Look, if Zeke could have it his way, he’d skip work today entirely. Between his rowdy neighbors, the ghost story of Wallace, and the frustrations of Mr. Wright’s management style, Zeke hardly got any sleep last night. He’s feeling irritable due to the lack of sleep, and he’s really not looking forward to the nagging that Lewis will definitely be doing. Despite his grouchiness, Zeke does feel a little guilty for showing up so late today; after all, the guy did try to have a conversation with him about his timeliness last week.

As Zeke rounds into the rotunda, he’s surprised to see Lewis sitting in the conversation pit. He’s surrounded by books, papers, and folders, and he’s writing something down pretty intently. Zeke holds his breath; is it too late to turn back around and wallow in bed for the rest of the day? He could do that. It sounds pretty great, actually…

Unfortunately, before he’s able to step back into the safety of the hall, Lewis peers up at him with those light green eyes, which suddenly look incredibly sharp. He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. He must be trying to figure out how to make his thoughts come out professionally.

Zeke sighs; so much for laying in bed for the rest of the day. He reluctantly carries himself further into the rotunda, “morning, Lewis.”

Lewis’ eyes lock onto his assistant as he moves, and when his nasally voice finally speaks up, it’s exactly the kind of thing that Zeke had been anticipating, “morning? Mr. Valencia, it’s - it’s the afternoon,” the man nags as he flicks his wrist to check the time, “you were supposed to be here five hours ago.”

“Yeaaah. That’s my bad,” Zeke hums back, because he’s really not in the mood to deal with his boss’ insistent timekeeping.

“Well? Why are you so late?” Lewis asks.

Zeke shifts his weight to one side as he thinks on this. After all, it’s not like he could tell the man the complete truth. Instead, he says, “must have overslept my alarm.”

The rotunda falls silent as Lewis raises an eyebrow in pure skepticism. Zeke decides to break the awkwardness by asking, “sooo… What’re we doin’ today, boss?”

“We? Ah… Zeke, no,” Lewis starts, “see, I was under the impression that you weren’t coming in today. So… I’m in the middle of this huge, timely project for Mr. Wright.”

Zeke fights back an eye-roll, because of course he’s working on his boss’ overdue paperwork, “that’s cool and all… But what do you want me to do today?”

“Mm,” Lewis hums as he takes a moment to consolidate his thoughts. Eventually, he speaks up again, “I’m really not so sure, Zeke. I haven’t prepared anything for you today, since you no-called no-showed today’s shift. This - this kind of throws off my schedule for the rest of the week, too.”

Zeke’ frowns, because it appears that Lewis is having a hard time hiding his own agitation today. He just raises a thick brow as he thinks of a solution, “well, how about I come up with something to do?”

“By all means,” Lewis sighs, shaking his head as he returns his attention down to the thick book he works in, “if you think of something, you’re more than welcome to take a crack at it.”

“Great. So, hey. There’s this family of raccoons living in one of the honeymoon suites downstairs. Think I could tackle that today?”

“Sure, I think you could handle that,” Lewis hums. He pauses, looking up from his book as he asks, “you can handle that… Right?”

“Uhhh,” Zeke hums, “I was just going to call animal control.”

Lewis busts out with a hearty, “ahah! Oh, Zeke. You can’t call animal control,” he peers up at the brunette with an amused smile as he adds a much softer, “they don’t come up here anymore.”

“Oh,” Zeke’s eyes widen, and there’s a moment before he asks, again, for direction from his boss, “okay. So how do you think I can get them out of that room then?”

“Look, ah,” Lewis responds, his voice dropping back to being very professional, “I’m really not so sure. Maybe go see Lauren? I’m sure he’s got something that can help.”

Zeke shifts his weight to the side as he drops his voice, “alright, fine,” he retorts, because he’s not so sure that he likes being shoved off so fast. Regardless, he says, “I’ll go see Lauren.”

He ducks out of the rotunda and treks back down the hallway. Just past the elevator access lies the maintenance room. The door sits propped open, showing Lauren inside. He’s gathering a few tools and placing them inside a large black duffle bag. Zeke knocks on the door frame to catch the man’s attention. The sandy blonde haired man peers up and smiles once he sees who is requesting his attention.

“Well hey, bud!” Lauren smiles earnestly.

“Hey, Lauren,” Zeke leans against the door frame, “uh - Look. I was told you could help me..? We’ve got a raccoon problem downstairs,” he says, getting right down to the point.

“Oh, the guests in honeymoon suite 002?” Lauren laughs.

“Wait. You know they’re down there?”

“Sure. I feed ‘em fresh fruits from my garden from time to time. They’re a sweet little family,” Lauren says with a smile.

“Right. Well… Lewis says that they need to go,” Zeke says, even though he’s bending the truth a little.

“Have you asked them nicely?”

Zeke cocks his head to the side and stares at the guy, “really?”

“I’ll take that as a no. Well… Let’s see. All my animal traps are currently in use right now,” he thinks it over, his free hand scruffing up his short, dusty blonde beard. In a moment, he perks up, “hey, have you tried calling animal control yet?”

