I've been waiting for you forever

Only when he closed the door to his room behind him did Arthur breathe a sigh of relief.

Everything had gone as Eliza had planned: they had met on the second floor, no one had intercepted Arthur as he climbed the stairs, and they hadn't passed a single person in the hallway.

It was the middle of the night, so the guests were all asleep in their rooms.

Arthur had been standing in the middle of the empty hallway for a while, but Eliza was nowhere to be seen. After twenty minutes, she finally arrived, laden with bags and holding the room's key card.

"Sorry it took me so long. I thought you didn't have a change of clothes, so I bought you some from the hotel boutique. I didn't know your size, but I guess a small would be fine… Arthur, what's the matter? Is there something wrong?"

Arthur ran a hand over his moist eyes and smiled shyly at her. "I'm fine, I'm just…" What? Surprised, overwhelmed? No, the truth was that he was unprepared. Totally unprepared for this thoughtfulness, this unprepared kindness from a stranger - and moved. Until a moment before Arthur had been scared, terrified at the thought that Eliza had abandoned him, and then she had finally appeared, late because she had spent all that time doing something for him, worrying about his well-being, doing a kind gesture just for him, unexpected but very welcome. Even if the thought that she had spent all that money on him made him feel guilty.

"Thanks, but it's too much. You shouldn't have bought me all this stuff. I can't give you back the money you spent…"

"Who cares about money." Eliza interrupted him decisively, making Arthur chuckle. "This money is mine and I spend it however I want. Well, technically it's my father's, but he gave me the credit card for important things."

"Am I something important?" Arthur had the bitter and skeptical smile of someone who doesn't believe in being important, in being worth something. "Are you serious?"

"Look at me. Arthur, look at me." Eliza's eyes were clear and sincere, her voice low and soft as she said with absolute certainty, "You matter—never doubt that. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Arthur could almost feel it, the exact moment when, after hearing those words, the pieces of his battered heart slowly started to come back together.

It was something very special, this feeling of being finally whole, complete. A feeling Arthur didn't remember ever feeling before. Before Eliza.

"Come on, let's go in, I'll show you your room." Eliza slid her card into the door and turned the knob.

Arthur followed her inside and closed the door behind him, taking a moment to savor the relief of finally being safe.

Then, when he realized where he was, he was speechless. The bedroom alone was huge, much bigger than the entire apartment he had shared with Penny, his adoptive mother.

There was a white dresser, a wooden desk with a large flat-screen TV, a beige leather chair that looked incredibly comfortable, but the best part was the king-sized canopied bed in the center of the room, huge and filled with fluffy pillows.

The bathroom was equally stunning: double sinks with gold faucets, a shower, and a large circular jacuzzi, also finished in gold.

"Okay, I put your clothes in the closet, and if you want to shower and freshen up, a robe and fresh towels are in the bathroom." Eliza's voice brought him back to reality, snapping Arthur out of his dazed, trance-like state.

"I better go now, I have to go home to my parents. Will you be okay here?"

"Are you kidding? A room with a giant bed and a huge bathroom all to myself for the first time in my life? Sure, I'll be fine!" Arthur had a childlike joy on his face, and a childlike innocence in his voice.

It was obvious that he was used to much worse environments; who knows what conditions he must have been living in until now.

"I'm glad you're so happy," Eliza said sincerely. "Well, then I'm going. I'll come back tomorrow morning to see how you're doing."

"Are you really coming back?" Arthur's voice sounded so small, so uncertain, that Eliza felt the need to reassure him right away.

"Of course I'll come back. I'm not used to getting up early, so you'll see me late, before lunch. I left my credit card on your bedside table, you'll need it if you want to order breakfast in your room. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Arthur shook his head. "You've done so much already… I really don't know how to thank you, Eliza."

"Oh, don't even say that. Have a good night, Arthur."

Eliza smiled warmly at him one last time, before she left the room, taking all the warmth with her.

Alone, Arthur was gripped by a grip of cold.

It wasn't just the rain-soaked clothes he was wearing or his still-wet hair that made him tremble like a leaf; he suddenly felt so alone without Eliza by his side.

A part of him was afraid she wouldn't come back, but another, more irrational part told him to trust.

That this time his heart wouldn't be broken again. That he could still be happy, despite everything he'd been through.

Lulled by this absurd but pleasant hope, Arthur fell asleep. He barely had time to take off his wet clothes and dry his hair with a towel, before collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep sleep, with a prayer still ringing in his mind and heart.

Please, Eliza, come back to me. Come back soon, please…