There was a diner.

Table for one.
A glass of Chablis ordered before the menu arrived.
A man who placed his glasses neatly beside the menu before ordering.

Soft lighting.
Timber tables.
A quiet line of chefs working behind the open kitchen.

There was a traveller.

One suitcase.
Noise-cancelling headphones.
A traveller with very “firm” opinions about hotel pillows.

She stayed in luxury hotels.

London.
Milan.
Singapore.

Once upon a time, there was a hotel.

It stood on a very correct street. The marble had travelled farther than most of the guests. The lobby carried notes of musk and something politely floral. In the late afternoon, sunlight drifted across the bar in a way the architect would have appreciated.