“Lewis says they don’t come up here anymore.”

“Shoot, that’s right,” Lauren says, snapping his finger as he throws his arm across his body, “well, I’m not sure I’ve got anything else for ya, bud. Sorry!”

“Yeah. It’s cool,” he sighs, “thanks anyways, man.”

“Sure thing! Good luck with those raccoons, champ!” Lauren hollers out and gives Zeke a friendly wave as he leaves.

The teenager rounds the corner back out into the rotunda and steps into the conversation pit to take a seat, “Lauren couldn’t help.”

“Zeke…” Lewis looks up from his work and points with his pen, “my paperwork? Please?”

He shifts to the side and pulls a few loose papers out from under his ass as he asks, “so what now?” He tosses the crumpled up pieces of paper off to the side; this catches Lewis’ attention as he watches the mess that Zeke makes today. The ginger takes a breath before saying, “Zeke, I really can’t help you with this today. Mr. Wright asked for this to be done by tonight, and it’s - it’s a lot, and it’s deeply overdue to the state.”

Zeke furrows his thick brows towards the dismissive assistant manager that works to fix his boss’ negligence. Mr. Wright’s bullshit paperwork is hardly more important than raccoons actively tearing up one of the suites downstairs… Right?

Feeling the hairs raise on the back of his neck, Zeke hardly thinks about what he’s about to do next. He gets up from his seat and makes his way out of the conversation pit, “I got it. It’s fine.”

“Ah… Look, how about we get to it next week? Just - just give me some time to finish this work for Mr. Wright. It’s - I’m on a time crunch here, and - "

Zeke cuts him off, “nope. I can handle it, Lewis.”

This shuts him right on up, and the manager watches as Zeke treks back down the opposite hallway. He leaves the rotunda in silence, which lets his boss get back to his all-too-important paperwork. The brunette is off gathering supplies for only a few minutes. When he returns to the rotunda, he wears a long pair of rubber gloves around his shoulders, and he carries an oversized black trashbag. He whips the thing open with a sharp WH-PUH, and Lewis nearly jumps out of his seat at the echoing sound.

Zeke doesn’t even look towards his boss, who pipes up from the conversation pit, “ah - hey, Zeke? Where might you be going with that trash bag?”

“Downstairs,” Zeke responds sharply as he keeps pace towards the elevators on the other side of the hallway. He side-eyes his boss as he adds, “I have a family of raccoons to handle.”

Lewis shoves his paperwork off to the side, “hm. Okay, so maybe a trash bag isn’t the best way to go about that?”

“Oh, really?” Zeke retorts sarcastically, “I thought you were waaay too busy to give me any input on this, Lewis.”

“Ah - well,” the man stutters as he quite literally climbs out of the conversation pit, “that’s because I am,” he says, making pace to catch up with his moody employee.

Zeke presses the down arrow to call the one and only functional elevator, “so… What’s the problem then? I’m going to go handle this without you,” he says as he turns around to see a very flustered looking Lewis catching up to him.

“Um - I’m sorry, Zeke,” the ginger says as he approaches the elevators, “but I think you’ll get maimed if you do this without my help.”

Zeke rolls his eyes as he tugs at the long, yellow rubber gloves that drape over his shoulders, “I brought extra protection. Duh,” he says. The elevator doors begin to slide open; Zeke peers over his shoulder towards his boss as he adds, “besides. We all know you’d be the one getting maimed.”

“Oh! Zeke. C’mon,” Lewis insists from the hallway as his subordinate enters the elevator shaft. He steps towards the door, “I’ve got so much work to do. Really - I - I really don’t have time to deal with this today. Just - would you please hand me the trash bag?”

There’s a moment of pause before the elevator doors begin to close on their own. Zeke just raises a brow in defiance; Lewis is clearly trying to get this resolved before the doors close. He puts a freckled hand out, “please, Zeke. The bag.”

Zeke just responds with a short, yet poignant, “nah.”

“I - um - I’m sorry?” The ginger asks, his face contorting to something resembling anger. Just as the elevator is about to close, Lewis places a hand over the door’s motion sensor; it automatically pushes back open as the manager retorts, “no?”

“Yeah. You heard me,” Zeke reiterates, his dark brown eyes staring disobediently back at Lewis’ piercing green glare. There’s an incredibly tense moment of silence as the two maintain unwavering eye contact. Lewis keeps his eyes pinned on Zeke as he dips his head in order to step into the cramped elevator. The old thing shifts ever so slightly with the man’s weight.

“Please, Zeke,” Lewis adds, and he’s clearly forcing his voice to remain calm right now. He puts his hand out, “I’m not going to ask again. I’m very preoccupied today, and I don’t have time for this. We can try again next week, okay? Just hand me the bag.”

Zeke stares up at the man. What’s his deal today? He knows that this stupid Hotel’s meaningless paperwork isn’t really that important, right? So instead of complying, the teenager quietly revolts by pressing the G button to take the elevator down a flight.

