Dangerous Light

With the clock on the living room wall just approaching midnight, Max steps out of his bedroom and closes the door silently behind him. Glancing around the large room, he takes in just how quiet and dark the suite is. This has got to be the only room in this entire city that is this… dead. The last word makes him cringe, along with thoughts of his new friend Athena and her current predicament.

“You look pretty spiffy,” there is an amusement of sorts laced in her tone. “You got a hot date, or something?”

Max nearly jumps out of his skin, spinning toward the large couch that divides the foyer from the living room. “What are you doing awake at this hour?”

Athena slowly pulls herself to sit up on the couch, her legs covered by a small throw blanket. “I would ask you the same thing, but… it’s kind of obvious.”

The floor to ceiling windows across the room let in the only light that the room possesses at the moment, which is just enough for Max to decipher the outline of Athena’s body. “Where’s Jordan?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Athena refers to Max’s unreadable tone.

Sitting down on the couch across from the young woman, Max shrugs. “He’s just been… attached to your hip the past few days. I’m surprised he let you out of his room.”

Scoffing, Athena leans back and shakes her head. “He was getting cabin fever. I told him to go blow off some steam and that I needed some alone time. He was out the door at nearly ten-thirty.”

“Really?” Max inquires. “Why would he do that?”

“Because I asked him to?” Athena shrugs simply. “I know that none of this is easy for him. It’s probably hurting him more than it is me.”

Shaking his head, Max quietly sighs. “Ma belle, you put up with far too much from Jordan.”

Athena smiles sadly. “You better get going, Max. I wouldn’t want you to miss any of the hot Vegas tail running amuck.”

“Ma belle,” Max shakes his head, making no effort to move from his place on the couch. “I can’t just leave you here—”

“Yes, you can, Superstar.” The smile in her voice is audible. “You guys are only in Vegas, for what, another day or two? You need to go have fun. I’m not going anywhere; I’ll be here when you get back.”

Max feels like this is the same speech that the young blonde gave Jordan, just hours ago. Something in her voice is so genuine, like she actually wants him to go out and have fun while she just… lays here in the dark, alone.

When Max says nothing, he sees Athena slowly stand up from her spot on the couch and walk over to him. “C’mon, you’re all dressed and ready to go. You’re going out and having fun tonight.”

Athena pulls Max off of the couch, with all of the physical strength that she can muster. Of course, he helps her out. Silently, Athena drags Max through the dark hotel suite and into the foyer. “Just go have fun, okay? Have a couple of drinks for me, too.”

“Are you going to be okay—”

Athena crosses her arms under her chest. “I’ve got Sidney here to babysit me. You think he’ll let anything happen to me?”

She has a point… Max thinks to himself, staring down at her.

Reaching past Max, Athena unlocks and pulls the door open with one hand. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Ma belle, you’re kicking me out of my own hotel room.” Max puts his hand on his chest, poorly acting appalled.

Athena leans against the edge of the door, smirking. “And you’re letting me. What’s the world coming to?”

Max slowly moves out the door, getting Athena’s point. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I promise.” Athena pulls her lips into a tight smile. “Now get outta here.”



As soon as Athena closes the door behind Max, the feeling that plagued her earlier finds its way back onto her. Slowly rubbing her clammy palms onto her short, cotton shorts, Athena begins tiptoeing toward Sidney’s bedroom door. Quickly, she brushes the backs of her hands against her tearstained face and lightly taps her knuckles on the door. Of course, there is no response.

Making no noise, Athena slowly turns the doorknob and gently opens the door to poke her head into the pitch black room. A minuscule green light is coming from the alarm clock on the night stand, but it is nowhere near enough of a light source for Athena to comfortably find her way around. Walking at a sloth like pace, Athena barely picks her feet up off of the ground and holds her arms out to avoid running into anything.

As her eyes begin to adjust, Athena can see Sidney’s figure under the covers, still and peaceful, on the other side of the large bed. Slowly, she lowers herself onto the bed and silently lays her head on one of the pillows. The sound of Sidney’s soft snoring is the noise that lulls Athena into a superficial sleep.



A muffled noise pulls Sidney out of his slumber. Instinctively, he turns his head toward the noise. His tired eyes adjust to the darkness of the room and he can see a body resting on the other side of the bed. A body that is making sniffling noises while seemingly asleep.

