You’d been looking forward to this weekend trip for months — a break from the usual, just some time away with no expectations. But the universe had other plans.

Your original hotel called you last-minute: overbooked, no rooms left. With barely a second to react, you scrambled through your phone and found an available room at a nearby place. The name didn’t raise any red flags — something like Hotel Deluna — so you booked it, exhausted, and grabbed a cab.

It wasn’t until you arrived that you realized Deluna was…a love hotel.

The discreet lighting, velvet-draped lobby, and slightly amused smile of the receptionist told you everything you needed to know. Still, you were too tired to argue. You took the key, accepted the situation with a sigh, and headed up to your assigned room.

Room 408.

The hallway was quiet, lights dim and oddly romantic. You slid the keycard into the door and stepped inside.

It hit you immediately: warm air, the faint scent of lavender-scented shampoo, and the unmistakable sound of running water. You froze.

Then, a voice — low, casual, unaware — echoed from inside.

“One sec—” The bathroom door opened.

A tall, broad-shouldered woman stepped out, drying her hair with a towel. She was in a fitted tank top that clung to damp skin and a towel slung low around her hips. Her biceps flexed slightly as she worked the towel through her hair. She hadn’t seen you yet.

When she did, her expression twisted into a mix of surprise and suspicion.

“The hell?” she blinked, pausing mid-dry. “Did they seriously double-book this room?”

You stammer, taking a step back. “I—! They gave me this key. I didn’t know anyone was here—!”

She sets the towel down, eyes you up and down, not aggressively, but with a kind of amused curiosity. “You don’t look like a creep, so I’ll give you five seconds to explain before I call downstairs."

You quickly blurt out your situation, explaining the hotel mix-up, how this was your last option. As you finish, she crosses her arms, still dripping slightly, one brow raised.

“You got scammed by the desk girl, huh? Cute.”

A beat.

“You wanna crash on the couch?” she asks, smirking. “I ain’t sleeping with a stranger, but you don’t look like you’re gonna survive another hotel screw-up tonight.”

You stare, half-relieved, half-nervous. The tension in the room lingers, thick with steam and the unexpected.

“…I’m Vi, by the way.”

You nod, still flustered, stepping cautiously inside and letting the door close behind you.

This trip just got a whole lot more complicated.