“Mr. Valencia,” Lewis exclaims in shock as the doors begin to automatically slide close behind them.

“What?” Zeke begins, throwing his hands up, “you’ve got all this super important paperwork to do. So why don’t you stop micromanaging me for one goddamn second and just get back to sucking Mr. Wright’s dick.”

Lewis looks absolutely appalled by this statement. He was a little peeved before, but now… Now he has this extremely dark look growing in his eyes as he hisses out a quiet, “excuse me?”

“You know what I said,” Zeke huffs.

“You have absolutely no right to say that to me.”

“Well someone has to state the obvious.”

Lewis is the first to break their animalistic eye contact. He pushes his gaze off to the side for a moment as he lets out a long breath to self-soothe. He unfurls his fists and stretches his long fingers out consciously. He returns his gaze back to the teenager after a moment, but his eyes still look extremely dark, “if that’s what you think of me, then fine. But I am not going to let you get maimed because you decided to go wrangle wild animals. So, as your boss, I am demanding that you give me that bag.”

Zeke shakes his head, “you just don’t get it, do you? God - I - okay. You know what, mister assistant manager. You wanna get back to your precious paperwork? Here,” he spits back, holding the bag in both hands, “you can have your fucking trash bag!”

The brunette thrusts his weight into both of his hands as he pushes the bag into Lewis’ chest. The sudden weight redistribution and the complete lack of anticipation makes the ginger lose his balance; he stumbles backwards, his broad shoulder collides with the wall, and the entire elevator shifts drastically with his weight. Lewis, now holding the bag of contention, peers up at his subordinate in utter disbelief.

Zeke just keeps going, because the fire’s been lit, and there’s no stopping him now, “I’m tired of it. You’re never going to realize that Mr. Wright’s just using you. Never! He’s exploiting your work ethic, Lewis. Meanwhile, he gets to sit in his office and - and - and bang women all day! He’s plastered, like, twenty-four seven. He’s just biding his time until he overdoses and dies here one day.”

Lewis’ face begins to burn a bright shade of red as his white fists clench around that stupid plastic bag. Zeke runs his hands through his messy auburn hair in frustration, “I’ll never get why you’re so good to him. Like - wake up! Get your head out of your ass, Lewis! We barely even have electricity around here, dude! The guy doesn’t even pay the goddamn bills on time.”

Zeke catches his breath with a big sigh. His dark brown eyes plead towards his boss as they make eye contact once more. The teenager shakes his head, trying to find the words. After a moment, he says, “no amount of busywork, or neat little lists, or - or excessive amounts of paperwork is going to change the fact that this place is rotting from the inside out.”

There’s a strained stillness in the air before Lewis finally speaks up, “Zeke,” he says breathlessly, “why are you telling me this?”

The brunette’s attention quickly darts off to the side, and he bites his lip before saying, “I just think that Mr. Wright is tearing you down with him,” and in a smaller voice, he adds, “and I don’t think you deserve that.”

Lewis’ shoulders slump gently against the elevator’s wall. Nothing more can be said now. All they hear is the humming from the cheap overhead lights. It’s suffocating, really. Actually…

“Hey. Wait a minute,” Zeke states as he quickly looks up towards the floor indicator over the elevator’s door. The arrow is positioned comfortably between the floors labeled 1 and G. His voice drops down real low, “that arrow is supposed to move with the elevator… Right?”

Lewis’ eyes follow suit, gazing at the illuminated floor indicator for a brief moment. He lets out a long winded sigh as he regains his footing, “yeah.”

“So. Ahah,” Zeke laughs nervously, “why isn’t it moving?”

 Lewis reaches a long arm over Zeke’s head and points towards a plaque beside the door frame, “well. You see… These elevators are designed to freeze when jolted,” he says. The brunette’s eyes follow his boss’ direction. He falters for a moment before getting on his tippy toes to read what it has to say:

For Your Safety:

Please do not make any abrupt

movements while using the elevator.

Elevators will lock in place if jostled.

Thank you for your cooperation.

- Management at Heart Hollow Honeymoon Hotel & Resort

Zeke’s eyes go wide as he spins his head back around to look at his boss, “oh my god. I - Lewis, I didn’t even mean to push you.”

He feels the manager’s heavy gaze on him. He dips his brunette head into his palms, and he can’t help but contemplate the entire day leading up to this moment. All of this happened because he couldn’t get a wink of sleep last night, or the week prior, and his new place is creepy as hell, and his new neighbors are up at the wee hours of the morning, and he absolutely knew better than to show up today. To simply put it, today’s just not his best day.

Zeke slaps his hands down at his sides, and he furrows his brow as he says, “okay, you know what? That’s just bad design. I mean, this is a goddamn hookup hotel for crying out loud. Seriously! What did they think people were gonna do in these elevators?”

Lewis’ eyes go wide, and his whole body stiffens up. Zeke realizes the implications of his statement, and his round cheeks flush with embarrassment. An uneasy silence washes over the confined room as the two men slightly shift away from one another.

