章節 15: New Year's Eve 3
Parking his car in the long-term parking building near the airport, another vehicle picked them up and drove them over to the hangar where Cooper, Holden's fraternal twin brother, together with his girlfriend, Irina, were waiting for them.
Years ago, Stellar first met the Knight brothers when she tagged along to drop off Aki in the seminary.
As a senior seminarian, Holden was one of the welcoming committee, while Cooper, who was up for anything to wash away his boredom, borrowed one of Holden's uniforms and joined his twin to welcome incoming seminarians, including Aki.
Feeling the need to use the bathroom, Stellar asked Cooper first, but he gave her random directions since he didn't really know where the toilets were.
Hearing his twin, Holden stepped in and ushered Stellar towards the cleanest toilet he knew existed in the seminary.
Stellar remembered that it was quite a walk to the toilet, but Holden was nice enough to talk about the history of the sculptures they passed by to entertain her.
Arriving at the hangar, Stellar's attention was brought back to the present upon seeing Cooper happily wave his hand in the air as he saw the approaching car.
Standing beside him was his long-time girlfriend, Irina, a model, and a social media influencer, who happened to be a schoolmate of Stellar back in university.
"Wooow," Stellar uttered, her eyes widened like saucers. She couldn't help but gasp in astonishment upon laying her eyes on the sparkling jet in front of them.
Stellar wasn't a stranger to Holden and his family. Although the Knight Family hailed from the south of the country and was rarely seen in high-profile gatherings, they were known as the largest exporter of steel in Asia, plus their family was considered old money.
Who would have known that the brothers actually were raised in affluence when they loved to dress in casual and comfortable clothing, especially Holden who was currently sporting a white shirt, chino pants, and a Birkenstock?
Stellar mused that maybe it was the reason her personality jived with the Knight brothers, unlike the children of her mom's friends who loved to go on a piss fight with each other. In short, the Knight twins' simplicity made her feel at ease.
"Stellar!"
"Cooper!"
"Stellaaaar!" Cooper greeted her one more time and welcomed her in a hug. "You're all grown up! Happy birthday! Wait? How old are you today?"
"Twenty-one," Stellar sheepishly replied.
"Oof. Still young eh. Don't worry. Brother Cooper got your back on this trip." Cooper slapped his chest and hooked his arm on Stellar's shoulders. "Irina told me you knew each other so no need for formalities."
He then slung his other arm on Irna, sandwiching himself between the two ladies. "Now let's go!"
Behind the three, Holden tugged his earlobe as he watched his twin leave without saying as much as a simple 'Hi' to greet him.
…
The private jet Stellar and Holden were in was floating in the air for a good thirty minutes.
Since it was considered as one of the busiest times to travel to Hong Kong, airport congestion was at its peak.
Stellar's hangover didn't help with her fear that the plane would suddenly drop in case it ran out of fuel. It was apparent with how pale she looked and how strong her grip was on Holden.
Beside her, Holden silently comforted Stellar by gently patting her hand. She could feel the wooden prayer beads on his fingertips as he did.
However thankful she was for his company, she didn't want to open her eyes, afraid that if she did, something bad would happen so she pretended that she was asleep.
A slight overthinker with an unlimited imagination—Stellar sweated cold bullets in her seat. So much for an adventure, she thought.
As if her prayers were heard, the pilot spoke through the speakers informing them of their descent.
"Finally!" Irina exclaimed. She was clapping her hands like a giddy middle schooler who was excited for a field trip out of town.
Once they successfully landed, Stellar and Holden had to part ways with Cooper and Irina.
Against Cooper's protest, Stellar maintained that she already booked a room for her and Holden. According to her, she didn't want to crash into their hotel suite so the couple could have all the room to themselves to celebrate the new year.
With a heavy heart, Cooper finally let go of Stellar's luggage and kicked Holden in the shin as his form of goodbye.
"Send me the address. I'll have someone pick you up," Cooper demanded from Stellar.
She bobbed her head and waved her hand before boarding the airport train that would shuttle them straight into Hong Kong Island, where Stellar booked an Airbnb apartment.
In under an hour, the two arrived at their destination, and their necks craned as they sized up the towering condominium.
Following the instructions in her email, Stellar zigzagged her way inside the building that had elevator doors lined up on both sides.
Figuring out which door they should take, what with all the floor numbers pasted right next to the corresponding door, Holden waved his hand upon finding the designated elevator car they needed to board.
Overcoming their first hurdle, Stellar and Holden stood in comfortable silence as they waited to reach their destination.
Following the map in her email, a middle-aged lady welcomed them with a smile on her face.
"Stellar? Hi, I'm Joy. I will be your host for two nights."
"Yes, that's me." Stellar raised her hand that was holding her phone. "Hi, nice to meet you. This is Holden."
"Ooooh, what a lovely couple you are," Joy, the Airbnb host gushed. Stellar grimaced at the comment but didn't bother correcting the lady.
After Joy left the keys to the apartment, Stellar and Holden got the biggest shock of their lives.
Stellar's eyebrow twitched as she assessed the situation she was in. It was her first time booking an Airbnb apartment since all the hotel rooms in Hong Kong were booked and now… there was only one bed in the cramped apartment that she rented when she clearly saw the room was good for two persons.
It was a studio apartment that was as big as her bedroom. The kitchen and toilet were on the left side, while the bed and a small table were aligned on the right side where the one and only window was.
What the F?
This was a disaster!
Stellar cursed herself in her mind. Her head snapped to the left when she heard Holden spoke, "It's not bad. I can sleep on the floor."
Holden shuffled his hand on top of Stellar's head as if everything about their sleeping arrangements would be comfortable for both of them.
The sound of a rolling suitcase snapped Stellar from her stupor.
"No. No. It's not okay. The floor is cold," she exasperated. She slumped on the bed and fished her phone in her pocket.
Rummaging her memory, she clearly saw two beds and not one when she booked the room.
Or she saw it wrongly and booked anyway because of her excitement?
Now, she had two choices to pick: first, join Cooper and Irina in their suite but hear them making out like what happened earlier in the jet, or they could stay in this apartment and share the bed.
Lifting her chin up, Stellar looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyebrows twitched as she made up her mind.
She convinced herself that it's just two nights of sharing bed space with a friend. What could possibly go wrong… right?
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