The Door Behind Her Clicks Shut

The sound is faint, but because the bathroom is so close to the entrance, she hears it clearly. She freezes, a bead of water trailing down her neck as she recalls her mother's words from earlier.

"Grace, you take the room key since the conference will run late. When I chime the bell or knock on the door, just open it for me. It'll be night by then, so you'll be back in the room, right?"

Grace stops mid-shower, her heart skipping a beat. Her mom must be back from the conference.

She turns off the water and wraps a towel around her body. The faint sense of unease creeps in, but she shakes it off. It's probably nothing, just her mom coming back to the room as expected.

But as she hurries toward the door, something feels off.

"Mom? Mom?" Grace calls out, her voice uncertain.

There's only a silence.

"Mom?" she repeats, her voice tinged with confusion.

And then, from the other side of the door, a voice responds. "Yes, Grace, it's me."

It's faint and unclear, but it sounds like her mom's voice—at least, it's familiar.

"I'm coming," Grace says, her voice shaky as she stands in front of the door.

She opens it.

But there's no one there.

Her breath catches in her throat as she blinks and looks down the hallway. Left. Right. Nothing. The hall is completely empty. A strange, cold sensation prickles the back of her neck, and she feels an inexplicable unease coil in her stomach.

What's going on here? Grace thinks, hesitating as she pushes the door open just enough to slip one foot into the dimly lit hallway.

The air feels unnaturally still, the kind of silence that presses against her ears. She leans forward slightly, peering down the corridor. It's quiet—too quiet.

Where did my mom just go? she wonders, her brows knitting together. 

A flicker of doubt sparks in her mind.

Or... was it even my mom who answered in the first place?

A chill slithers down her spine, prickling every nerve as the realization blooms. Now that she replays the voice in her head, it sounds... wrong. Familiar, yes—but distorted. Off, in a way she can't quite name. A breath too long between words. A tone that doesn't match her mother's warmth.

Her heart skips.

That's when the door behind her clicks shut with a soft thud.

Grace freezes.

The door. She realizes with a jolt that she's left the key inside the room. She spins around, grasping the doorknob, pulling, but the door doesn't budge. Of course it doesn't. The key is still inside.

Oh no… Grace's heart pounds as a rush of panic sweeps over her. 

She's standing in the hallway, wrapped only in a towel that barely covers her body. Water drips from her hair, leaving a trail on the floor beneath her feet.

What am I supposed to do now? she thinks, her mind racing. Go to the lobby like this and ask for another key?

She lets out a disbelieving laugh, a sound that echoes eerily in the empty corridor. But it's the least of her worries.

And what was that? Who knocked on the door and then disappeared?

A shiver crawls up her spine, and she feels the hairs on her neck stand on end. Her pulse quickens as she stares back at the closed door, a creeping sense of something… wrong hanging in the air.

"Yes, it was a memorable time. I'll just take the night off here and head back to L. Bingo tomorrow afternoon, I guess. Yeah, Eugene. Stay well at the resort. It would have been better if you'd booked at this hotel too. Well, right, you always love to stay where there's a good fitness room," Julian says with a smile, holding his phone to his ear as he walks down the corridor.

With the phone call ended, he slips the phone into his pants pocket, turning his focus back to the quiet hotel hallway. But then, his steps falter.

Grace Silver...?

Julian blinks in disbelief as his eyes land on her. There she is—standing in front of room 1105, her body wrapped only in a towel, her wet hair dripping water onto the floor. She's shaking her head as if to clear it, her eyes focused on the ground.

The moment stretches out, and the hallway seems to quiet down even further.

Then, as if on cue, their gazes meet.

For a brief second, time seems to freeze. The silence between them is palpable, thick, and awkward. Neither of them speaks.

"Professor…?" Grace's voice is barely a whisper, filled with disbelief. Her cheeks instantly flush with embarrassment, and she crosses her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself as much as possible. "Oh, no…" she murmurs to herself, her face turning crimson. 

She quickly turns away, her body stiff with embarrassment.

Julian stands there, momentarily frozen. He's caught off guard, unsure of what to say or do. His mouth opens, but the words don't come.

"What are you doing there?" Julian asks, his voice laced with surprise as he looks at Grace's back, her body wrapped in nothing but a towel.

"The door is locked. The key's inside," Grace says, her body still turned away from him, her posture stiff with embarrassment.

Julian's eyes narrow as he takes in the situation, and a smirk forms on his lips—one that isn't sarcastic but genuine, as if he finds this whole moment oddly amusing. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, still grinning to himself.

"I'll call the lobby for the master key, then," he says, dialing the front desk number. "Just stay there."

"Thanks…" Grace murmurs, her voice small and muffled, still facing away from him.

Julian stands in front of his own room, 1108, deliberately leaving some distance between them for her sake. His fingers tap impatiently on the phone, waiting for the lobby to pick up.

After a few rings, the front desk answers.

"Hello, this is Kingston Hotel Front Desk. How can we assist you?"

"Hello, I'm staying here for the night, and there's a…" Julian pauses for a moment, his gaze drifting back to Grace, who's still standing with her back to him. "…a lady here who, uh, left her room key in the car. She can't get in. Can you please bring the key for room number…" He looks up at the number on the door. "1105, please? Yes, thank you."

The call ends, and Julian looks back at Grace, who, now sensing the situation has been handled, slowly turns around to face him.

"Thank you," she says, her voice soft, almost shy.

Julian suppresses the laughter from this silly situation but his lips curl into a tight smile.

"Well, once the hotelier brings the master key, you'll be able to go in," he says, trying to sound calm.

He hesitates for a moment, debating whether he should wait for the hotelier to come up and give her the key or simply go inside his own room. After a brief moment of thought, he decides it might be less awkward for Grace if he just disappears from her sight.

"Well, have a good night, then," Julian says with a quick smile, scanning the room key on the doorknob. 

But just before he steps inside, his phone rings again.

"Yes?" he answers, raising an eyebrow.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but the room key-making machine is not working right now. We have the master keys, but unfortunately, they're all malfunctioning as well," the hotelier on the other end of the line says, his tone apologetic.

"What?" Julian's voice betrays his surprise as he looks over at Grace, who's now staring at him, confused.

She gives him a look, as if silently asking, "What's going on?"

Julian doesn't even know what to say.

"Well, how about this lady then?" he says, his voice flustered. "How is she supposed to get into her room?" He holds the phone between his ear and shoulder, still glancing at Grace for any sign of understanding.

The hotelier's voice comes through again, offering more apologies, "Okay, I see… I understand. All right, then."

Julian hangs up the phone, still in disbelief. He looks at Grace and they just stand there, exchanging a long, awkward silence. Their eyes meet, and for a moment, neither of them speaks.

"Umm…" Julian begins, his fingers nervously fidgeting with the phone in his hand. He looks away for a second, feeling the uncomfortable weight of the situation. "The master keys are all broken, and the key registration system isn't working right now."

"What?" Grace asks, her voice filled with disbelief. 

She's holding onto the towel wrapped tightly around her body, her hands almost gripping it to make sure it doesn't slip.

Julian shifts uncomfortably, his eyes darting to the ceiling as if searching for some solution in the air. 

"Well…" he begins, his voice softer now, the awkwardness heavy in the air. "Why don't you... come stay in my room until they fix it?"

Grace freezes. She blinks at him, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and surprise. She can tell that even Julian feels awkward saying it, but the words hang in the air between them, undeniable.

For a few moments, neither of them speaks. Grace looks at him, trying to process what he just said. Despite the awkwardness, there's a part of her that knows he's trying to help. But still, the situation feels strange.