“Ahem,” Lewis clears his throat before he speaks, “well,” he pats his pockets down, “it seems I’ve left my phone in the rotunda.”

“Oh, hold on,” Zeke pulls out his cracked phone from his back pocket, “I’ve got mine. I’ll go ahead and call the fire department.”

Lewis gives a little, “ahah,” before continuing, “oh, Zeke. No… The fire department doesn’t come up here anymore. Ah - maybe just go ahead and call the front desk?”

“Let’s just hope Kara graces us with an answer,” Zeke mumbles.

“Why? Does she… Not pick up the phone sometimes?”

He stares up at his boss for a brief moment before darting his attention back down to the phone in his hand. He taps the screen, and his shoulders immediately slump, “oh goddamnit. Of course. No bars.”

“Well then,” Lewis puts a fist on his hip, “I suppose we’ll just have to wait here until someone notices our absence.”

“Oh good god. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen any time soon,” Zeke huffs, putting his phone away and crossing his arms, “literally nobody will care if we go missing.”

“C’mon, Zeke. Let’s have some faith in our coworkers. I’m… I’m sure they’ll realize we’re gone in no time,” Lewis forces a smile.

“Mm. You don’t sound so sure about that,” Zeke says, which makes Lewis gently bite his lip and redirect his attention elsewhere. The brunette lets out a sigh as he slumps against the closest elevator wall. In order to fill the tense silence, Zeke can’t help but say exactly what he’s thinking, “I wonder how long it took for them to notice when Wallace went missing.”

He feels Lewis’ eyes on him, but he keeps his gaze cast down towards the flattened, pink carpet underfoot. Eventually, Lewis responds, “I don’t know. It - it couldn’t have been all that long. He was in charge of the Hotel & Resort’s functionality, after all.”

Zeke gently nods his head, “yeah. And I guess you are too. Maybe it’s a good thing Mr. Wright is expecting you to finish all that paperwork. You’re always so punctual. It’ll raise some flags if you don’t get it done on time.”

The ginger sighs, and he runs a freckled hand over his cheek in distress. From how stiff his shoulders are and how terrified his eyes look, it almost appears as though the man might have a panic attack. He pats his cheek a few times before collecting himself, “you know… Ah. I think I’m going to take a seat,” he hums. He takes one Lewis-sized stride and arrives at the back wall of the elevator. He uses the handrail to leverage himself down to the floor. As he gets settled, he adds with a hopeless laugh, “much better. Way less claustrophobic down here.”

Zeke watches as the man does his best to get comfortable within their confined space. He sets the detested trash bag off to the side, huffs a few times, and then looks up at his assistant, “look, I couldn’t even touch the ceiling if I wanted to,” Lewis says, an anxious smile growing as he extends his arms straight up towards the incandescent heavens above.

Zeke just gives him a look of light amusement. Really, it feels as though Lewis is doing everything in his power to not lose his cool; his big green eyes plead up towards his assistant, “you’re more than welcome to join me down here. If you want.”

With a sigh, Zeke looks off to the side as he considers his options here: to stand here awkwardly or to sit down awkwardly. Either way, he’s going to be uncomfortable for however long they’ll be trapped in here. Ultimately, he trudges over to Lewis and slides his back down the far back wall. He examines the baseboards and the carpet up close, “when was the last time these elevators were cleaned?”

“Ah… You know, it’s kind of funny,” Lewis starts, folding his long hands together, “I had originally planned for us to do that today. But. Ah… I guess we’ll have to do it later in the week.”

“That’s only if we make it out of here alive,” Zeke half jokes.

Lewis huffs through his nose, and it almost appears as though he attempts to play along, “well, we have roughly three days to be found before our bodies collapse from dehydration.”

“So, what?” Zeke says, and he grins a little as he entertains the idea, “if nobody finds us before… Oh, what day is it? Monday? Yeah. So if nobody finds us before Thursday, we’re already dead.”

“Give or take. Sure.”

“Depressing.”

The two sit in silence for a moment. Zeke feels as though the air has become lighter, despite how stagnant and warm it is in this tiny room. Maybe it’s easier to breathe down here, or maybe their conversation about survival lightened the mood in a strange, morbid sort of way. Now what?

Lewis peers down into his lap, his hands resting gently as he plays at his cuticles, “you know, Zeke… Um. I know we’ve been having a rough afternoon. Do you… Do you feel like talking about it?”

The brunette gives a lighthearted laugh and an eye-roll, “okay, Lewis. I see you. You think you’re so sly; sitting me down, getting me to laugh, and then going all therapist mode.”

“Well, my mom is the best therapist this side of the Delaware,” he hums with a prideful smile, “but, ah… I just feel like it would do us some good to talk it out.”

Zeke gently shrugs, “there’s nothing to talk about. I already said what I needed to say.”

The ginger’s brows furrow gently as he contemplates this. The air starts to feel heavy yet again. After a few moments, Lewis speaks up with a real gentle voice, “can I ask you an honest question then, Zeke?”

“I suppose.”

