Dec spent a considerable amount of time scanning over the generous menu and being very surprised that the kitchen was still open at this time of evening,but he was glad it was.

"A generous portion of tortilla chips,topped with grated cheese,guacamole,soured cream,salsa and jalapenos" he read the description of the nachos out loud "I'm definitely having those to start with"

"Ooh,barbecued spare ribs" he continued "with buttery jacket potato and peas,having that too"

Dec thought that would probably be more than enough food for now,that was until the desserts caught his eye.

'Don't know when I might get another chance to do this' he thought to himself 'if ever'

So after settling on chocolate cheesecake and also a pint of cold Fosters,which he preferred to the stuff that was in the mini bar,he put his order in.

He had the excitement of a small child when he heard a knock at the door a while later,jumping up off the bed and almost tripping over in his haste to answer it.

"Your dinner sir" the smartly dressed man announced.

"Thank you" Dec smiled as he took the large tray and placed it down on the nearby dressing table.

The hotel worker was still standing at the open door.

"Oh...umm...sorry I don't have any change" Dec announced sheepishly.

"Very good sir" the man replied "I bid you goodnight"

"I bid you goodnight" Dec mimicked after closing the door "stuck up git,this ain't America,we don't have to tip everyone"

Dec did feel slightly uncomfortable though,he knew in different circumstances he would definitely have tipped the man,very generously in fact,but he obviously wasn't in a position to do that now.

So he decided to put the awkward exchange to the back of his mind and concentrate on his dinner,the aromas coming from it were already making him practically drool with anticipation.

He closed his eyes as he placed the first nacho in his mouth,savouring the mix of flavours that were teasing his taste buds,from the warm,melted cheese to the cool,tangy salsa.

After that first taste,he wolfed the whole plateful down,the food barely touched the sides and he let out a contented sigh after actually picking the plate up and holding it close to his face so he could lick it clean,determined not to waste a single morsel.

Barely stopping to wipe his messy fingers,he removed the lid from the cloche and breathed in the delicious aromas from his main course.

That too was hurried down as if he had no idea where his next meal was coming from,which frankly he didn't.

Again,he made sure every tiny piece of food was gone from the plate,he had actually started to feel pretty full up half way through the meal,but there was no way he was going to give up and waste anything,he just powered on,forcing it down.

Luckily the cheesecake didn't take too much effort,he'd always joked that he had a separate stomach for desserts and no matter how full up he might be,he always found room for sweet stuff.

The dinner had been amazing,but he could barely move now,so lay on the bed staring blankly at the television screen,trying to ignore how uncomfortable he was.

"God Declan" he scolded himself "why did you eat so much?"

He fidgeted on the bed for a while,undecided about which position would relieve his discomfort the most,if any,until a strange feeling in his throat made him get up suddenly and dash towards the bathroom.

Immediately regretting how much he had eaten as he filled the toilet bowl with what seemed like never ending vomit.

Eventually,after completely emptying his stomach,or that's how it felt anyway,he stood up to splash some cold water from the tap onto his face.

"Ugh" he mumbled to himself,he'd always hated throwing up,ever since he was a little boy "stupid idiot"

After cleaning himself up,he made his way back to his bed and tucked himself snuggly under the duvet,turned the TV off and rolled himself into the foetal position to try and ease his painful stomach.

He was seriously uncomfortable after his overindulgence,but eventually managed to drift off to sleep and slept soundly the entire night.

The next morning,he stirred awake and for a moment was confused about his whereabouts,before everything came flooding back to him...Ant's kindness,the hotel,the food,the throwing up.

Dec frowned at the thought,but thankfully felt much better now he'd had a good nights sleep,the bed was so perfect and he wished he could stay there forever.

He glanced at the clock on the bedside table which displayed 9.40am.

'Wow,I really did sleep well' he thought to himself,but thought he should start getting himself organised.

First thing that went through his mind was breakfast and immediately retrieved the menu from the drawer.

He had been fantasising about a full English basically since he arrived the previous evening,but was now a bit too scared to have such a greasy plate of food after last nights events,instead settling on the option of a continental breakfast,with the knowledge that if he didn't eat it all,he could take what was left back to the streets with him.

After placing the order,he decided to take a quick shower,not that he really needed to,it wasn't like he was particularly dirty after his long bath last night,it was more for the experience,it could be months or even years before he had the chance to do that again.

And it was amazing.

The warm,tingling spray on his bare skin was just what he needed and he felt completely revitalised afterwards and practically the minute he got out of the shower,there was a knock at the door.

He sighed to himself knowing that whoever was delivering his breakfast,wouldn't be receiving a tip,but he refused to dwell on that any longer,there was nothing he could do about it after all.

So he took a deep breath in and opened the door,but was surprised to see his breakfast tray sitting on the floor,directly outside his room.

He glanced down the corridor and caught a quick glance of one of the hotels members of staff turning the corner.

"THANK YOU" Dec yelled out,hoping he was heard and he couldn't help wondering if the staff had warned each other about his lack of generosity.

But that didn't matter now,more important was the fact he couldn't resist getting back under the duvet as it was so warm and cosy,then placed the tray on top,that was what mattered.

