Another day of paradise, I thought to myself, as I woke up in my luxurious bed.

It was so comfortable I almost didn't want to get out of it, but if I didn't make it to the lobby before noon, I'd miss out on the breakfast bar again. It's already been one day since I arrived and I'd be damned if I miss another chance at free food. I jumped out of bed, stretching as I got up.

The floral wallpaper was a nice touch to the island-themed hotel room I was staying at. Even the furniture fit the theme. This place really went all out to make sure you were able to relax. Work had been so stressful lately, but it was nice to take a few days off to de-stress every now and then.

If only Ethan didn't have that conference to attend, he could've came here with me. I heard this place had a nice couple's massage, and I really wanted the chance to spend more time with him. But he knew I needed this, so I should try and make sure I enjoyed the next few days for his sake.

I quickly got dressed, changing out of my silk pajamas, and switching it for a floral t-shirt and some shorts. Throwing on a hat for good measure, I felt ready to head down to breakfast.

The hallways were all empty and white, which was super jarring for a nice place like this, but I just discounted it all as renovations happening. I'm sure they'd fix it up in no time. With the amount of paying customers I saw walking around, this hotel had to be making serious money.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before I was out of the hallways and in the lobby. The lobby itself was just as, if not more than, decorated as the room I was renting. Something about all the island-themed furniture set my mind at ease even if a tiny voice screamed that nothing was right.

"Welcome, esteemed guests," a woman at the front of the lobby announced. "The breakfast bar will be open for another thirty minutes, so please come and enjoy yourselves while you can."

I licked my lips, eager for food. The line was long but it was worth it. Freshly made omelettes, a make your own pancake machine, muffins, cereal, and more. The orange juice was even squeezed right before your eyes. They even had milk and chocolate syrup ready to make chocolate milk.

There were also coffee options, too, but I wasn't interested in those. Coffee was never my thing. I embraced my inner child and made chocolate milk to go with a cheesy egg omelette I picked up.

Content with my harvest, I walked over towards an empty table to the back of the sitting area. It was near a window but the curtains covered them, so there was no view of outside. It didn't really matter. All the view I needed was right here on my plate. After I ate, I'd explore outside.

Ethan would've loved it here. I reached for my phone to take a picture to send him, but then I realized I didn't bring my phone with me. I somehow stupidly left it back at my parent's house. That was so unlike me, too. I usually made list upon list before I would travel anywhere.

Maybe the hotel's gift shop had a camera I could buy, and I could take a picture of my food tomorrow. I figured that was good enough for now, and turned my attention back to eating.

"Excuse me?"

I looked up and met the eyes of another girl, her hands filled with food. She also got an omelette but instead of chocolate milk to go with it, she held a cup of coffee. I silently judged her.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all," I said, smiling up at the girl across from me. She looked like she was close to my age, which made me feel a bit better. The other patrons all looked so much older than either of us.

Even though she chose coffee over chocolate milk, I was thankful for the company. I felt a bit lonely. It's been a while since I last talked to someone that wasn't an employee of this hotel.

"My name's Mira," she said, taking the seat from across from me. "And you are?"

"You can call me Aura," I replied between sips of my chocolate milk. "I see you also enjoy a good omelette. So do I." I internally cringed at my attempt to start a conversation.

"Yeah, these ones are the best. Better than what I could ever make on my own."

We sat together in silence, both enjoying our food. Every once in a while, I would look up and find Mira staring at me — almost as if she remembered me from somewhere, but we just met. So, there was no way that she would know me or that I would know her. We were both strangers.

She did look attractive, though, and if I wasn't already dating Ethan, I'd consider asking her out. She had short brown hair, a button nose, and bright brown eyes. Her clothes were a nice aesthetic — a white shirt with stripes of a pastel rainbow all over paired with some jean shorts.

Once we had both finished our food, we both stared at each other for a moment. She looked just as speechless as I had felt. Was she also checking me out like I was checking her out?

"Hey, um, Aura," she began, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "Want to come back to my room for a bit? This is my first time vacationing alone and I could use a friend. It's okay if—"

"Sure," I said, cutting her off. "I could also use the company."

I knew it was risky of her to ask and even riskier for me to accept, but what was the harm in making a friend? Maybe we could even hang out at this place together. I didn't know a lot about this place. Come to think of it, did this hotel have a name? I could barely even remember it now.

Maybe Mira would know. Maybe Mira would know why things don't fully add up here.

▬▬▬

Mira's room wasn't too far from mine. Coincidentally, her room was just across the hallway. If it wasn't for us running into each other at breakfast, we might have met anyways — it was inevitable. Either when we both checked out or while we passed by on the way to our rooms.

"Wow," I exclaimed as I took a step inside. "This looks just like my room."

The same floral wallpaper I woke up to stared back at me. The giant bed in the middle was the same style as the one I woke up in. So was the dresser to the side of the room and the little sofa next to it. On the other side of the room, there was a wooden desk with a chair in front of it.

It looked like a carbon copy of my hotel room. Other than the door being on the left side of the hallway instead of the right, everything else looked exactly the same. Something felt off about it. Or maybe I was just overthinking it. This was how hotels were supposed to be like, right?

Mira giggled. Her laughter sounded so cute. I just wanted to hug her but we were strangers and I couldn't. That was when I realized I was alone with her in her room. What would Ethan say if he found me flirting with a stranger? I definitely should have thought of this ahead of time.

"Well, yeah, silly, in hotels, all of the rooms look the same. It's, like, part of their look or something," she said, taking a seat on the sofa. She patted the spot next to her. "Don't be shy."

I walked over to join her and sat down on the sofa as well. "How's your vacation going so far?"

She reached over and grabbed my hand, intertwining my fingers with her own. "Aura, I know this is going to sound like a weird question but I need to know. Do you remember me?"

My face burned at the skin contact and I pulled my hand away. I was definitely attracted to her or else, my body wouldn't be reacting like this. But I was happy with Ethan, wasn't I?

"I'm sorry," I said, my face still burning. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

"Don't you feel it, too?" she asked, staring into my eyes. "We've met before."

There was definitely a connection between her and me. I couldn't deny it. I felt drawn to her in a way I couldn't quite explain. But could it be because we met before? Did we have a past together? I dug around in my memories but I couldn't find anything attached to her name.

"I don't remember meeting you before." I stood up and took a few steps, increasing the distance between us. "I'm sorry if you felt led on or anything. I just wanted to talk about this hotel."

"Aura, look at me," she said, but I didn't meet her eyes. I just stared across the room at the desk. Unlike the desk in my room, stationery littered this one. Maybe it would have the hotel's name and logo on it? "Aura," she repeated, trying to grab my attention. "This hotel we're in... it's not real."

"It is real though," I replied. With every step I took, I got closer and closer to the desk. When I finally reached it, I grabbed the paper and held it up. "Here's the proof. The logo is right—"

There was no logo. The paper was blank. The pens were all blank. There wasn't anything even written on it. Why would the hotel just give out blank stationery? What about the logos?

Where was I?

I felt my legs slip as reality started to crash into me.