Falling Softly

Cruise : Part I

Aaryan's POV

The darkness had settled outside as the clock struck seven in the evening. My phone buzzed. "Cab is here," I informed Kavya as I answered the call. "Yes, stay there. We are on our way, just two minutes," I told the driver before ending the call and turning around to alert her, but she was already there.

I paused as I caught sight of her across the room, a soft smile tugging at my lips. She was wearing a vibrant coral dress that instantly drew my attention. The dress was loose and flowing, falling just above her knees in a casual, effortless way. It had a kind of bohemian charm, with its tiered layers and billowy sleeves. The color seemed to complement her complexion perfectly, bringing a warm glow to her cheeks.

"Let's go," she rushed towards the exit door, picking up her phone and placing it in her purse along the way. I wore a fiber shirt with a turn-down collar. I checked the door and picked up our backpack before exiting with Kavya.

We reached the destination in the next thirty minutes. That whole thirty minutes, I spent wondering about my outfit. It was kind of bland. I should have bought new shirts, I cursed myself. Especially after looking at her outfit, I was clearly underdressed.

"What do you think of this outfit?" I asked her as soon as we got out of the cab. "It's fine, hey you are looking handsome," she replied.

We saw a couple of cruises parked in front of us. A lot of people were coming to the venue. My thoughts went even more downhill when I saw other people; they were all dressed up. I looked at my outfit again.

"What's the matter?" I heard her voice out of concern. "Aaryan, relax. It's not like you are going for an arranged marriage proposal." I bet she noticed what I was worried about. I laughed a little.

I dialed Nishit's number while looking for him in different directions. I didn't know anyone there, and my heart was already racing a little after seeing so many strangers. I wondered how many of them were actually going to join us on the cruise.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was him and Natasha. I hugged Natasha as she was closer to me. As we separated, she commented, "What's with the fit, you going for a retro look, Aaryan?" she said with a little laugh. My eyes went to Kavya; I could see she didn't like the comment at all.

"You are looking amazing," Natasha cheered while coming close to Kavya, but Kavya greeted her in a bit of a laid-back manner. I could feel the tension between them building up. I hoped they would get along well.

"We are good to go," Nishit said, pointing towards the cruise. People started to enter the cruise, and it was about time we entered too.

The cruise was giant, a three-story cruise. We climbed the stairs and entered the cruise. The floor was like a dining hall with a kitchen in the back, but more like a five-star restaurant. At the end, there was an exit that led to the bow of the cruise. I imagined Kavya and me doing the Titanic pose there.

Then we went upstairs, where there were a lot of rooms. We collected our room key and went upstairs to witness the open sky. There were tables there and a dance floor. The lighting was delicate and added beauty to the cruise. I saw one side, the city, and the other side, complete darkness.

"Guys, we should go downstairs for the welcome dinner," Natasha told us. We stopped exploring and went to the first floor. The setting was different from what we saw a few minutes ago. The tables were set, waiters were wandering here and there. There was special lighting near each table which made it look really good.

We grabbed a table where four of us could sit. We settled down and looked at the menu. Nishit ordered, while Natasha also ordered her food with an expensive wine bottle. I was gulping saliva down my throat while turning pages. I looked at Kavya, and she had the same feeling.

We ordered a simple meal for us, on which Natasha interrupted, "You guys know that dinner is covered with the trip, right?" I felt a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, they know it," Nishit jumped in playfully, saving me from embarrassment, and we continued the conversation while our dishes arrived.

Natasha set four glasses and started pouring wine. When it came to my glass, I hesitated a bit and told her, "I am good."

"Oh, come on," she persisted. "He doesn't drink," Nishit told Natasha. "You too?" Natasha said while looking at Kavya, as she also nodded her head and signaled her not to pour for her as well.

To be honest, it was getting awkward and filled with anxiety for me. It felt like it wasn't what I had imagined. Maybe I was just overthinking; we had just landed on the cruise.

We were eating when Nishit's phone buzzed, and he excused himself and walked towards the exit door. "Oh my god, work again," Natasha spoke, but Nishit just continued walking. "You are so lucky, Kavya," she said to Kavya, to which Kavya looked a bit confused. Natasha continued, "You are lucky, Aaryan isn't a workaholic like him." Kavya just rolled her eyes, raising her eyebrows, and stared at me for a second before continuing to eat.

Nishit came back in a few seconds, and we finished our dinner.

The four of us went upstairs where the bedrooms were. We walked past the rooms and ended up in an open area. We could see the moon lighting up the water. We were away from the city. We could still see a few lights. The cruise was floating on the sea, and we could hear water splashing, with a cold breeze embracing our faces.

"So how is it?" Natasha asked excitedly. "It's beautiful," Kavya said while looking at the moon. I could feel that she was enjoying the view but not the company.

There weren't many people around. It sounded like most of them went inside their rooms after dinner, maybe to the top floor where there was more open space and a dance floor.

"So, I have lots of activities planned for tomorrow. After breakfast, we do scuba diving, dance in the evening, and couple games tomorrow night," she said in one breath, her excitement quite visible. "Can't wait," Nishit said. "Yeah, I am a bit tired," Kavya spoke. "Can't wait for tomorrow," I could see her fake excitement. "I am going to wind down. Aaryan, do you mind giving me the keys?" "I am a bit tired too. See you guys," I said to Natasha and Nishit and joined Kavya towards our room.

Oh my god, that woman can walk fast. I almost ran behind her. She wanted to go away that much? She entered the room and closed the door while I knocked. She opened it, and I went in.

"What does she think she is?" Those were the words I heard as soon as I entered the room. She walked right to left and left to right in the room. "First about your outfit and then the dinner menu. Does she think we are so poor? And what is wrong with not drinking alcohol? " She exclaimed, crossing her arms and continuing to walk rapidly.

Before I opened my mouth, she spoke again, "On top of that, she plans all the things for tomorrow. I wanted a laid-back day enjoying the view and spending time with you far from the world while watching the beautiful view."

I was flattered that she wanted to spend time with me, but I was snapped back in time as her voice raised a little. "Anyway, I am just too tired."

She folded into the bed, raising the blanket up above her head.

Thank you for reading. There is three parts about cruise and all parted are uploaded. Don't forget to add a star.