The Beach Episode

       Tone woke up to the sunlight streaming into his and Akk’s bedroom and a smiling Akk over him, where he had been taking the covers off of Tone.

      “Akk, what are you doing??” Tone asked grumpily, throwing up a hand to block the light.

      “Beach day today! Did you forget?” Akk said with his signature wide smile.

      Tone thought for a second. He had, indeed, forgotten that the former interns of the third year of the Hotel Stars internship had planned to go to the beach that day. In his defense, he had been working at the hotel a little more than usual to help get him and Akk ready for their move, which was coming up in about three months. Tone smiled and reached for Akk’s hand, who obligingly helped Tone sit up. 

      “I’m going to go pack our stuff, so you go get ready, okay?” Akk said.

      “Will do” Tone replied. Akk smiled and left the room, while Tone watched with a small smile on his face. He sat there a few more seconds, then went to the closet to get his clothes for the day. As he got dressed, he slipped something into his blue pocket, making sure the zipper was fully closed, then put the jacket into the beat up pick-up truck with the other supplies.

       Meanwhile, Kin was bouncing all over the room while Pong was trying to get an extra five minutes of sleep. 

       “KIIIIIN WHAT ARE YOU DOING??” Pong yelled, finally sitting up, much to Kin’s delight.

       “The beach! We’re going to the beach! We get to see everyone again!” Kin’s enthusiasm was not to be contained this morning, Pong could see. He threw a pillow in Kin’s direction and got up. Sometimes he wondered why he had decided to get this small apartment with someone so loud, but seeing Kin so happy meant he was happy too, even if he wouldn’t show it.

        At Neung and Kay’s apartment, the two were cooking breakfast together, with Neung chopping vegetables and Kay putting them into omelettes. 

       “You ready for the beach?” Kay asked as they sat down to eat.

       “I’m ready for Akk and Kin to see exactly how gay we are together a year later” Neung replied, cutting his omelette with a little more force than necessary.

       Kay rolled his eyes and smiled. Pong should have never told them what those two had said, since Neung refused to let it go. Kay had a feeling that if Tone and Akk got married, Neung’s speech would make a reference to Akk being oblivious.

       (Neung had his speech for Tone and Akk’s marriage memorized. It definitely involved Akk being oblivious about Tone and Sompai and his remarks about Neung and Kay)

       “Well, don’t be too harsh, okay?” Kay said, smiling at Neung and squeezing his hand.

       Nook woke up to Valen’s good morning text and smiled. After a year of working at the hotel, the other interns were finally meeting up again, and they would be going to the beach. Her and Valen had been dating only a few months, after his mom had seen that dating would not get in the way of her work ethic and that he was determined to make the Love Paradise Hotel as good a business as any. Nook was glad to be seeing the others again, but was a little nervous as well. 

      Toey nudged his boyfriend, Min. 

      “Hey, relax. They will like you. Besides, you met Tone and Akk before, remember? And Pong said he thought he might know you, although he called you Mork. You do know that there will literally only be one straight couple there, right? Valen and Nook, so no one will judge us”

      Min looked at Toey and nodded. He would go and finally meet the other people Toey had worked with a year ago at an internship. 

      Ying woke up to a kiss on her nose. She scrunched it and swatted away the intrusion on her nose.

     “Ying, it’s time to get up! Don’t you want to see your friends at the beach?” 

     Ying opened her eyes and made a face. Even a year later (actually, especially a year later), she was still ashamed of her behavior during her time at the Hotel Stars internship. She honestly wasn’t sure why she had been invited, since her behavior had been so poor. But if they wanted to extend an olive branch, she would take it. 

     “Ying, get up! Otherwise we’re gonna be late!”

      If nothing else, Ying was glad that she now had the best girlfriend she could ever ask for. She really hadn’t guessed that Whud would do that to her, as she had never had feelings for him in the first place. Even though she was grateful to Valen, she didn’t have feelings for him either. Others thought she did, but it was just a way for her to get information and power when she stalked him. Oh gosh, her cheeks. They were burning as she thought of her behavior. Even after all that, though, she had managed to get a girlfriend.

     “Ying! Come on!” Sompai started pulling on her arm, laughing at Ying’s grumpy expression. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. No one is going to judge you for stupid things you did a year ago. And if they do, we’ll tease them for being cheesy with their faens, okay?”

     Khun Sompai had asked her out a few months after the internship, after she had seen Ying throwing a drink on a guy harassing her. It was just meant to be a coffee, but Ying had matured after her internship and Sompai was impressed. Like her internship crush Akk, Sompai was also bi. Two months later, they were renting an apartment near the hotel (something Valen was insanely jealous of, as his parents would not allow him to share an apartment with a girl, but would allow his cousin to share one with the girl she was dating). 

     “I’m up, I’m up” Ying said, giggling at her excited girlfriend.