Chapter Twenty Seven



It took ten minutes to reach the hotel. It was called ‘The Sheraton Sonesta’.
It was a large hotel. With a large marble reception area and grand staircase. The Egyptians did like their marble and large open spaced buildings. An old fashioned elevator with porter included took Fara, her suitcase and Rowi, with her suitcase up to their rooms. Although they were meant to be sharing, David and co had managed to jiggle the booking around so that they all now had separate rooms. Fara and Rowi were to have rooms next door to each other. Although Fara found a connecting door in her room, it didn’t open up into Rowi’s. Fara tried the door. It was locked shut.
‘I’ve a connecting door too’ Rowi told Fara when she mentioned it to her friend, ‘mine, opens up into Seb’s’ she winked.
‘Mine had better not…’ Fara started fuming.
‘He wouldn’t‘ Rowi soothed, ‘Anyway, his…wouldn’t like that’ Rowi waved a hand about.
‘Hope so’ Fara sighed, sitting on her bed.
‘Hey, have you noticed the view?’ Rowi asked.
‘Yes’ Fara sighed again. The rooms looked out onto the Nile. On the opposite side you could just about make out The Valley of the Kings.
‘Hey’ Rowi said, investigating Fara’s bathroom, ‘you have a shower AND a bath’
‘Don’t you…?’ Fara asked.
‘Nope’ Rowi shook her head, ‘just a shower’
‘Oh…right’
‘Wonder why…’ Rowi asked.
‘I don’t know’ Fara shrugged.
What had happened was, when David had found out the girls were staying in the same hotel as them, he had taken it upon himself to ‘upgrade’ the rooms and now each man was paying for their ladies rooms. Not, that the girls knew this of course.
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Urs was shown to his room. He noticed the connecting door. He checked the wardrobes. Strange. No sign of Laura. He let out a sigh of relief then unlocked the connecting door. He slowly opened it and peered around the door. He could hear the sound of a shower going. He sneaked into the room and up to the bathroom door. He slowly opened it and looked inside. It was Fara, taking a shower. He noticed a scratch mark on her back and noticed the freckles on her shoulders. He smiled to himself then slowly and quietly went back to his own room, leaving the connecting door unlocked and had his own shower. A cold one. As he showered he whistled. Part of him wondering where Laura was. And glad that she wasn’t here and now with him.
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Laura was actually in the right hotel. But in the wrong room.
It turned out that the hotel had put her in Carlos’ room by mistake.
She squealed in shock and dropped her towel when Carlos and not Urs walked into the room.
‘Hello Laura’ Carlos dryly said on seeing her.
‘Where…is Urs?’ she spat, covering herself up again.
‘Right number. Wrong floor’ Carlos laughed.
‘Which…floor?’ Laura demanded.
‘Sorry. Can’t remember’ Carlos easily lied.
‘Tell me!’ she demanded, stamping her foot.
‘Nope. Sorry. Its gone’
‘Why you…’ she reached out a hand.
‘Smack me, and I’ll have you done for assault’ Carlos laughed.
‘And I’ll do you for…for…’ words failed her.
‘Try anything, and I’ll back up Carlos’ Cydalia said, coming out of the connecting door.
‘Who….are you?’ Laura glared at her.
‘Cydalia. Friend of Carlos. And you?’
‘Urs’ fiancée!’ Laura laughed.
‘No. You can’t be that’ Cydalia replied.
‘I can. And I am!’ Laura stamped her foot again, clutching at her towel as it slipped a little.
‘Nope. Sorry. Don’t believe you’ Cydalia now laughed.
‘Stop laughing at me!’ now Laura sounded like a spoil child.
‘Why should I?’ Cydalia asked.
Laura snorted loudly then ran to the bathroom, closing the door with a loud slam behind her.

A moment later, Cydalia and Carlos could hear loud crying and the sounds of someone trying to destroy the room.
‘So, that’s Laura then’ said Cydalia to Carlos.
‘Yes’ he nodded.
‘Yuck!’
‘That is why I am not surprised Urs fell in love with the lovely Fara’ Carlos agreed.
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Laura dressed in the bathroom then stormed down to reception.
‘I am in the wrong room’ she shouted at the lady on the desk.
‘I am sorry…’
‘I hope you are!’ Laura interrupted.
‘…but I have no idea who you are’ the receptionist carried on. Her name badge read ‘Irena’
‘I am Laura Walker’ Laura snapped.
‘Ms Walker…’ Irena bought Laura’s room details up, ‘you are in room….48.…floor 5’ Irena said.
‘Wrong room!’ Laura snapped again.
‘Which is…your right room?’ Irena carefully asked.
‘Mr Buhler’s room’ came the angry reply.
‘Room 48. Floor 5 is Mr Buhler’s room’
‘No it isn’t! its Mr…Marin’s room!’
‘No’ Irena smiled, tapping at her keyboard, ‘Mr Marin has room number 48...floor 8’
‘Floor 8?’ Laura asked.
‘Floor 8’ Irena agreed.
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Laura stormed up to floor 8. She knocked on door 48.
David’s head appeared out of the room. ‘Laura’ he exclaimed.
‘Where’s Urs?’ Laura barked.
‘Not here’
‘Its his room’
‘No it isn’t. Its mine’ replied David, smiling.
‘HA!’ Laura snorted.
‘It is. If you don’t believe me…come in and check’ David offered.
‘Humph!’ Laura moaned, charging into the room.
He was right. It was David’s room. All of his stuff, clothes and things were hanging in the wardrobe, and in the bathroom.
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Laura charged back down to reception.
‘Mr…Izambard’s room?’ she asked Irena.
Irena tapped at her keyboard, ‘Room…46. Floor 6’ she said.
Up to floor 6, room 46. But that really did contain Seb. Laura went back down to reception. Little did she know. Right floor. Wrong room.
‘Mr…Miller’s room?’ Laura asked.
‘Mr Miller isn’t booked into this hotel Madame’ Irena replied.
‘God!’ Laura exclaimed. She stormed back up to Seb’s room.
She knocked and waited. No reply. But she could hear him inside. She knocked again. Still no reply.
‘SEBASTIEN IZAMBARD!’ she shouted as loud as she could. The door finally opened. It wasn’t Seb but a woman.
‘I’m afraid Seb is…unavailable at the moment’ giggled Rowi.
‘Isn’t…? Open this door! I demand to see him!’
‘Sorry, you can’t make me. You’re not the hotel manager’ Rowi replied.
‘I can get him’ Laura snorted.
‘Go on then’ challenged Rowi.
‘This room, was booked for one person!’
‘We have a connecting door’ Rowi coolly replied.
‘A…?’
‘Connecting door’ Rowi repeated.
‘Humph!’ snorted Laura, charging off.