He thoroughly enjoyed picking at the various selections of sliced meats,cheeses,bread rolls and jams,but was very careful not to overdo it again,casually sipping on a glass of orange juice as he wrapped up what was left of the food into serviettes and placed it with his belongings.

After getting dressed into the new clothes that Ant had bought him and making sure he hadn't forgotten anything,he thought about waiting until exactly midday when he had to leave,but then decided against it,he was ready to go now and he was worried that someone else might steal his favourite spot if he didn't make a move.

"Goodbye room" he said out loud "it's been fun"

He shook his head at his own silliness and made his way down to reception to hand his unused keycard in.

"I trust you had a pleasant stay Mr Donnelly?" The receptionist asked.

It was a different woman from yesterday and Dec already liked her much more,but then again she hadn't seen him in the filthy state he had arrived in last night,looking as he did now,he could be any business man or tourist in their casual gear.

It made Dec sad that people were so judgemental because of their outward appearance,but he accepted that that was just the way it was,people could be cruel,but equally,they could be kind,Ant was proof of that.

Dec was relieved to see his patch was still vacant,so threw all his belongings down onto the cold,hard pavement.

It was a bit of a shock to the system to be perched on such an unwelcoming kerb after his luxurious night in the hotel,but he would no doubt get used to it once again.

"DECLAN,DECLAN" came a loud,stressful cry.

Dec looked up and was slightly startled at the sight of Betty lunging towards him,with arms outstretched.

Before he even had a chance to speak,she was down on the pavement beside him,scooping him into her arms and holding him so tight,he thought she might just squeeze all the breath out of him.

"Where have you been?" Betty was now sobbing into his ear "I've been so worried,I thought something awful must have happened to you"

"Betty,I'm..." Dec tried to reply,but could barely get a word in.

"I asked everyone" Betty sobbed "no one had seen you...or even knew who I was talking about for that matter"

"I've been to..." Dec tried once again.

"Don't you ever do that to me again" Betty interrupted "I've been frantic with worry"

"I'm sorry but..." Dec replied.

"I think I've aged ten years in the last..." Betty began.

"BETTY STOP" Dec shouted sharply.

He didn't like shouting at her,but it seemed like the only way to get through to her right now.

She finally pulled out of the embrace and looked at Dec curiously.

"If you'll let me speak" Dec sighed "then I'll be able to tell you where I was"

He then told her all about the hotel,every single detail that he could remember,from the food to the bed,to the bath and everything else in between.

Betty listened in awe.

"Wow" she exclaimed "that's amazing,but why is this guy doing that for you and don't think I haven't noticed the spanking new clothes you're wearing,did he buy those too?"

"Yeah,he did" Dec smiled "he's just a nice guy who's helping someone down on his luck"

"If you say so" Betty winked "as long as you're not his bitch?"

"Shut up" Dec laughed "look what I've brought back for you"

Dec passed the serviette full of food to Betty and she opened it cautiously.

"Oh wow" she stated excitedly "bread rolls"

"With butter,cheese,ham" Dec replied "whatever you like,it's all for you"

"Thank you Dec" Betty tried to hide the tear in her eye at this kind gesture "shall we share it?"

"No" Dec smiled "it's for you,I've already had plenty at the hotel and anyway,I've still got a bit more tucked away for later"

He patted his bag to indicate where it was hidden.

"And here" he continued "this is yours too"

He handed her one of the two bottles of bottled water that he had taken from the mini bar.

"You're a good boy Declan" Betty smiled "your parents must be proud?"

Betty knew she'd put her foot in her mouth the moment she mentioned Dec's parents,if they were that proud,he wouldn't be on the streets would he?

"Sorry" she mumbled.

"It's ok" Dec replied,although the thought of his parents did make him sad,he always did his best to put any thoughts of them to the back of his mind when they inevitably intruded on his thinking space.

After finishing her breakfast,Betty kissed Dec on the cheek and made her way off to wander the streets as she always did,leaving Dec alone once again.

It was a cold,miserable day and he did his best to shelter from the driving rain,thankful for his new clothes at least,but the night in the hotel already seemed like a distant memory.

He was looking forward to seeing Ant though and Ant didn't disappoint when he turned up late in the evening clutching a coffee and sandwich which he promptly passed to Dec.

"How was the hotel?" Ant asked curiously.

"It was amazing" Dec smiled "thank you so much,made myself sick though"

"Really?" Ant asked "what happened?"

"Ate too much rich food" Dec frowned "threw it all up again"

"Oh dear" Ant smiled sympathetically "I guess you're stomach will pretty delicate at the moment,better be careful"

"Yeah" Dec nodded in agreement,of course he realised that now.

"Dec,I've been thinking" Ant suddenly announced.

Dec looked at him curiously as he took a slurp of the coffee.

"It just doesn't feel right" Ant continued.

"What doesn't?" Dec enquired.

"Putting you up in a hotel" Ant replied "then sending you back to the streets the next day,it just doesn't sit right with me"

"Ant,you've already been incredibly kind" Dec pointed out "you've done so much for me,but I'm not your responsibility"

"Maybe not" Ant shrugged.

"But I have a proposition for you!"