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"Wake up, Samayara. Kiaan is here to meet you," Vanie shook me awake.
"What?" I cleared my throat and rubbed my eyes, trying to focus.
"Yes, he's waiting for you outside. You might want to wake up before all the girls on this floor barge into our room to talk to him," she said, snatching away the comforter.
Her face still glowed with leftover makeup and smeared mascara. She hadn't returned to the room last night, claiming they were practising the skit again.
Meanwhile, I finished reading an entire book series. It was crazy at the start and addictive by the end, and I pulled another all-nighter.
"Um, Myra, can I get your dryer?" A girl barged into our room, her eyes fixed on the door.
First of all, I don't have a dryer—it's already provided in the bathroom. Secondly, I don't even know this girl.
"No, she doesn't. Go back," Vanie showed her the door. The girl left with a friendly smile, saying she'd see us again.
What a mess!
I quickly got up, fixed my clothes, and tied my hair back before heading out to meet Kiaan.
"Good morning, little sunshine," Kiaan said in his overly joyous tone, pushing his headphones down. He stood there in a perfectly groomed outfit, his hair slicked back. I felt like a rag in front of a king. No trace of yesterday's argument showed in his demeanor, as if he had forgotten about it, but I hadn't.
"What is it, Kiaan?" I asked, making sure he knew I was annoyed by his presence and uncomfortable with all the stares and that stupid nickname.
"Your little storm wants a favor from you," he continued.
"Samayara, invite him in. He's been standing there for so long," Vanie intervened.
"I'm fine here, and can y'all leave? I'm sure you can take the dryer later," he retorted, telling the gathering crowd to go away.
"So, as I was saying, mountain girl wants you to get something for her while you all are hiking. There's a flower field, and she wants you to pick some flowers for her. She'll come to the camping spot to get them," he explained.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Oh, okay. So am I supposed to go alone?" I asked, trying to make sense of this strange request with my mind racing with questions, each one tangling into the next. Why flowers? Why now?
"No," he replied, a grin spreading across his face.
"She'll have one of the girls or guys join you, sadly not me," he added with a wink.
"Okay," I said, feeling skeptical and nervous.
"Then that's it. See you later, little sunshine," he said, not looking up from his phone as he texted someone.
