Maya

A total flight time of twelve hours, plus a total layover of five hours, and then an hour-long drive from the London airport brings us to the hotel where we would be staying for a week in London. Jae-Eun has accompanied me this year as a representative for his team at Arctic Healthcare, and once we arrive at the hotel, we check-in to our individual rooms after deciding to meet up for breakfast tomorrow.

My room is situated at the ninth level, and I drag my luggage along as I walk down the long hallway from which numerous rooms branch out on both sides.

Finally, arriving at the door to my room, I swipe the key card to unlock the door, and then I power up the room, dragging in my luggage thereafter.

It is a typical standard room with a generous Queen-sized bed, a desk and chair for those who wish to work from the room, and there's also a large TV, a dresser and wardrobe with locker facility, along with a fully-loaded tea/coffee counter.

The room is ideally-illuminated, and the color palette of the room is not the usual boring white and beige or grey, but it's a mix of many mild and pleasing shades of blue, toned down with a hint of white and tastefully-used contrasting cyber yellow highlights. The paintings on the walls perfectly blend with the happy aesthetic of the room as well.

There's a bright bathroom with rich marble walls and flooring, expensive fittings, a compact shower and a large sink counter that's filled with complimentary toiletries.

The room is luxurious, warm and welcoming, but right now I'm in no mood to enjoy the direct view of the London eye from the oversized windows or appreciate the hospitality of the hotel staff who have placed a complimentary pack of neatly wrapped custom-made cookies on the coffee table.

I only feel like taking a nice, hot shower and crashing in bed.

After hanging my clothes in the wardrobe, I do a little bit of unpacking and then take a quick shower. Right now it would be around 5:30 am in Korea, and I choose not to disturb Taehyung's precious sleep by texting him right away.

I dry my hair and climb into bed wearing the huge T-shirt which Taehyung left behind at my home many months ago.

A few restless minutes pass by, and even though the room is extremely cozy, and the bed feels nice and warm, I don't feel sleepy at all. It could be the shower that momentarily energized my senses, or it could be missing Taehyung's warmth that is making me feel lonely, or it could be a combination of both.

But one thing that I'm sure about is that I don't want to sleep so soon. After a small internal debate, I decide to text him and let him know that I have reached safely.

Me:
TaeTae, I reached London safely.

Me:
All is well...but I'm missing you so bad😭💕

In under two minutes, I receive a few reply messages from him.

TaeTae:
Maya, I've been waiting for your message

TaeTae:
I couldn't sleep well, and I kept waking up and checking my phone many times

TaeTae:
I miss you so much, baby

Me:
Come here, right now😭

TaeTae:
What if I really do?

Me:
Huh? 👀

TaeTae:
I wish I could.. was the flight comfortable?

Me:
Yeah, it was. The room is nice too..

TaeTae:
Miss you so much 😢

TaeTae:
What are you wearing?

Me:
Your shirt

TaeTae:
Only that?

Me:
Only that 😉

TaeTae:
Shit! I shouldn't have asked

Me:
But you just did

TaeTae:
Baby, send me a pic. Right now.

Without wasting another second, I fulfill his request by quickly clicking a picture of myself and sharing it with him. The muted lighting in the room does add a magical effect to the picture.

TaeTae:
Wow...

Me:
I want to see you

TaeTae:

Me:
God! I miss you😭😭

Me:
Seven days is too long 😭😭😭

TaeTae:
Maya, get some sleep...

Me:
What's Areum doing?

TaeTae:
She's still sleeping since she doesn't have to go to school today

TaeTae:
It's just 6 am now

Me:
She's your clone, but chubbier and cuter

TaeTae:
Cuter than me?

Me:
By a small margin, yes.😏

TaeTae:
I'm offended 😒

Me:
Can't help that...

TaeTae:
Call me when you're up

Me:
I will. I love you, Taehyung

TaeTae:
I love you more, Maya 💋😘

***

I have no idea how and when I fell asleep, but I slept like a log, and if not for the alarm that keeps blaring so loudly, I wouldn't have woken up anytime before noon.

It doesn't take me long to brush my teeth and hair and get dressed for the day. Just as I'm about to lock my room and step outside, Jae-Eun calls my phone.

"Jae-Eun, morning! I'm ready for breakfast," I inform him as I lock the door and place the keycard safely inside my handbag.

"Sure, Miss Harris. I'm already at the restaurant," he responds quickly, and I end the call after letting him know that I would meet him in a few minutes.

Breakfast with Jae-Eun is a quick affair where we discuss the plan for the day, and I brief him about the various meetings and events that would happen today and on three days of the next week.

He finds it funny and a bit amusing when I choose to eat just chocolate chip pancakes out of all the other mouthwatering dishes that are available for us.

It is his first year here, and on our way to the conference venue, I share some of my experiences from last year.

***

Even though day-one of the conference seemed to drag on forever, the day ends much quicker than anticipated, and at the end of it, I feel a little dead, to be honest.

I quietly head back to my room and discard my heels before falling flat on my back on top of the mattress.

Having not had a moment of peace and freedom throughout the day, I haven't been able to check my phone at all, and I pull it out of my handbag to see what Taehyung is up to. Much to my embarrassment, there are so many texts from him which I hadn't even noticed until now.

TaeTae:
Baby, good morning!! Are you up? Did you sleep well?
Sent at 8 am

TaeTae:
Call me when you're free
Sent at 8:05 am

TaeTae:
Maya, I'm thinking about you
Sent at 11:30 am

TaeTae:
Someone's busy
Sent at 2:10 pm

TaeTae:
HELLO?
Sent at 5 pm

Smiling to myself as I read his texts, I quickly type out a few reply messages to him.

Me:
Baby, been a little busy today.

Me:
But I'm free now

Me:
What are you doing?

I keep checking my phone for about fifteen minutes, and when there's no reply from him, I decide to clean up and head outside and explore the hotel a little, mainly because I have nothing else to do.

Flipping through the brochure that lists all the facilities available in this hotel, I notice that they claim to have a state-of-the-art gym loaded with all the latest equipment, and there's also a rooftop warm water infinity pool which looks amazing in the pictures.

Swimming has always been my choice of exercise, and it definitely seems to be a better option than working out at the gym and ending up with stiff muscles. Just as I keep trying to move my lazy ass an inch a minute, my phone rings with an incoming call from Jae-Eun.

"Yeah, Jae-Eun?" I answer lazily.

"Miss. Harris, if you're free for the evening, can we go get a drink and dinner together?" He sounds eager and energetic, but right now I could do with just curling up inside the comforter or hiding in the pool than socializing at a bar.

However, I don't know what reasons to give to turn down his offer, and I end up accepting the plan.

"Yeah, I'm free. Do you know any nice places around here?"

"The bar in this hotel has great ratings, and room guests get a discount on the bill too," he lets out an embarrassingly loud chuckle.

"Alright, let's meet there in about...thirty minutes?" I finally manage to sit up in bed with reflexes slower than that of a sloth.

"Sure," he pipes up excitedly before we end the call.

There's still no reply from Taehyung, and I'm guessing that he could either be sleeping since it's around 4 am in Korea, or he could be mad at me for not giving him any replies all day long.

But I know that I could always make it up to him.

Short chapter, but I hope you liked it.
🥰
Also, double updates today.
💖

Me : *dies*

Published on : 05/15/2022