Page 13 of Tech Prince Troubles (Runaway Prince Hotel #6)
Chapter Thirteen
ADRI
capture the happiness
T his had been the first shift since joining the Renversé Hotel’s IT team that everything went as planned, despite Rick being stuck in the hub for the first few hours because Jim had called in sick.
No unwanted glitches popped up, no burned circuits, no setbacks.
We finished two floors with plenty of time to spare.
Rick had been so happy he sent us off an hour early.
While Riley disappeared into the ballroom, I went up to my room to put my first Bakelite phone together, test it out, and top up on some much-needed energy.
But once I connected to the socket and stared at the parts scattered in front of me, I couldn’t find focus.
Leaning against the wall, all I did was stare out of the window and think about meeting Sam tomorrow.
If I’d expected my nerves to calm down after he said he wasn’t angry, I’d been mistaken.
I kept worrying about the questions I couldn’t answer.
It was almost a relief when Riley’s ping dragged me out of my spiraling thoughts.
“Are you still in the ballroom?” I asked when I answered.
“I am.” She sounded excited. “You want to see the lights? I’m about to test them out. ”
“They're hanging?”
“They're hanging. Though connecting them took some fiddling. Those ladders are a menace. I don’t know how Fred and Ted, or their crew, haven’t fallen yet.”
Routine, I assumed. They seemed very attuned to each other, with a bit of a nothing-scares-us attitude. I grabbed my tablet. “I’ll be right there.”
Riley stood in the middle of the ballroom with Fred and Ted, looking up at the chandeliers. The renovators gave me enthusiastic thumbs-up as I joined them. Riley vibrated with nervous energy.
“Here we go,” she said, holding her breath as she pressed her remote and turned the lights on.
The chandeliers flickered, all three of them, out of sync.
But then rainbow prisms glowed from every piece of glass, scattering beautiful, playful patterns across the polished chevron parquet flooring.
It reminded me of the polished minerals from our meteor island.
And for a moment, I imagined myself home.
Awe colored Riley’s voice. “I did it.” She let out a breath and repeated it, her voice stronger, louder. “I actually did it!”
“You did.” Her joy was infectious as I moved across the floor, following the pattern. “It’s beautiful.”
“Isn’t it? When Rick let me do this, I was so afraid to ruin them, but man, this was so much fun.”
Fred, Ted, and Riley exchanged cheers and high-fives with each other and fist-bumped me when I held my fist out.
“You’d better believe we’ll hire you if we ever have a project that needs your skills, kid.”
Riley blushed. “Thank you. I’d love to try something like this again.”
I understood how she felt. The Bakelite phones weren’t as fragile as the chandeliers, but the risk of ruining them, chipping them by drilling holes for the Bluetooth and USB connectors, was the same.
Those connectors had been harder to find the least jarring solution for than the new dialing system and speakers.
Now I had a working prototype to put together, I had to admit Riley had been right.
It was fun. The whole renovation, not counting the glitches and other disruptions, was fun.
Niren cherished the past in much the same way.
As our ancestors adjusted to living on Earth and created our island, they embraced adapting the old to suit our new life, our new needs.
The history of those adaptations lingered in all our memories as if we’d lived it ourselves.
Humans couldn’t share memories the way we could, so they brought history back to life by renovating.
Every time I walked around the hotel, this wing, with all the trims and fresh paint, breathed a welcoming atmosphere that called to me.
My room provided a calm place to retreat to, but these rooms we were renovating did much more than that.
Riley called it creating a glamorous dream for guests, and I understood the appeal.
It made me feel… proud, accomplished, to be a part of this project. To give people this dream.
I congratulated Riley again as thoughts and realizations threatened to overwhelm me and fled the ballroom. Halfway across the plaza, I remembered Sam wouldn’t be at the café, so I sank onto the nearest bench instead.
Riley’s chandeliers were the perfect example of what Min-Tess had tried to tell me, teach me. She’d turned them into the most beautiful pieces because she had so carefully hidden any visible signs of her work.
Our projects weren’t about people recognizing my brilliance as a tech mage.
Like the renovated wing, they were about creating a dream, a better future—a way to work with what Earth had to give us—and the immense satisfaction of knowing I’d helped create it.
My system sparked at telling Min. Even if it meant he’d tease me that it had taken a human to show me the true worth of my work .
No matter what my future brought, I would never forget Riley’s joy or what she’d taught me. I could always plan regular stays in these renovated rooms so I could enjoy what I’d helped to create.
Of course, that led me to Sam and our conversation.
Thoughts I wasn’t ready for. Thoughts that threatened to dampen my newfound joy in my work.
I rose and took the path to the park, letting the sun lead me away from the sounds of the city below.
I glimpsed the ocean through gaps in the trees as the streets and houses faded into grass fields, birds, and a winding river.
The air hummed with power as I brushed my fingers over the bushes, accepting the gift of their energy.
Calm settled over me as I followed the sound of babbling water guiding the meandering path to a bend where a lonely bench sat hugging an ancient tree.
While I preferred to sit in the sun, I retreated into its shade and smiled at the birds chirping on a branch above.
I grabbed my tablet and was soon lost in drawing them.
Despite the shade, being in nature enhanced my joy.
The birds flew off as laughter rang out across the water, and boats appeared beyond the bend. I sat straighter to take a better look at the humans chatting and splashing and… I froze.
Sam occupied one boat, and Quinn sat in another—headphones over their ears—behind an almost identical copy. Two more boats followed, and I counted five children and four adults. Sam’s family—loud, boisterous, and… happy.
I dialed up my noise filter, so I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Sam seemed calm—vibrant, alive, free—but calm amidst his loud family.
Sinking back against the tree, I felt like an intruder, witnessing a private party. But if I left now, they’d surely notice me, and that would only make me feel worse. What if Sam thought I was spying on him?
The younger children splashed each other, shrieking and shouting, while Quinn and their sibling—twins, they had to be twins—had identical expressions of concentration on their faces as they overtook Sam’s boat.
They shared Sam’s build, his hair, but they had their other father’s facial features.
As did the younger ones, though they clearly shared their mother’s brown skin tone—who leaned against the Latinx human in front of him, fast asleep.
No. Her. Mothers were her. Right? And the Latinx human had to be the Tammy Sam had mentioned.
They were all beautiful. But so very loud.
How did Sam cope? It was the same question I’d asked myself at the café. No matter how hectic or noisy, he always seemed so tranquil, so welcoming, as if none of it bothered him, as if it energized him.
The sun hit Sam’s face just right as he slowed his boat to let the others catch up. He was gorgeous with his beaming smile and a twinkle in his eyes. I had to draw him before they passed. I’d never sketched a human—or Niren—before, but I had to capture the happiness he exuded.
Nervous energy bounced through my system as I drew him. I wanted a smile aimed at me, but why would he want my company when he had this brilliant, vibrant family?
Long after they’d glided out of sight, I still sat there sketching his face, perfecting what I’d seen in that peaceful, vibrant smile of his.
When I studied it, I could still hear the children’s laughter, could feel the joyous energy surrounding them all, with Sam as their soothing, grounding center.
So unlike me. My family was as spirited and full of life, but instead of thriving… I’d run away when it had become too much to bear. How could I ever think to be a part of Sam’s life when I couldn’t even cope with my own?
As I made my way back to the hotel, I tried to regain the joy Riley’s chandeliers had evoked. But all I could think was that espresso would never taste the same again.