There was a knock at the door which Oliver opened to reveal two hotel staff and many bags. "Thank you." He said, nodding to the two men who then dispersed without a word.
"Bags are here!" Oliver yelled out to inform the rest of the house guests before he grabbed his own suitcase from the gold rimmed rack. As he began wheeling it into his room, the others came out to collect theirs.
It was now 10 o'clock. The group had agreed to meet in the living room at 10:30 to head down to the marquee. Oliver had pushed his way into his room and had begun unpacking his toiletries. Many of the other were doing the same. Harry however, lay on the bed with his arms folded over his chest and his eyes closed.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
He'd told Oliver to wake him when they had five minutes left which Oliver had happily agreed to. Harry felt the most out of place on this trip. He knew Florence, Ophelia and Cassiel through another of his friends but they had never spent time alone together. He didn't know what angle Astoria was playing at and he couldn't see himself getting wrapped up in her. Oliver was really the only one he knew, they'd been friends for longer than he could remember.
"Harry." Oliver tapped his shoulder, "time to go."
The boy groaned and sat up on the bed watching Oliver spray cologne. Oliver constantly smelt like green tea, sandalwood and vanilla. It felt safe for Harry and he definitely enjoyed it.
He got off the bed and put his blazer back on before heading into the living room to meet the others.
"Please don't make us take any stairs, I think my ankles will give way." Ophelia sighed as she strapped up her heels earning a laugh from Florence. Harry looked over her, watching as she placed her hands in her friends for support as she stood up.
"Hey, is Oliver ready?" Astoria said softly, tapping Harry on the arm. He quickly blinked and moved his focus to her.
"Um yeah he should-" Harry began to say before Oliver stepped out of the room. "He's done."
"Alright ladies! Let's go." Astoria said, leading the way out of the door. "Make sure you lock it, Harry."
Harry complied and made sure the door was locked before walking after the group into the elevator. There was a feeling of eagerness lingering in the air. None of them had ever done anything like this.
They trusted Astoria knew where she was going and followed behind her in their pairs, talking about school, people and everything in between.
Astoria lead them through a foyer to a large glass door. You could see out of it from the inside but from the outside it reflected like a mirror. There were more large staff men standing either side of the doors. Astoria never seemed to be afraid to approach them while they had Florence's stomach in knots.
"Hi I should have a table under Arvanitis." She said to the man on the left. He tapped in a few things on his tablet before nodding to the second man who then held open the door.
Florence assumed they were in the VIP lounge - it definitely looked like one. The room had windows much alike their 'flat' but Florence still couldn't contain her surprise. Soft lounges were set up so that you could overlook the city if you had enough money. There was a bar stretching along the left side of the room and from it came a waitress, dressed in a long shimmery red dress.
"Hello, welcome to the star vip lounge." She said with a smile. "Your table is this way."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Ophelia almost collapsed onto the faux leather. "Is anyone else having a heart attack right now?" She gasped. None of their families were flat broke however this sumptuous hotel was new to most of them.
They sat two to a seat and looked over the drinks selection. "I can't pronounce most of these." Florence whispered to Ophelia.
"Me either, honey." They both laughed.
The waitress came with a tablet and a large bottle of water, ready to serve anything the group wanted. "Could we please get a bottle of Chardonnay and a bottle of Cabernet." Astoria asked politely. "Oh and I love your dress." The waitress smiled, offering a thank you before telling the group she would be right back.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Thank god" Ophelia muttered under her breath, so loud only Florence could hear. She stifled a laugh which turned into more of a cough.
"Astoria are you sure we owe you nothing for this?" Cassiel spoke up.
Astoria looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Don't worry about it, my father offered so we may as well make use of his money."
"Do you inherit his business?" Ophelia asked, curiosity nipping at her.
Astoria ran her hands over the seat, leaning into it. "I have two older brothers so I'd imagine if I did get something it would probably only be management of the front desk."
Ophelia offered a small smile but everyone could tell Astoria was slightly bothered by it. Thankfully the waitress chose that moment to come back with six glasses and the two bottles of wine which she placed in the bucket of ice. They all said thank you to the waitress as she walked away.
"Who wants what?" Harry said as he grabbed the neck of the Cabernet and pouring some into his own glass. He noticed their hesitance, "Chardonnay is white, Cabernet is red."
Florence poured herself wine from the second bottle before passing it to Cassiel, the others went for Harry's bottle.
"To you beautiful people and this wonderful week." Florence spoke as she raised her glass for a toast, taking a sip after they had all met in the middle.