“Are you… Ah. I guess… I guess I can’t quite wrap my head around you just yet,” Lewis says, which raises the hairs on the back of Zeke’s neck; where the hell is he going with this? Lewis continues, “you’re late at least once a week, but you’re always willing to take on the… Unsightly tasks that I have to ask of you. I guess… Do you respect my leadership? As your boss, not - not on a personal level.”

Zeke puts one knee up towards his chest as he thinks on this. It’s a weighted question, but at least Lewis didn't take that in a different direction. He sighs; maybe he’s just getting into the groove of the job and familiarizing himself with his coworkers, but Lewis seems to be carrying more and more stress each day. The guy is usually composed and professional, but Zeke’s starting to see where that facade is breaking. He shrugs a shoulder as he tries his best to respond, “I mean… I know for a fact that I absolutely don’t respect Mr. Wright.”

“Hm. Can you elaborate on that?”

“Didn’t he let this entire place go to shit? He gave up trying, like, two decades ago. The Hotel is falling apart and the locals apparently hate this place too. Frankly, I don’t even know how he’s keeping the doors open.”

“I suppose I just see it being out of his control.”

Zeke furrows his brow gently, “yeah, but he doesn’t have to keep this place alive. He’s throwing money into a burning pit, and he’s just so old and tired and drunk, that he just pawns all the meaningless work off to someone else.”

There’s a moment of deep consideration from Lewis as he keeps his gaze down towards his anxious hands. Eventually, he gets the courage to say, “you didn’t exactly answer my question.”

“Which was..?”

Lewis’ voice drops, “do you think that I’m a respectable boss?”

As Zeke contemplates on his answer, he thinks about the guy’s incessant note-taking, his anal behavior about this dead-beat job, his hopeless caffeine addiction, and his tendency to kiss Mr. Wright’s ass…

But he also thinks about the time Lewis gifted him home-made cookies from a family recipe, the way he tries to make work as digestible as possible with neatly organized lists, the way he listens while his employees constantly have something to complain about, the way he tries to come up with possible solutions for workplace problems, and the way the man wears a genuine, honest-to-god smile when Zeke comes back to work after his off-day.

Just as the brunette opens his mouth to answer, Lewis unknowingly cuts him off, “it’s okay. I get it,” he clears his throat, and he struggles to get the words out, “look, ah… I know there are a lot of rumors about me in town. But I just want to say that I am not the person that folks like to paint me as.”

“Dude,” Zeke interjects, “what are you going on about?”

The two meet eyes again, and both men look confused. Lewis keeps going, “well… You know. All the gossip about me.”

Zeke just furrows his brow in misunderstanding. Yeah, this is the first time he’s hearing anything about this, but Lewis just keeps on yammering, “all I’m saying, is that the people of Heart Hollow really like to talk. And things often get blown way out of proportion. Especially for someone like me… Being part of the Heart family and all.”

“You lost me, bro.”

Now it’s Lewis’ turn to furrow his brow; the gears are clearly turning in his head. In a split second, his green eyes widen, “ohhh. Oh, Zeke. Are you - you’re not from Heart Hollow, are you?”

The brunette just shakes his head in response before adding, “frankly, it’s kind of weird that everyone keeps assuming that of me. Like I’m supposed to know all the town history, and all the big hotshots around here.”

“And you just moved here?”

“Yeah. When I got this job.”

“Ohhh. Oh wow. Yeah, I suppose that makes sense,” Lewis runs a hand through his ginger hair, messing up his perfectly maintained curls. He’s lost in thought for a few seconds too long. Eventually, he looks back towards his assistant with eager eyes, “I think there’s a lot of historical and cultural significance to this Hotel that you’re missing. And… Maybe if you knew more about the town of Heart Hollow, then you might be able to understand why - ah. Why I give myself to this place like I do.”

“Well, you’ve got until we die of dehydration on Thursday. Think that’s enough time to fill me in?”

“Oh, that’s plenty,” Lewis lights up, smiling very earnestly, and Zeke feels relieved to see his boss looking much more relaxed. He rubs his hands together, “okay. Okay! Gee, where to start…”

As the ginger compiles his thoughts, Zeke makes himself more comfortable. They’re in this for the long haul now. With an elegant voice, Mr. Lewis Lockheart begins: 

“First of all… Welcome to the Pocono Mountains, Zeke. We’re a small section of the Appalachian range, just East of the Delaware River. Due to the fact that we lack natural resources such as coal, oil, or nutrient rich soil, the Poconos have never been a very wealthy region. However, what we lack in resources, we make up for in natural beauty. We have gorgeous sloping hills, gentle waterfalls, and breathtaking views all year round. It’s no wonder that resorts dedicated to honeymooners and lovers began popping up in the region during the mid-twentieth century. The atmosphere here is just… Romantic.”

He continues, “nestled deep within the Poconos, through miles of forest, there’s a small town by the name of Heart Hollow, Pennsylvania. It would become the perfect candidate for one of these so-called honeymoon resorts in the sixties. First of all, the town is perfectly cradled within a ravine, surrounded by some of the steepest mountain peaks in the area. Our infrastructure is a solid reminder of our ancestry’s determination. Our will-power, our strength. We’re blood relatives to some of the most resilient pioneers in the Poconos.

