Destiny: Time To Fall In Love

Chapter 4 -The Field Trip Formula

Aashi's POV

The morning started like any other. I was currently in my favorite state of mind, Daydreaming about my handsome neighbor while the man himself was at the front of the class, lecturing about chemical bonds.

Suddenly, a knock at the door broke the silence. The college peon walked in and handed a notice to Aryan. I watched as Aryan's eyes scanned the page, his expression neutral until he looked up at us.

"Attention, class," he announced, his voice commanding instant silence. "The university is organizing a three-day field trip starting this Friday. If you're interested in joining, I need your names by the end of the day. I've been appointed as the faculty in-charge for this excursion."

He started gathering his books, ready to leave, but a girl in the front row spoke up before he could reach the door. "Sir? Are you going to be coming with us?"

My heart stopped. She had literally stolen the words out of my mouth. If Aryan wasn't going, there was no way I was spending three days in a bus with a bunch of sweaty students. I held my breath, waiting for his answer.

"Yes," Aryan confirmed with a slight nod. "I'll be accompanying you, along with Mr. Pathak, to keep an eye on things. So, I'll see you there."

The moment he stepped out of the room, the class exploded. I've never seen people so excited about a field trip in my life. The girls were practically vibrating. It wasn't about the destination; it was about seventy-two hours of access to Mr. Hottie without the classroom podium in the way.

"Hurray!" they shouted. I was right there with them, mentally already packing my bags. I was over the moon.

"Aah haa! Someone looks a little too excited," a teasing voice whispered in my ear.

I turned to see Richa raising her eyebrows at me. "So, is this it? Are you finally going to confess your feelings to him on this trip?"

I was taking a sip of water and immediately did a double-take, coughing as the water went down the wrong way. Once I stopped hacking, I glared at her. "Are you crazy, Richu? I don't even know if he likes me like that! I need to figure that out first before I go making a fool of myself."

Richa gave me a look of pure frustration, throwing her hands up. "Are you for real? Aashi, the man has given you enough hints to fill a chemistry textbook!"

"What hints?" I asked, genuinely confused. "He's just being a good neighbor."

"Oh gosh, you're going to die single at this rate," she groaned. "Okay, let me list them for you: One- he lets you call him 'Aryan' outside of college, which is a massive boundary he doesn't break for anyone else." Richa said, raising her two fingers she continued  "Two- he spends all his free time with you. Shopping, jogging, sweet corn... hello? And three- have you seen how he looks at you? Everyone is jealous of you for a reason, Aashi. Believe me, he likes you just as much as you like him."

I listened to her "facts," but my heart was still hesitant. "I don't know, Richu. I need to be 100% sure before I take a step that big."

Richa's eyes suddenly sparked with mischief. "Okay, fine. If you don't believe me, I have a plan. A way to confirm his feelings once and for all during this trip."

She leaned in and whispered her idea to me. As she spoke, a slow, mischievous smile spread across my face. It was brilliant. It was risky. It was perfect.

I pulled her into a tight hug. Richa is like a sister to me, though sometimes I think she's more invested in my love life than I am.

"Perfect," I said, giving her a high-five. "Now I can definitely figure it out."