K.

Chapter 18- Check in

I woke up pretty late the next morning, just a little more than an hour before the flight was supposed to land. Alex and I spent our last few hours having breakfast and watching the rest of Dirty Dancing that we had paused the previous night. Not long after we were done with it, we finally landed in Rome, Italy.

After we got off the plane, we reclaimed our bags from the airport. It surprisingly didn't take too long. We then all got on the band's tour bus and traveled to the hotel we were going to be staying at, called "The Hoxton".

We reached the hotel in about half hour and oh my god, was it high class. The style of the hotel was quite English with an Italian touch to it. But mostly English which made sense as the hotel was owned by a Londoner, who also happened to know Alex and the band personally. Because of the owners' connection with the band, we were lucky enough to get a little private tour of the hotel before we checked into our respective rooms.

First up was the reception, which already looked impressive. We were given a tour of the bar, the restaurant, hang out spots and pools. The entire place looked like something out of a dreamscape. The interiors were mostly olive green and teal, along with a touch of some muted pastel shades. Tons of plants, retro lighting, vintage posters on the wall, fancy old fashioned furniture, and an overall ambient atmosphere. The style could be described as 70s and mid century modern, but leaning more towards the 70s. We were also provided with the timings and other details about the amenties which we could use during our stay.

After we were done with the tour we were given the keycards to our rooms. Matt and Jamie were staying on the first floor so they took the stairs. They left most of their luggage in the tour bus so they didn't have much to carry to their rooms. Alex and I had our rooms on the fourth floor and had tons of luggage, so we headed for the elevator.

"What room number are ya staying in?" Alex asked as we got in the elevator.

"105. How about you?"

"Wow. Two rooms away. 107." He replied.

For the few seconds we were in there, I couldn't help but get flashbacks of the last time we were together in an elevator like this. I kept hoping he'd bring it up and make some joke about it like he always did but he made no mention of it. Maybe I was overreacting but it kind of got me thinking. Ever since our fight, there was less of teasing from his side. He had multiple opportunities over the past few days to make jokes and poke fun at the whole thing between us and embarrass me around the band like he always did. But he missed all of the chances to do so. He was choosing seriousness over immaturity which was not usual between us. Our entire friendship was based on us teasing each other and just being absolute douche bags to each other. I was starting to miss it. I was starting to wonder what changed. He was being a lot more affectionate than usual, which I had no complaints about but it sure felt strange. I wondered if that meant anything but I didn't even want to go in that direction. I did not want to get my hopes up and break my own heart because there was no way he liked me back. Absolutely not. Maybe he was being more affectionate because he missed me. We went a whole month without seeing each other and we were best friends after all. That could've been it. But the thing was, I missed the old Alex regardless of whatever it all meant. I missed the Alex that was a pain in the ass.

"Let me help you with those." Alex said when we got to our floor.

"I appreciate the help but I can manage." I replied, running after him as he rolled my trolley and bags out of the elevator.

"I'll carry the bags, you just go open your room." He insisted.

"But Alex,"

"Go. You look tired." He replied.

If I knew anything about Alex, it was that he was stubborn. So I did as he asked. I walked to my room and opened the door as he brought all the luggage and placed it in.

"Thank you so much, you really didn't have to do this."

"Shut up." He replied, closing the door behind him as he left the room.
Maybe a part of the old him was still somewhere in there.

After Alex left, I began to look around the place I was going to be spending the next few days. Just when I thought this place couldn't get any better, it did. The room seemed to follow the same vintage chic style as the rest of the hotel but it was a bit more homey and less hotel like. The walls were dark teal color and had vintage bulbs to light up the space. There was a huge king size bed with tons of pillows in the middle of the room, which seemed quite higher and comfier than usual. There was a large wooden closet, a big screen TV and a couch by the window. The room was already well lit but it also had bright sunlight coming right in through the windows. The bathroom was stunning as well. Light teal tiling, gold accents, a bathtub by a massive window. It was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful hotels I had stayed in a while.