“Secondly, the town was founded under the pretenses of both tragic and fortunate romance alike. Yes, while our pioneer ancestors were forging paths and making an inhospitable land their home… They were lovers first. After all, at the center of our town lies the Great Heart Hollow Oak. It’s our town’s symbol; our reminder to love and to cherish those in our lives while we have them.

“And lastly… While most people consider it folklore these days, we’re fortunate enough to have these grounds protected by the god of love himself: Cupid.”

“Okay, pause,” Zeke butts in, because he’s completely caught off guard. His tone is dripping with disbelief when he asks, “there’s a love god on the Resort grounds?”

“Well, like I said, most people consider Cupid to be folklore these days. But those of us that believe have our own good reasons.”

Zeke clarifies, “you believe in this love god?”

Lewis stammers out, “I - yes. I do. For my own reasons.”

Zeke isn’t exactly sure how to feel about that. It sounds made-up, but maybe he’ll pick Lewis’ brain about it another time. He finally speaks up, “alright, keep going with your story then.”

“Ah. Right,” the ginger hums, taking a second to consolidate his thoughts before continuing, “so. Here’s a little context about our ancestors. Before Heart Hollow was even a township, the land was divided between two large families. To the East of the Great Heart Hollow Oak, were the Wrights. They were tough, and they wanted everyone to know it. And to the West, was a conglomerate of families we call the Hearts. They were tough, but their hearts were tougher.

“Oh, and how the two sides hated each other. Neither side could come to fair agreements regarding resources or land. Some time into the nineteenth century, both sides were faced with an extreme famine. It’s said that hundreds of locals were lost. Ultimately, their cold war was forced to end for the longevity of their bloodlines.”

“Damn,” Zeke hums. While he isn’t a huge history buff, he did enjoy watching the puzzle pieces come together.

“Oh, and I’m really just giving you the highlights. There’s so much more to the history here,” Lewis smiles honestly. At his assistant’s silence, he continues, “once the two families came together, they forgo any property disputes for the greater community. The Heartwoods, however, preserve roughly ninety acres on the West side of town. Up the mountain, towards the heavens, this chunk of land was said to be a religious sanctuary for Cupid. Of course… Some time during the sixties, that last chunk of family land is where Wallace Heartwood decided to build Heart Hollow Honeymoon Hotel & Resort.”

Zeke interjects once again, “okay, let’s say that Cupid really does exist, and that he really is some sort of all powerful being, and that he really is the one true god of love. Wallace turned this religious sanctuary into a Hotel for swingers?”

Lewis takes a sharp breath in, bobbing his head slightly. He then verbally responds, “I mean, truthfully, the Resort wasn’t originally intended for… That. It was a way to celebrate earnest love and undeniable passion.”

“But… He still built it on supposed religious grounds.”

With extreme hesitation, Lewis says, “yes.”

“Right. Okay. Wow. Continue then.”

“Yes. Ah…” the ginger takes a moment before getting right back into it, “so. The Resort was yet another Heart Hollow town monument dedicated to the Heart family’s honest love for romance. Oh, and from how folks talk about it, the place was electrifying under Wallace’s ownership. People claim that they could feel the buzz of passion in the air. But after Wallace’s sudden disappearance… Well. Things changed, of course.”

“And that’s when Mr. Wright stepped in,” Zeke says.

“Yes,” Lewis smiles, “in comes Mr. Andrei Wright to take ownership of the Hotel & Resort away from the Hearts and into the hands of the business savvy Wrights. The place undergoes a massive redesign. From light, airy shades of pinks and purples to build a sweet, innocent atmosphere, Mr. Wright turns the dial towards a more intimate range of colors.”

“And that’s when the place turned into some swinger’s playpen,” Zeke notes, knowing how the rest of the story goes.

The ginger nods his head, “just about.”

There’s a deep moment of consideration. While Zeke didn’t grow up here, he can feel the impact of the story in the air. After a moment, he peers over towards his boss, “so, I’m all filled in on the story. But… How does your family fit into all this? It was just about the lovey-dovey Heartwoods and the big-bad Wrights.”

“Oh, yes. Well, if you recall, I mentioned that the West side of the Great Oak belonged to the Heart family conglomerate. My dad’s side of the family, the Lockhearts, are one of many families that belong to that group.”

“Ah… So, it’s like this strong familial bond then, huh?”

“In a sense, yes.”

“Hm,” Zeke thinks on this for a few moments. He eventually states, “you know you can forge your own path, right? Like… You don’t have to stay here and get exploited by Mr. Wright just because great grandpa Lockheart would have wanted you to.”

Lewis smiles sheepishly, “well, I - I kind of don’t have a choice. There’s really not a lot of opportunities for me outside of this Hotel.”

The brunette shifts his body to face him, “is being confined to this run-down shithole really that important to you?”

