sehnsucht ✓

chapter 11

Disclaimer: i've never been to virginia beach so pls don't take anything in this chapter as being accurate.

Skipping through the blur of the moment, past the rest of the road trip, which flew by in an instant, we had found ourselves situated in our rooms.

When Yasmin had mentioned that she had a booked a five-star hotel, she was not kidding-- it was located in a peaceful sector inbetween the beachfront and creative district, which settled for calm, tranquil vibes, the sole sound of stray cars sometimes making an appearance on the road to cause a minor ruckus, an outlier in the preppy, high class, laid back setting.

"You really hit the jackpot finding this place," Derek remarks, a little surprised himself, setting apart from his usually indifferent, apathetic exterior. He purses his lips, taking in the scenery.

Even the entrance to the hotel was exquisite and reeked of old money; styled like a classic inn, fountains and a garden out front, accompanied by a lawn of freshly cut grass, the aroma as a centerpiece, acting as a cherry on top to bring all the parts together.

"It's perfect. We're away just a bit from the liveliness of the beachfront, but it's close enough that we can reasonably walk."

"It's," Gia pauses, her eyes sparkling.

"Magic," Dylan gasps, completing her phrase.

"Oh. Aw," Jade places a hand on her chest, although it seemed to have taken a second for her to piece together the cute moment that had just happened, she immediately found it in herself to coo at it longingly.

"I want that," Ingrid pokes Jade. "Someone help me find a man. Maybe this weekend, maybe when school starts back up."

Personally, I found myself in a state of euphoria. Feeble joy, my body stunned, reacting to the overwhelming cool suddenly placed in front of it.

I know I sounded dramatic, but this was the start of what I felt would be one of the best weekends of my life. Really, my mind couldn't comprehend how fast it was going.

My drifting off into a dream is cut off by reality, although it is a boy, who could only have come from a dream, that pulls me out of my trance.

"Si le verbe aimer n'existait pas, je l'aurait inventé en te voyant, mon amour," although I couldn't understand shit what Mark was speaking to me, I could tell by the look on Derek's face that it wasn't necessarily the most pleasant, or innocent comment he could make.

Besides, I wasn't that dull, and I knew the last part meant "my love", so he was obviously pulling me into this game of ours again.

Ours, I repeat to myself.

I enjoy the fact that it's a thing, an inside joke meant only for the two of us.

"Someone please translate. French fry?" Ingrid pokes Derek hopefully, itching for a response.

"Fine," he rolls his eyes, his face uncomfortable with the message.

I gulp anxiously.

"If the verb 'to love' didn't exist," he pauses, sighing, "I would have invented it upon seeing you," he finishes.

Mark snorts, subconsciously placing his arm around my shoulder, almost as if he tried to sneak in the detail.

"That's so cute. I'm honestly being filled with cuteness overload now. Two times in a row, and it's not even lunch yet," Ingrid fans herself, attitude continually obvious in her voice.

"Also, did you know that French is the language of love?" Ingrid adds matter-of-factly, dropping her arm by her side.

I swear I can see her heart melting through her faux fur coat, reminiscent of her personality.