Midnight Rain

12.

POV Ava

"Okay, everyone, we will leave in 10 minutes! Make sure all your belongings are packed!" I was standing in front of a huge bus, which was driving us to our destination. Everyone was there except for one person.
She was probably running late like usual, but she could at least... BING

-Chiara-
Sorry, I saw the bus and turned around. Can you please send me the address? I'll meet y'all there.

-Ava-
Are you for real? A bus isn't that horrible. And the whole team is driving as one. That's the point of a "Team Weekend," you know?

-Chiara-
Yeah, it's still a no for me. I won't get into a damn bus. So you can either send me the address, or I'm out.

-Ava-
I swear sometimes I can't with you. Fine.
Here's the address: Malibu Creek State Park

-Chiara-
See, that wasn't so hard.
Meet you guys there ... enjoy the Bus ride

I put away my phone while trying not to look all too pissed. This woman is driving me insane, and not in a good way.

Okay, now I understand why she didn't want to drive with that bus. Not that it's horrible, but it's loud and smells terrible. Thankfully, the drive was only two hours, and we were almost there.
During the drive, I sorted everyone into their rooms and sent them all the schedules for the following days. It was a good mixture of sports, games, and chill time. Every evening, there would be an outside BBQ with a fireplace for S'mores.
Every morning, we would start with a 10-mile run through the mountains, followed by a protein-rich breakfast.

"Listen up closely; we'll arrive any minute.
When we do, get out of the bus, grab your Stuff, and gather around in the hotel lobby," I informed everyone.
We arrived, and it was total chaos, but what else did I expect? Chiara was nowhere to be seen, but I'm sure she'll arrive soon.
After everyone calmed down, I grabbed the keycards from the reception and asked everyone to come forward to get theirs. When they got their room card, I sent them off and told them to meet at the pool in one hour. I was left with two more cards. One for me and one for Chiara. Speaking of which, she was still not ... oh, there she .. wow.
She looked like she was going to a fashion show but, indeed, not to a Team event. Her driver pulled out her suitcase, and what the hell was she packing for? A week-long trip?
"Well, hello there," Chiara came in my direction.
"Hi Chiara, you know we're only staying for two nights, right," I said, pointing to her giant suitcase.
"I know, but since you didn't give me any information about what we do or where we go, I packed for every possible." She's something else.
"Well, I guess you're well prepared then. Here's your room key. Get yourself into something sporty and meet me and the others in 50 minutes at the pool." handing her a keycard, I grabbed my backpack and went to my room.

I let myself fall onto the bed. Already exhausted, I wondered how to survive the rest of the day. Maybe I'll have some time to grab a coffee before meeting with the team. I freshened myself up, put on a sporty outfit, and made my way downstairs.

On my way to the coffee shop, I noticed Chiara at the Reception, complaining about god knows what. She turned around and made her way outside to calm herself down. I decided to let her be and ordered myself a coffee. While preparing my order, I looked over to Chiara, sitting on a bench, head in her hands. Okay, something must be off. In the hope of getting her mood up, I ordered a second coffee for her.

She didn't notice I was coming her way till I let myself down next to her. Handing her coffee, she looked at me surprised, but that quickly turned into a small smile and a very quiet "thank you."
"You wanna tell me what's up?" Hopefully, this time, she'll be able to talk to me.
"Well, my room has a broken toilet and shower. I wanted a different one, but they're completely booked out. They apologized, but I told them what they expected me to do now. Maybe I'll just drive back home. I'm mood in the mood for this whole shit anyway," she hissed.
"OK, first of all, sorry about that room. That sucks. I'm not going to lie, and I'll talk to them. Maybe we can find a solution. Second, I put a lot of work in planning this weekend, so I would really appreciate you being here ... and also not calling it 'shit'" I gave her a little bump on her shoulder, and she returned it.
"You're right. I don't know if it's shit or not yet," she joked.
"You're so funny. Anyway, I'll talk to the receptionist. Would you care to join me?" She nodded, and we made our way to the reception.
Seeing us coming closer, one of them looked frightened. Chiara wasn't the nicest earlier, but I can understand her. She basically has no place to sleep.
"So, what's up with this whole room mess?" I started the conversation.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I already told this young lady we're sorry, but there's nothing we can do. We are booked out, and we won't get the bathroom fixed before Monday," he explained.
"Well, and where do you expect my Top athlete to sleep?" By now, I was getting annoyed, too. They're really not helping this situation.
"Maybe she can share a room with one of her teammates?" Now, that was a stupid idea. I don't know Chiara that well, but someone who doesn't even want to drive on a bus surely doesn't want to share a room with a teammate.
"Like hell I do! You messed up! You have to fix it!" Chiara yelled at him.
"Okay, Chiara, calm down. I know the situation is messed up, but maybe there is someone you like who would share a room with you?" I'm not sure if she likes any one of the team, to be honest, but I could at least try. She looked at me like I was talking total nonsense.
"No, there isn't. I'm going to drive home now." With that, she grabbed her suitcase and went outside the hotel.
"I hope your hotel manager knows I'm expecting a huge discount for this messed up situation we're in now!" With that, I left the reception and made my way to Chiara, who was now sitting on the bench from earlier, sipping her coffee.

"Hey.." I started.
"What do you want?" ok, wow, she was really in a bad mood.
"Trying to find a solution here. I can't just let you drive home. That's not the point of the whole weekend."
"Well, there's none. I won't share a room with any of those idiots on the team. And since there's no place for me to sleep, I'll drive back home." taking a mother sip of her coffee, she pulled out her phone to call her driver.
I was searching for a way to make her stay, but if she doesn't like any of her teammates, who else could she share ... no Ava! Don't even think about it! It's already complicated enough between you two. This will just make things ... but my mouth was faster than my thoughts...
"You could share a room with me?" I can't believe I just said that.
Chiara froze in place, and I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad sign.
"That's not a good idea. And you know that yourself, Ava," she was right. It was not. But it was the only way to get her to stay.
"It might not. But we both know you won't stay here the other way. We are two grown-ups. Don't you think we can handle this situation for just two nights?"
Maybe it would be a good thing. Bringing us closer together and showing the both of us that we can work together as a team.
"Are you really sure about that, Ava?"
"Yes, Chiara, let's just stay professional. Can't be that hard, huh?" I stood up and grabbed her suitcase.
"Come, I'll show you your ... our room," she joined me, and we made our way to my room. Well, our room now.
I was nervous, not going to lie, but I was also sure that it would work out just fine.

Hopefully.