POV: Meilin
It had been the perfect Parisian evening.
The curtains billowed softly with the breeze from our open balcony, the Eiffel Tower sparkled in the distance like it was winking just for me, and Theo was lying on the bed in just his sweatpants, hair still damp from the shower, flipping lazily through some French magazine he couldn't even read. His tattooed arm was under his head, and the other was possessively resting across my stomach.
I could've died happy right then and there.
Until—
Knock knock.
We both froze.
Theo narrowed his eyes toward the door like it had just insulted him. "Who the hell…?"
I sighed dramatically. "If that's room service again, I swear—"
"Open up!" Ava's voice rang through the door. "We have a situation!"
Theo groaned, burying his face in my shoulder. "Tell them we're asleep."
"I can't lie to my best friend," I whispered, even as I was halfway out of bed already. "Also, she'll break the door down."
I padded across the room and opened it to find a half-frozen Ava and an equally irritated Austin, both holding their phones and looking… defeated.
"What happened?" I asked, blinking at their luggage.
"The keycard's not working," Ava said, sounding betrayed. "Reception said they won't have maintenance till morning."
"Did you try kicking the door?" I asked, because knowing Ava…
"I did!" she said, clearly offended that I'd suggest anything less.
Theo sat up, already glaring. "No."
"We didn't even say anything yet," Austin said flatly.
"No," Theo repeated, already wrapping his arms around a pillow like it was a shield. "You're not staying here."
I turned to him. "Theo. They're my best friends."
"They're also loud. And I was about to fall asleep with you on top of me."
Austin snorted. "Damn. Don't tempt me to leave on purpose."
Theo tossed a pillow at his face.
But alas, Ava had already flopped onto the spare sofa and started making herself at home. "You'll survive, Theo. You've survived worse. Like that time Meilin made you sit through a three-hour K-drama without subtitles."
"I understood the emotions," Theo grumbled.
I smiled sweetly and walked over to him, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "Come on. Let them crash. Just one night."
He looked at me with the most betrayed expression. "You're going to owe me."
"Forever and always," I whispered, kissing his cheek.
Austin had already claimed the floor and was stacking throw pillows like some kind of chaotic architect. "This is actually cozy. We're like one big family. A weird, dysfunctional, questionably romantic family."
Theo pulled the covers over his head. "I hate Paris."
"You love me," I sang as I climbed in beside him, cuddling into his side.
He peeked out from under the blanket, eyes tired but soft. "Too much."
Meanwhile, Ava and Austin had already started bickering over whose side of the couch belonged to whom.
It was going to be a long night.
But somehow, it still felt like the sweetest version of home.
---
POV: Meilin
The morning light spilled through the gauzy curtains, casting golden stripes across the bedspread. I blinked awake slowly, still tangled in Theo's arms, his face buried in the crook of my neck, his hair messier than usual, his breathing soft and warm against my skin.
I didn't move. Not yet. Because this? This was my favorite part of the day.
Until—
"Ava, get your leg off my back!"
Theo groaned into my shoulder. "Why are they still here."
I opened one eye and glanced toward the sofa. Ava and Austin were entirely entangled, both half-hanging off, limbs tossed over each other like a pair of deranged starfish.
Austin was already trying to push Ava's face away. "You drooled on me. Meilin, your best friend drooled on me!"
Ava, eyes still shut, mumbled, "You talk in your sleep, lawyer boy. Something about tort law and mangoes."
"What—?" Austin looked deeply betrayed.
I snorted, biting my lip to stifle a giggle. "Good morning to everyone."
Theo, still not moving, grumbled, "You're all nightmares. I want a refund on this vacation."
"Oh, you love us," Ava said, now sitting up and stretching like a cat. "Besides, I slept great. Your hotel mattress is amazing."
"That's my mattress," Theo snapped.
Austin was rubbing his back and staring at the couch like it had personally assaulted him. "I'm suing someone. Myself, probably, for agreeing to this."
I peeked at the clock. "We have breakfast in 30 minutes."
Theo made a strangled noise. "No we don't. I'm not moving. I refuse."
"You'll move when I sit on you," I threatened sweetly.
Theo peeked out from under the covers, his lips twitching. "Promises, promises."
"Gross," Ava said, throwing a pillow at us.
Theo caught it midair and chucked it at Austin. "Get your own room fixed, Romeo."
"I tried! But someone—" he looked at Ava— "decided to test if a card could open the minibar instead of the door."
Ava shrugged. "It was a valid experiment."
Theo pulled me closer like he could escape the chaos by burying himself in me. "I swear, next trip? Just you and me. Somewhere quiet. With zero best friends."
"You'd get bored in two hours and beg for drama," I teased, kissing his nose.
"...Maybe," he admitted.
Ava was now trying to brush her hair with a fork. Austin was using his sock as a makeshift phone cleaner. And somewhere deep in the background, the Eiffel Tower twinkled like it was mocking us.
But wrapped in Theo's arms, surrounded by our mess of a chosen family, I wouldn't have traded this morning for the world.