Slowly, he reaches out and moves her long hair out of her hot, damp face. Sidney frowns, knowing that Athena is crying in her sleep. Waking her is tempting, but Sidney is unsure if it is a good idea. After a moment of watching the young blonde’s unsteady breathing, Sidney’s impulses get the better of him as he reaches out and runs his thumb over her tearstained cheek.

Athena’s watery eyes slowly open and Sidney quickly takes his hand back.

“Are you alright?” Sidney quietly asks. As soon as the words leave his mouth, he wants to slap himself in the forehead.

After a second, Athena nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

In silence, Athena and Sidney lay and stare at each other. Sidney’s hand finds its way back to Athena’s cheek. Her face is still hot, but it is no longer wet with salty tears.

Her voice is uncharacteristically raspy, “I didn’t mean to wake you up…”

Sidney shakes his head, “you didn’t wake me up.”

The smile that pulls at the corner of Athena’s lips is subtle.

Sidney thinks about the past couple of days and smiles when he feels the smile on Athena’s face, under his hand. He gently runs his thumb over her cheek again, “you should smile more.”

“I guess I haven’t really smiled in the past two days, have I?” Athena whispers. Her petite, icy hand rests on Sidney’s.

Before Sidney has the chance to open his mouth, an obnoxious ringing emerges from his nightstand. Really?! Seriously, right now?!

Athena relinquishes the warm hand that kept her face warm and sighs quietly. Looking toward the window, she sees sunlight creeping through the edge of the heavy curtains. Sidney notices it too, as he sits up and grabs his Blackberry off of his nightstand. “Yes?”

“That’s no way to answer your phone,” a familiar voice drunkenly laughs. “What are you doing?”

Shaking his head, Sidney gets the urge to hang up on Jordan. “Nothing. What are you doing?”

“I’m sitting outside of the hotel room, in the same spot I’ve been in for the past few hours. I was wondering if you could let me in?”

“Don’t you have key?” Sidney asks, shaking his head.

Athena, now sitting up, gives Sidney a funny look. The lamp on the nightstand near her bedside is dimly illuminating the room.

“I left it here last night.” Jordan hiccups. “Please, man. I really gotta—”

Sidney shakes his head, “okay, okay! I’ll see you in a minute.”

Athena watches Sidney hang up and climb out of the bed. “Is something the matter?”

“Jordan went out last night?” Sidney walks around the bed, toward the door.

The young blonde simply nods.

Sidney smirks. “He’s been sitting outside of the room for a couple hours now.”

Sidney watches Athena buzz past him, making a beeline through the suite toward the foyer. He trails her, in no rush, knowing that Jordan is not going anywhere.

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Athena whispers, opening the hotel door and staring down to her immediate right.

The look of worry on her features is worse than the concern lacing her tone, and Sidney sees it first hand as he leans against the threshold of the hotel room door. “Did you have fun last night?”

Jordan hiccups, looking between Sidney and Athena. “Yeah. It was a good time.”

Athena looks from Sidney, to Jordan’s outstretched hands toward her. Reluctantly, she slips her hands in Jordan’s large paws and struggles to pull him up.

Sidney’s awkward offer to help goes ignored by the two blondes.

Jordan grumbles as he puts all of his drunken weight onto Athena, when he is finally standing.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Athena’s struggle is evident in her voice.

Sidney silently closes the door once the two blondes are in the safety of the hotel room, knowing that his help will be refused. He watches from his spot against the door as Athena practically carries Jordan to bed. Her frame wasn’t made to carry that much weight, Sidney thinks to himself as he shakes his head.



“I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that this morning wasn’t the first time you’ve tended to a drunken Jordan,” Sidney smirks.

Athena stirs her lemon water and simply shrugs, a smirk tugging at her lips, “what gave it away?”

“Lucky guess, I suppose.”

Smiling, Athena leans back into the cushiony booth. “Thanks for inviting me to brunch this morning, Sid.”

Sidney looks up from his glass, surprised to hear her thank him. He smiles and stumbles over his words, “i-it’s no problem.”

Both Athena and Sidney are quiet when the waitress brings their food, seemingly not able to leave fast enough to tend to her magazine back at the counter.

“Obviously one of Vegas’ finer servers,” Athena mutters under her breath.

Sidney laughs, causing Athena to giggle as well.

The same thought runs through their heads, after they stop giggling and look up from their breakfast plates, making eye contact. I’m gonna miss this…