Meet Indira Devi, an ambitious 18-year-old from India who secures acceptance into her dream university, The London School of Economics. Leaving behind the comforts of her home country, she sets out on a journey to pursue her passion for economics an...
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7th of September, Saturday.
7:02 pm
(I'd recommend to listen to 'Snooze' by SZA, 'The Less I Know The Better' by Tame Impala, or 'Nights like this' by The Kid LAROI or 'After Last Night' by Bruno Mars while reading this)
"Are you guys gonna kick my ass if I say I wanna go to the beach again?" Val teases, placing her plate in the sink after dinner.
Aidan groans, leaning back in his chair. "Didn't we all shower like—what? Twice today? I'm not really up for round three."
"I'm down," I chime in, earning a grin from Val as her eyes light up with excitement.
"Well, if you're going..." Noah says with a casual shrug, but there's a glint in his eye as he glances at me. "Count me in too."
Nick leans back, arms crossed. "One last beach visit then? Before we call it a night?"
Everyone hums in agreement, a low, collective sound of approval filling the room.
Noah stands, stretching with a grin. "Alright, kiddos. Let's move out." He winks, heading to his bedroom, and I trail behind, feeling the subtle tension crackling between us as we walk.
Upstairs, I quickly change into my bikini and throw on an oversized hoodie, the soft fabric warm against my skin. As I make my way back downstairs, I spot Noah lingering by the door, already in his swim trunks and a zip up hoodie, but the zip left open, looking effortlessly handsome as I let my gaze
"Nice hoodie," he says with a smirk when he sees me, his gaze lingering a second longer than usual.
"Nice trunks," I quip, raising an eyebrow. "Trying to impress anyone?"
His smile deepens, and for a second, there's something unreadable in his expression. "Would it work if I said yes?" His voice is teasing, but the way his eyes lock on mine makes my heart do a weird little flip.
I roll my eyes, trying to play it cool. "You wish."
He laughs softly, stepping a little closer as the others gather near the door. His voice lowers, almost just for me. "Maybe I do."
And with that, he opens the door, the cool night air rushing in. "Ready for one last adventure?"
Val bursts out from the garage door, clutching several large, white, paper-like structures in her arms. She shoves them toward Nick, nearly knocking him off balance, but he quickly recovers, holding the bundles with a confused look.
"What's that?" Eloise asks, her curiosity drawing all of us in.
"Lanterns," Val replies with a proud smile, pulling a lighter out of the pocket of her denim shorts, like it's something she does all the time. She carefully unfolds the lanterns, her movements gentle, as if she's handling something fragile. The paper rustles softly in the breeze as she places a small candle in the holder of each lantern, lighting one with a flick of the lighter.
