Love O2O- Beyond a Beautiful Smile

Chapter 56- Size Matters

A/N: this chapter relates to the side story for HoK (sixth chapter of the side stories). You can find the translated stories here- https://shiraai.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/a-slight-smile-is-very-charming-微微一笑很倾城-ko-x-mei-bl-cut/ 

After writing the previous chapter this video appeared in my YouTube recommendations... as much as I'm happy I sent HoK somewhere that has game shows for Fujoshi, it was slightly disconcerting to see myself represented so well in the various Fujoshi! Had any of the couples been our HoK couple, the I'd have been just as thirsty as these women! lol. https://youtu.be/uKZMJafLLHc

Heads up... second last chapter. I almost don't want to hit publish because I'm dreading writing the finale tomorrow... I don't want this to end! 

Their first night in Taiwan was spent in a hotel near the Taipei Shongshan airport, but the next day found the pair standing outside a small house. The wall was a peeling, sun faded blue, but behind the barrier was a fairy tale garden. So many flowers were blooming that it looked like someone had flicked bright dollops of paint all over the bushes, and the perfume lay so heavily in the air the men felt like they were walking through a scented curtain. The house itself was quaint, with painted shutters, a gabled roof line and two stories. 

    KO looked at the house, then at his lover. In his sharp suit and tie pulled loose, Mei looked like he belonged in a townhouse or apartment... not a cottage. For a moment, he wondered if maybe they'd come to the wrong address, but the taxi had already left after the driver pulled their suitcases out of the trunk. The rusty, wrought iron gate was locked, but Mei pulled a set of keys from his pocket and pushed the gate open with a loud creak. 

    "That's going to get annoying very quickly," leaving the suitcases next to the garden wall, Mei stepped along the sandstone path and fiddled at the front door until the right key opened that too. "Come on. Let's investigate and then bring everything in."

     Not waiting to see if KO was following, Mei ran through the rooms like a child on Christmas day, excitedly ducking his head in to each doorway before moving on to the next. Meanwhile, KO looked at the sky with the dark clouds slowly roiling over the horizon and lugged all three suitcases inside the house before joining Mei. 

     The downstairs was predominantly open living area- at some stage, previous tenants had modernised the kitchen and given the open plan lounge and dining rooms a facelift, but the polished floorboards and dark timber highlights retained a more traditional feel. The kitchen made KO's fingers start to twitch, eager to really explore all its inclusions and get cooking. There was a small washroom and laundrette off the kitchen with a door opening into a small courtyard. Neither was too worried about the outside area so both simply stuck their heads out for a quick look before turning their attention to the rest of the rooms. 

    The stairs, a dark timber that gleamed under the lights, were opposite the front door and led straight to the second floor. There were two rooms at the back of the house, one with a bedroom suite and the other set up as an office with two desks and computers. The bathroom was large, modernised when the kitchen was and including a bath deep enough for an adult to relax fully. While Mei simply ducked in and out of the bathroom, KO lingered, eyeing off the bathtub and making plans for that night. 

    The final room was a large bedroom. At some point it had been a bedroom and a separate living area, and you can faintly see the marks where a wall had been removed to open the space up even further. Glass windows spanned the front of the house and a sliding door opened onto a small balcony overlooking the fragrant garden. The room was fully furnished and even included a small nook with bookshelf and beanbags. Mei stood in the centre of the space, hands on his hips as he surveyed the layout.