Lewis furrows his brow and looks down into his lap, “it’s… It’s kind of like this, okay? Stick with me for a moment.”

“Sure.”

“Heart Hollow Hotel is kind of like… It’s kind of like an old family quilt. It’s something that’s been in my family for generations. It’s provided my family with shelter, comfort, warmth, meaning. It’s been passed down from generation, to generation, to generation. And, at some point, it’s finally been passed down to me.

“Although now… Now it’s nothing more than a memory of what it was once. The seams are ripping loose, the insides are falling out, the patchwork doesn’t match. It’s far too raggedy to provide anyone with shelter, or comfort, or warmth, or meaning. But… It’s mine. And it was my father’s, my grandfather’s, and my great-grandfather’s. So I take the old scraps of fabric with pride. I tend to it, clean it, patch it…

“Sure, in order to preserve it, I’m keeping it away from everyone else,” he sighs, “but it’s still here. It just doesn’t serve its original purpose anymore. Now it’s just a symbol of what my bloodline has lived through. Nobody else will take the responsibility… So. Here I am,” Lewis concludes, a gentle melancholic smile on his face.

Zeke stays quiet for several moments in order to fully consider Lewis’ monologue. He watches as the ginger peers down towards his hands, anxiously intertwining his fingers in thought. Lewis provides a solid argument, but Zeke still doesn’t feel satisfied, so he says, “I get where you’re coming from. I do. But… Dude. It feels like tending to this place is your whole life. Like… When’s the last time you tended to you?”

Lewis peers over to his assistant. He deeply considers this before biting his lip and nodding his head gently. He looks away as he responds, “sorry if this is forward. But… Do you have strong ties to your family, Zeke?”

“I mean. I guess. Uh - not right now though. I live alone.”

“That must be lonely.”

“Yeah. I miss em, don’t get me wrong,” Zeke shrugs lightly, “but… I dunno. Family’s just difficult.”

Lewis lets out a gentle laugh, “oh, I get it. Trust me.”

“So why do you put up with all this? If your family is wack, if this place is actively falling apart, if Mr. Wright treats you like shit.”

“I’m loyal to a fault. And I know that. But… Well. Here I am,” he says light-heartedly, despite the implications. There’s another aching moment of silence, and Zeke gazes towards the carpet under him. This seems to be a fairly complex dilemma that Lewis has weighing on his broad shoulders. He leans his back against the elevator wall and struggles to find anything else to say. It’s just silence again, his thoughts drowning out the constant electrical hum of the lights.

Zeke picks at his nails as he finally decides to say, “I never answered your question earlier.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. Which one?”

“You asked me if I respected you as a boss or not.”

“Ah… Yes. I recall.”

Zeke’s dark brown gaze wanders over to his boss, “I know my opinion doesn’t really matter, but I respect you. More as a person than as a boss, though,” he says with a playful smirk.

A light, genuine smile forms on the ginger’s face. He soaks up the comment, almost basking in it. He gently states, “your opinion means more than you know, Zeke. Thank you.”

The brunette lets his gaze fall back down to his fingernails where he picks to relieve the tension. He just gives a nonchalant shrug. At the silence, Lewis babbles, “and… Ah. Thank you for letting me ramble about this town, Zeke. I love the history here. It’s… It’s nice to be listened to. To - to be heard, if anything.”

Suppressing a grin, Zeke just says, “any time.”

While Lewis’ family is here, it seems as though he carries this burden alone. Does he have friends that he can talk to about this?

Or maybe…

Lewis is completely alone here, just like Zeke.

❧

An hour passes. And then another.

Zeke and Lewis carry light conversations, and when they’re not talking about anything, the irritatingly loud hum of the overhead lights is deafening. While Lewis anxiously stirs, Zeke remains seated as he keeps himself busy with various puzzle games on his phone; by now, his battery is looking pretty abysmal.

Lewis gets up from his seat a few times, tapping at the buttons on the elevator’s panel in a desperate attempt at being in control. He tries knocking on the elevator door, seeking to alert anyone or anything of their situation. He even goes so far as to try tugging at the door… To no avail, unfortunately. How long are they going to stay trapped in here? Another hour, another day? Surely, someone’s realized they’re missing by now.

Time ticks on, and the two find new ways to stay preoccupied as to keep their restless minds at ease. To Zeke’s suggestion, the two find themselves playing a few games of hangman on a doodling app. It’s Lewis’ turn to guess a nine letter word, however it isn’t looking too hot for Zeke’s crudely drawn stick figure. As Lewis decides what letter to guess next, they both hear a light scratching noise on the outside of the elevator door. They make eye contact, and Zeke’s big brown eyes nearly pop out of his head as he asks in a hushed tone, “did’ya hear that?”

Lewis just nods his head real fast.

“Maybe it’s the fire department?” Zeke asks genuinely.

“Well, like I said, they don’t come up here anymore.”

“Oh, right. Maybe it’s the police department then?”

