Just in Fifteen Days

25. Tuesday Plans

Ashton's POV

The water waves were dancing gracefully on the tune that the air offered. It felt like I was in the middle of this beautiful world, the skyscrapers surrounding the waters from all the sides, the air blowing across our faces with hidden nonchalance and the birds flying over our heads mischievously, chasing each other. I had always loved water sports.

Talie was clicking pictures to put them on her Instagram and Snapchat stories. She made a long rant on how she wasn't able to go anywhere because her parents would always be busy, and how she was thankful to me for making her do these fun things and giving her some once-in-a-lifetime experience. She told me how jealous she felt when she saw her friends putting up pictures of all the places they visit.

We talked about so many things. She told me how a guy in the second grade had eaten all the chocolates that her teacher had given her because she had bagged first prize in drawing competition in the whole school, and how her friends once panicked when she had applied sauce all over her face and told them that she was bleeding. I wanted to hear more, hear all of them.

For a moment, I thought that she would get along with Myra really well because of the amount they talked. It was difficult to predict who would win if there would be a talking competition. All I did was smile a few times, and do some ‘oh', ‘that's great’.

I talked only when I had something related to say or when she asked me questions. And I swear, she asked so many questions. It was difficult for her to keep quiet.

“Why didn't we go for whitewater kayaking?” she asked.

“Because it's not for the beginners. Flatwater kayaking is the safest and the most basic one. Whitewater sure is fun. It gives a type of adrenaline rush that hardly anything else can give.”

“I'm surely going to ask Steve to take me here again. It's really fun.” And her rant about Steve and Char continued.

Two more couples were kayaking alongside us. One of them looked like a pair of father and son while the other were two men, probably in their late forties. I waved to both of them as they moved past us. They looked quite experienced for the speed they had maintained.

When they had reached where we were, one of them initiated the talk. They complimented me on how smoothly and safely I was paddling. My hands usually would start to pain after almost forty five minutes of paddling. I wondered if it would happen this time too. The other times, there would be other experienced people with me but this time I was with Talie and I couldn't risk her life.

When I looked at her, I noticed that she was smiling at the father-son duo. The guy looked in his early twenties. I wouldn't lie but he was too handsome, with his pitch black hair and the bulky structure. Something in my mind snapped and I made the mistake of introducing myself as Talie's boyfriend. BAM.

Why was I doing this? The first time I did this was when I was with Cheryl. I wasn't sure if whatever I had with Cheryl could be ever possible with Talie. I didn't even want to think about it.

Talie stared at me with an indecipherable look, and sighed after a moment. She introduced herself to them and she really looked happy. Meeting new people and getting to know them was probably her next favourite thing. That guy told her how beautiful she looked.

Of course, she did. It was the first time I had seen her blush so hard.

Seth was going to blame himself when I would return and principal would surely ask for me. Since the day I had reached here, I hadn't recorded even a single video. Rocky, my boxing coach who had assisted me at the fight club had managed to shoot the video but I hadn't edited it yet. I was supposed to put it up by yesterday morning. Also, I had missed one biking race, which unfortunately was the most important one. I was becoming careless and I failed to know why. Or maybe, I knew the reason but I was trying to ignore it.