"Hold on." Nigel began as we stepped into the elevator. "How did you know what time it was? Did you just happen to guess?" He asked as he pointed to the digital clock inside the lift. The hotel had them programed to automatically sync when the power turned on.

"Hm? Oh I just looked at the sky. Kinda hard to tell time nowadays, so I taught myself how to read the stars." I clarified as I pressed the button that would lead us back to B2.

The last place I wanted to show Nigel was located in the other hotel, specifically on the very top of the eighth floor. "A big city kid, telling time with the stars? Now I've seen it all." He responded with a dramatic flair to his tone. "Oh fuck off." I shot back, causing him to laugh again. "So aggressive." He teased with a grin. The familiar emptiness filled my stomach shortly after we began our descent.

"Wait, so you mean to tell me you would ride these elevators up and down all day during your shift?" He asked as we switched over to the other side. "Yep, sometimes ten to fifteen times a night. I used to walk so much that I once had my step counter mark forty thousand steps." Nigel's eyes widened.

"Damn! How many miles is that!?" He asked, trying to make sense of the numbers in his head. "I think it's like sixteen miles, give or take a few." I estimated just as the door dinged. "Alright. Ready to have your mind blown?" I asked as we stepped out into another service corridor.

"It's really that interesting?" Nigel asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Well, it is to me. Plus you should consider yourself lucky, not many civilians have the privilege of visiting a hotel like this." I reminded as I pushed through the double doors.

"Oh no way!" Nigel enthused as I led us out to the luxury pool-side. Rows upon rows of lounging patio chairs lined the walls. Each lounger came equipped with an umbrella and a collapsible table which many patrons had used to hold their over-priced drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

A cash bar stood in the very back, adjacent to the once manned-towel rack. A pool cover shielded the pool from all the ash and chemical debris that rained from the angelic city skies. "Now this is luxury." Nigel mused as he made himself comfortable on one of the chairs.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I was the one who had to cater to all these rich assholes." I quipped as I made my way behind the register. "I know it's around here somewhere..." I muttered aloud as I searched for that magic button I had seen the cashiers press so many times before. "Bingo!" I cheered once I'd located it.

Nigel sat up when he heard the whirring. It took a few seconds, but as expected, the automatic pool cover began to retract, eventually disappearing completely to a compartment in the pool wall. "Ok, now that's sick as fuck." He admitted as he got up and walked over to watch the display.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." I assured before flipping the switch beside the button. An array of colorful lights inundated the pristine waters from within. The late evening breeze caused the surface to ripple and paint the mahogany walls with their glow. "Personally, I would've picked something with a little more techno to go along with the lights." Nigel teased as I walked over.

"Shut up. It's a pre-programmed playlist, so even if I wanted to play your rich kid club music, it wouldn't let me." I assured as I stood by the pool's edge. "Man this place was quite the sight before the infection. Loads of rich guys in thousand dollar suits just standing about with their drinks in hand." I chuckled at the recollection.

"In suits? Really?" I nodded. "Yeah. Not a single two-piece. Not even on the women." I assured as I stood beside him. The subtle sounds of the water cycling through the filters was soothing. "Sometimes they would inflate these giant balloons and just let them float around on the pool's surface. It was really something."

"Working up here was complete madness though. Far as fuck from the kitchens and you saw that narrow ass fucking corridor. Imagine trying to fit a giant metal rack back there, squeezed between the trash and food bins, along with the hundreds of servers that had to work the event. I could hardly breathe." I chuckled.

"Yet you speak of those times with a great deal of fondness." Nigel noted, turning his gaze towards me. "Yeah, it was alot of work but fun ass hell. I met alot of interesting people along with some insufferable characters, but it was all part of the gig yah know?" Nigel laughed. "Ever meet anyone famous?" He asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, loads of people. Some of the most famous celebrities had residences up here. Even saw one of them strung up from bungee cords once. They were filming some type of music video while bouncing off the hotel's walls."

"No fucking way. Who?" He asked. I shook my head. "Sorry Nigel, can't tell you. That's classified information." I teased, eliciting another laugh from the brunette. "I see you take your job very seriously." I nodded. "Of course. Best job I've ever had. I would've done anything to protect it." I admitted just as a familiar slow song began to play.

I hummed along to the melody, having been nearly a year since I'd heard it. "Well can you at least tell me if the water is cold?" He asked curiously. "Nah. Them rich types hate getting cold. This bad boy has heaters. Keeps the water at a balmy seventy one degrees. Why do you ask?" Nigel shrugged. "Oh no reason in particular." He fibbed before placing his palm on my back and shoving me forward.

I let out an unmanly yelp as I fell, hitting the water with a loud splash. I could hear Nigel's amused laughter once I'd resurfaced. "Yeah, very funny." I huffed, wiping my face before swimming back towards the edge where he stood. "Extremely." He admitted with a smile before holding his hand out for me to take. With narrowed eyes I took his palm and yanked it, pulling him down into the water with me.

My own laughter echoed as he resurfaced with a gasp. "You jerk." He huffed with a grin, splashing more water on my face. "Me? You started it!" I protested, splashing him back like a kid at a water park. Eventually we both stopped, out of breath and stamina.

"You weren't kidding when you said the water was warm." He noted as he shed his now soaked hotel robe. "These corporate guys sure knew how to live." He mused just as my head dipped below the surface for a second. "You okay?" He asked when he noticed the frantic movement of my legs. I took in a deep breath. "Yeah, heh. Just a bit tired is all. Not all of us can touch the floor on this end." I reminded as I continued to kick to keep myself afloat.

"Heh, forgot about that. Here..." he trailed off before swimming closer. "You can hang onto me if you'd like." He encouraged, taking my hands and placing them on his broad shoulders. "Better?" He asked once I'd finally stopped struggling. I held onto him timidly, trying desperately not to focuse on the proximity of our faces.

Just like on the rooftop, I felt time slow as we floated there, surrounded by the subtle lights. "See? You're technically standing in the deep end now." He smiled, causing my breath to catch in my throat. The sound of the water, along with the gentle piano melody and the vocalization of the familiar lyrics, entranced me.

I could feel heat rising to my face, as Nigel reached out and ever so gently, brushed my cheek-bone his thumb. "You have something on your face..." He informed, his voice low as he showed me the offending leaf he'd pulled off my skin. He tossed it back into the water then. "Much better."

Unwillingly my gaze trailed down and came to rest on his rosey lips. That was the first time I wondered what they tasted like. I cleared my throat a few seconds later, scolding myself for having such inappropriate thoughts. Nigel was my friend, my travel-mate. I couldn't allow myself to forget that.

"You okay?" He finally asked when he caught onto my troubled expression. "Yeah, um we should probably start heading back. We have a long day tomorrow." I reminded before pulling away. Nigel blinked a few times, seemingly taken aback by my reminder. "Yeah, you're probably right. Plus we wouldn't want your weak ass to get sick." He joked as I hoisted myself up onto the pool's edge.

"Hey Nate?" Nigel asked once I'd made it to my feet. "Thanks. This is the most fun I've had in years." I turned away when he said that, my heart still pounding from our earlier proximity. "Don't mention it."