Lewis huffs out of his nose in amusement as he says, “I doubt Sheriff Stoneheart would waste the resources. I mean, unless it’s a real emergency, which, I’d hardly classify this as - "

“Shhh!” Zeke shushes the man, because he hears a much louder sound of metal on metal. In just a moment, the most glorious thing finally happens; after hours of waiting and sweating it out, the door to the elevator begins to slide open. On the other side, they see the ground level’s elevator access at a peculiar height. Sliding the door open, is no other than the Hotel’s maintenance man himself.

“Well, ahoy in there!” Lauren’s bright, beaming voice graces their ears. If only they had more than a foot of space to worm their way out, because Zeke would have hopped right on out and hugged the guy for rescuing them.

“Lauren, oh thank goodness,” Lewis smiles, staying seated as to get a better view of the outside world.

Zeke practically crawls across the ground to the small opening, “oh thank the lord - fresh air.”

“Good to see you two! Kara noticed that you two went missing,” Lauren smiles his usual, vibrant smile as he adds, “glad to see you guys are okay in there. Hold tight, I’ll go get a ladder.”

As Lauren disappears out of sight around the corner, Kara steps into the small frame, and she looks up at the two with those classic sharp gray eyes of hers, “ew. You two are, like, super sweaty.”

Zeke peers down at her, and his eyebrows quickly furrow, “yeah, well, we’ve been trapped in here with no AC during the dead of summer. Shit’s like a sauna.”

Lewis speaks up from the back of the elevator, “how’d you know to find us in here, Ms. Min?”

“Couldn’t use the elevator. Oh, yeah, and Cherry told me to tell you that she had to leave early to pick her brother up from the airport,” she hums, leaning her body a bit to look at her ginger boss, “hey. You two weren’t screwing in there, were you?”

Immediately, Lewis begins to nag, “why, I’d hardly say that’s an appropriate question to ask your manager.”

“Quit that shit, Kara,” Zeke warns.

“Damnit. Now I owe Cherry twenty bucks,” Kara rolls her eyes, “thanks for making me broke, Mr. Asexual.”

Zeke’s brows raise, because he keeps forgetting about that little lie. He just grins as he bullshits a response, “not my fault that you’ve only got twenty dollars to your name.”

Then, Lauren steps into the frame with a decently sized ladder. He props the thing up against the open elevator shaft, “and here we go! Careful coming out, you two. The powers off, but who knows! I’ve seen some crazy things happen with elevators before.”

Zeke goes first, carefully sliding his way out and down the ladder. It’s a bit trickier for Lewis, considering the guy is built much sturdier than his brunette assistant. Still, he manages to slide his way out and down to the surface. He brushes himself off and tries to fix his curly red locks, “thank you, both. Genuinely.”

“No prob, boss man,” Lauren smiles as he collects the ladder.

“I literally just said something because of this bet I had going with Cherry,” Kara retorts as she takes her phone out to contact her best friend. As she departs up the stairs, she says, “later, losers.”

Lauren drops his voice, “hey, if you two need a little spot - "

“Nope, we’re good,” Lewis smiles a bashful kind of smile, “if you wouldn’t mind just getting this elevator back up and running, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

“Ten-four, boss man!” Lauren beams. He hoists up the ladder and treks down the long Hotel hallway.

Zeke and Lewis stand alone in the open air of the ground level. The large, floor-to-ceiling windows opening out to the patio show that the day is almost over as the sun is well into its descent over the sky.

“Well,” Zeke starts to fill the silence, “guess you better get started on that paperwork, huh?”

“Oh,” Lewis sighs, his shoulders slumping just a bit in exhaustion, “I suppose I do need to finish that today.”

Zeke peers off to the side, “do you… Need some help?”

This clearly catches Lewis off guard. He hesitates before he finally says, “you know what, Zeke? Let’s finish it up tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your night. I - I think we both earned it.”

Zeke perks up, “yeah?”

“Yeah. Go catch up on some sleep.”

The brunette just smiles, “that’s cool of you. Thanks, Lewis,” he hums, putting a fist out towards the man.

Lewis falters for a moment before gently bumping his freckled fist on Zeke’s. He says, “hey… Zeke? Real quick.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

He hesitates before saying, “I hope there’s no hard feelings about earlier today. I… Ah. I should have prioritized your needs first. You were requesting my help, and - well, I was so concerned about finishing this paperwork. I - I’m sorry for brushing you off, Zeke.”

The brunette tilts his head to the side, because Lewis is always so adamant about calling out his own mistakes and apologizing. Zeke shrugs lightly, “it’s cool, man. I, uh… I didn’t mean to shove you earlier. Or, like, totally explode. Sorry about that.”

“Water under the bridge, Zeke. I, ah… Well. I appreciate you voicing your frustrations regarding Mr. Wright and I’s professional relationship. I will definitely be considering what you said.”

“Yeah, man. You deserve better. Which is why I’m going to start showing up on time,” Zeke says with a playful tone, despite being serious about this new change.

Lewis smiles a small, yet earnest smile, “then I’ll see you at eight tomorrow morning?”

“You got it, boss,” Zeke grins, “see you tomorrow.”