s closest friend since high school; they have been stuck at the hip since the first day they met. They even worked together at a very popular theme park before Victor became a flight attendant. Victor was also Lucas’ best man when Lucas married Jon. Even though Victor has moved around the country the past several years, they have always remained close.
“Victor, can you please open the door?” Lucas says on the other side. Victor doesn’t move from the bed. “Don’t make me call security to open the door,” Lucas comments jokingly, even though he is serious about the threat. Victor begrudgingly gets out of bed and walks over to open the door, groaning all the way.
“Hey, mister. How are you feeling?” Lucas asks as he enters Victor’s room.
Victor turns and heads back into the bedroom, “Fine, I guess. Just watching my shows.”
Lucas cocks an eyebrow as Victor heads back to the bedroom. “Your shows? What are you, 40?” Lucas closes the door behind him and follows Victor.
“I just turned 32; that’s practically 45 in gay years,” Victor responds.
When they enter the bedroom, Lucas looks over at the television and notices it is still on the hotel’s welcome channel. “I see you’re watching some trashy dating competition,” Lucas jokes.
Victor crawls back into bed, and Lucas takes a seat next to him. “Everyone’s been trying to get a hold of you for a while,” Lucas mentions, turning on the nightstand’s light. “They’re starting to get worried.”
“Just tell them I’m fine, just dead inside.” Victor pulls the comforter up to his neck and rolls onto his side.
“Come on, get up. Let’s get you into the shower.” Lucas gets up, goes over to the window, and opens the curtains. Victor hisses dramatically when the curtains open, letting in the remaining daylight. “We’re taking you out to dinner. Get ready.”
Victor pulls the covers over his head. “You guys go celebrate without me.”
Lucas glares over at the bed. He storms back over and forcefully pulls the covers off Victor, “I didn’t fly all this way to see my best friend, whom I haven’t seen in almost two years,hide away in his room. Now get your ass up, shit, shower, shave, and let’s go.”
Victor resentfully complies. “Ugh! You’re the worst,” he moans.
“And that’s why you love me,” Lucas says as he walks to the bedroom door. “You better be downstairs in an hour.” Lucas leaves the suite as Victor gets up and heads into the bathroom.
Victor freshens up and steps out of the shower. As he dries his hair, he steps up to the sink and takes his towel to wipe the foggy mirror. “You look like a dumpster fire covered in glitter while being pulled by a unicorn,” Victor mutters to himself.
While brushing his teeth, he starts to zone out, staring down at the faucet. Suddenly, something catches his eye in the mirror. He stops brushing to look over at the spot in the mirror but doesn’t see anything. Victor shakes his head, then bends to spit and rinse his mouth.
When he looks back into the mirror, the man he passed by while exiting the elevator stands in the foggy background. Victor turns around in a panic; no one is behind him. He looks back in the mirror, only to see his reflection. His heart still racing, he assures himself, “There’s no one here. You’re just seeing things because you’re tired and hungry. Let’s go downstairs and meet your friends.”
Victor and his friends arrive at the restaurant where Lupe had made reservations for dinner. The restaurant is packed. The aroma of Cajun food fills the air as the group walks over to their table. A band in the corner plays lively jazz as a few couples take the floor and dance to the rhythm. Victor takes a seat at the head of the table while his friends sit on either side.He can’t stop thinking about seeing the mystery man in the mirror whilegetting ready. As a result, he doesn’t notice when the server asks for his order.
Jon snaps his fingers in front of Victor’s face, causing him to pay attention. “Everything okay, dude?” Jon asks as he and Lucas give him a concerned look. “You looked like you were a thousand miles away.”
Victor looks at everyone, looking back. “Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”
“Do you need another minute to order?” the server asks.
“Yes. No. Sorry.” Victor shakes off the thought and looks up at the server. “I’ll have the jambalaya, please,” Victor orders while pointing at the menu. “And I hate to be a pest, but is there any way to not make it too spicy? My stomach is acting up.”
The server looks down at Victor as though he’s an idiot, “I’ll see what we can do for your upset tummy.” The server jots a couple more notes on her pad before walking away. Moments later, the server returns with everyone’s drinks and shots for the table.
Elliott holds up his shot glass, and everyone follows suit except for Victor. “Here’s to the man of the hour! Happy Birthday, Victor!”
