mental note to self | meteor garden [REVAMPING]

12 | 如

The Cove's lobby had a way of making the bourgeois feel poor and the rich feel small.

Expansive glittering chandeliers adorned an obnoxiously high ceiling. Wooden columns rose out of the polished marble floor, each carved with intricate designs of various marine life. The poignant notes of a violin wafted from somewhere in the lounge area, complementing the lavish ambience.

Yuxin approached the front desk, which was embellished with rows of iridescent seashells, the sheer floral kimono she had put on over her summer dress fluttering behind her.

While the receptionist checked them all in, she leaned against the counter and surveyed their group through her rose-tinted sunglasses. Ximen was taking pictures of NingㅡYuxin finally knew her nameㅡthe same girl he had brought to Sanya before. Meizuo was scrolling on his phone. Ah Si was staring at Shancai with hearts in his eyes. Shancai was looking at Lei. Lei was flirting with his girlfriend.

Ah, weren't they a dynamic bunch.

"Enjoy your stay!"

She thanked the chirpy receptionist and took the gold-swirled keycards before heading back to the others.

She had contacted the boys beforehand to ask them about theirs' and their partners' preferred sleeping arrangements because she was considerate like that. Lei and Si had both requested rooms with extra beds. Only Ximen had opted to share a room and a bed, no surprise there.

Meizuo probably would have as well, had she not been his partner. She knew for a fact that they were both apathetic to sharing. It wasn't that she was extremely conservative. She wasn't uncomfortable around him either. But they had come to an unspoken agreement to sleep separately in light of the uncertainty that comes with a new relationship.

The walk to the elevators was short and they all piled in together. In hindsight, probably not the best idea.

Decorated with the same iridescent shells as the front desk, the elevator was more spacious than most, but with eight of them and their suitcases in there, it was a tight fit. By the time the doors finally closed, Yuxin had found herself awkwardly wedged between Ning's excessively large white tote bag and one Huaze Lei.

She had booked their rooms to all be in the same wing but on different floors. She'd be damned if she'd let herself be woken up in the middle of the night for grilled squid again. 

Ximen and Ning were the first to get off. With how packed the elevator was, Ning had to maneuver herself and her tote bag (which basically counted as another person in the elevator for its size) around the others in the front. The corner jostled Yuxin, and she stumbled in the cramped space, her elbow accidentally knocking into Lei.

"Sorry," she muttered.

He nodded in lieu of a reply, eyes never straying from the glow of the changing floor numbers as the elevator climbed higher. With the way he had been acting lately, she almost expected another coy smirk.

Almost.

She hoped the others hadn't heard the embarrassing squeak she had let out when the bag had pushed her off balance. If they did... She hoped they would be nice enough to not mention it.

"Did you hear that? I think there's a mouse in here!" Ah Si sniggered, looking straight at her.

Shancai, truly a godsend, flicked him hard on the arm. His pained hiss was music to Yuxin's ears. And so the two lovebirds' bickering over the lo-fi elevator music started the soundtrack of their long-awaited vacation.

‒∙◇❀◇∙‒

Yuxin had seen the square footage when she booked the suite. She had always been absolute crap at estimating any form of measurement though, which was why the sheer size of it still managed to leave her in awe.