First Night
Click. A satisfying sound could be heard as Aashish closed the last luggage compartment on the side of the Charter Bus. Boarding the bus shortly after, he was well aware that the days ahead would be filled with some intense competition, but more importantly fun memories. He found a seat next to his special girl, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Shreya scooched over, offering some room to Aashish, which he was happily obliged to take. The bus rolled out of the parking lot a few minutes after, beginning its long journey to Orlando, the destination being a Hilton Hotel at which one of the largest statewide student conventions would be held. He and Shreya talked a bit about school life and FBLA, as they often did, but following some awkward silence Aashish drifted off.
He woke up groggily, feeling some soft fabric on his left cheek. Still in a daze, Aashish glanced up, unaware of his proximity to Shreya. She smiled, saying "You were asleep on my shoulder the entire ride." He smiled shyly, slightly embarrassed that he fell asleep when he was supposed to be talking to her and that he did so on her shoulder.
"Hope your shoulder isn't too stiff," joked Aashish, to which Shreya quickly assured him it was not. Looking outside, it seemed that they had arrived at their destination, pulling into the driveway of the hotel. After the bus came to a complete stop, the chaperones ushered the kids off the bus to the lobby, where they waited to receive their hotel key cards. Aashish and Shreya decided to grab some coffee at the Starbucks while they waited.
"So, how good do you think we're gonna do?" asked Shreya, breaking the ice at their table.
"With you, we'll do fine," he answered firmly, placing his hand over hers with little hesitance.
"I hope so…." responded Shreya, more focused on Aashish then the actual question. They met each other's gaze momentarily, until one of the chaperones walked in and handed them their hotel IDs. Having finished their coffee at this point, the two got up to leave.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," said Aashish as he waved goodbye to Shreya.
In his room, Aashish laid in his bed, mulling over his schedule for the next day. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sharp ringing of the guest telephone. He picked it up, expecting it to be room service, or something along those lines, but was surprised when he heard Shreya's voice.
"Hey Aashish, I'm gathering the team to prepare for tomorrow. If you can come by my room, 214, that'd be great." Aashish glanced at the time, taking note that curfew was not too far from now.
Nevertheless, he said "Alright, I'm on my way." Opening his door, he was surprised to find that Shreya's room was right across from his, 2 doors down and on the opposite side, which he thought was awfully convenient. He knocked on the door, which opened rather quickly. Aashish peered inside, surprised to see only Shreya.
"I'm guessing I'm the first one?" asked Aashish to which Shreya shook her head innocently.
"You're the only one."
"Huh-" Aashish was cut off mid-sentence by Shreya as she swiftly closed the door behind him. He looked at Shreya expectantly, hoping for some rational explanation.
"Look Aashish, I wanted to spend more time with you. We're already more than well prepared for Global Biz." Aashish's mouth formed the shape of an O, and he felt stupid, having not picked up on the obvious clues.
"Actually Shreya, I wanted to spend some more time with you as well, I just was a little bit nervous to ask myself." Shreya explained that she figured this was the case, and admitted that her friends pressured her to make this move, but that she was glad she did. "
"So, did you want to talk about anything in particular?" asked Aashish.
"Yeah, actually quite a few things," responded Shreya. She beckoned Aashish to the balcony. "But let's talk somewhere more private."
The breeze of the beautiful night felt cool to the skin, as Aashish and Shreya sat in the two chairs on the balcony. His hand, in Shreya's, however, felt hearteningly warm. "We've been going out for a few months now, right?" questioned Shreya, perfectly aware of the answer.
"Yeah, it's been a really nice few months," replied Aashish honestly, recalling the night of the Sadies dance fondly. The night that they truly began a serious relationship.
"We haven't done too much together, though" murmured Shreya, trailing off, "Not with just the two of us."
He didn't have much of a response other than to say "It's not too late to start now."