“Avoiding you? Who says I’m avoiding you? Please!” Desi huffed with a boldness she didn’t feel.

“You know our windows are facing the street, right?” He asked her, and he didn’t need to say more.

Since the front of the house was clearly visible from the rooms above, hers included, he had probably seen her hesitate and then peek into the house before entering.

“Um… It’s nothing. It just felt awkward since… You know…” Desi couldn’t understand why she was stammering all of a sudden.

“Since I saw you drop your thun thun thun earlier?” he asked. The teasing smile was back again.

Desi looked away, trying and failing to hold her laugh, and he joined her.

“What?” he asked her, and she wondered if it was the laughter making his eyes sparkle so.

“Nothing. Just… who says thun thun thun?” 

“I couldn’t find a better way to describe it. You’re a pretty good dancer, by the way.”

“Hey, now you’re teasing me.” Desi was under no delusions as to her dancing ability. He probably felt that way because she was blessed with slightly wide, well-rounded hips that earned her constant teasing and admiration from her family and loved ones. Given its size, whatever she did with her butt looked great.

Alex stretched out his hand for a handshake, and she took it, giving him a questioning look. 

“Let’s start again,” he said gently, and she felt that if a thick blanket could speak, it would sound exactly like his voice in that moment.

She took his hand in hers, slightly surprised by his grip. Although he looked slim and unfit, his hands were strong, like working hands.

“My name is Alex, nice to meet you.”

“Desi, nice to meet you too.” 

“Hello! Anyone home?” An accented male voice called from downstairs, and they slowly released each other’s hands, still smiling. Desi walked to the landing to peek downstairs - it was a guy with a backpack hanging from his arm.

It was another roommate who had just arrived. He came from Northern Nigeria, and the trip took a little longer than he planned, hence his arriving late. With Alex and Desi’s help, he settled into the third room beside Alex’s room and joined them for a light lunch made of sandwiches put together by Desi.

After a refreshing, much-needed nap, it was already evening. There was going to be a mixer of sorts at night, and all camp participants were invited. Desi wasn’t sure she wanted to be in the crowd of almost 200 people… mixing. Even if she went there, she wouldn’t know how to fit in. She’d just spend an awkward 30 minutes and leave.

She decided it would be better to just walk around the resort like she had planned, and she would meet people naturally in the sessions later. She put on comfortable clothes and her favorite oversized Crocs and headed out.

The cool evening breeze felt like feathery caresses on her skin as she walked. With the density of trees at the resort, she did not doubt that the nights here would be cold, with or without air conditioners. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the heavy scent of nature in the air. Not even the pine and wood air fresheners she doused her tiny apartment in could mimic nature’s pure earthiness.

She walked up the hill until she came to the end of the road where a huge house faced the winding path, then turned back to look down over the resort spread across the hill. It looked beyond amazing. She would give anything to have a house atop a hill like this, with a view like the one before her now. After taking in the sights for a while, she headed back down the hill, musing on how much faster the journey downwards felt.

It was starting to get dark now, and as she neared the hostel, she could see that all the windows were dark, except for the one beside hers. So Alex didn’t go to the mixer? She wondered why. He complained to their newest flatmate from the North - Hamin, about the walk uphill being difficult for him. Maybe he was still tired from walking up the hill twice in one day. 

She entered the house just in time to see him walk out of the kitchen with a cup of tea.

“Hey, you’re back already?”

“Already? I’ve been out for over an hour.”

“Oh. I thought you were coming from the party.”

“Nah, I didn’t go. Not really my thing,” she said, heading into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Why, I heard it’s pretty fun there.” Alex was saying as he leaned against the door frame, watching her.

“You see this?” she said, pointing between the two of them. “I’m great at it. But with people, I just disappear. It’s a lot.” 

“Oh really. I didn’t think you’d be the shy type.” He seemed to always have his teasing smile on whenever he was speaking to her.

“Oh, I’m very shy around people.” 

“Now, I’m just glad I met you how I did.”

Desi couldn’t help laughing. “Oh gosh. It looks like I’m never going to outlive the weirdo image with you.”

“Who said anything about weirdness? I thought it was extremely sexy.”

Desi rolled her eyes at him and walked out of the kitchen, water in hand. “You don’t know what sexy is,” she said wryly as she walked up the stairs.

Alex watched her go, wondering what she would do if he told her he was staring at sexy right now, as she sashayed up the stairs.

He followed her to her door, watching her and concluding that yes, she was very sexy indeed. Although her clothes were big, when she moved, you could tell that the body underneath was mostly toned, but only well-proportioned in one area. The slight upward tilt of her neck exuded an alluring feeling of confidence, and she walked with a soft gracefulness that made him think she was very self-aware. He also couldn't help wondering how she managed to keep her hair so long. She carried her body with the control of someone who was used to being looked at.

And how could anyone not look at her? Even now, that was all Alex wanted to do. He didn’t want her to disappear behind that door just yet.

“So, since it’s just us, should we have our own mixer?” he found himself asking her.

She turned back, her face lighting up at the suggestion. “Sure, what do you have in mind?” she asked, and he tried to control the wide grin threatening to break across his face.

He focused instead on thinking up some sort of activity that would keep her with him longer.

“Uh… wordle. Can you play Wordle?” He asked, saying the first thing that came to mind.

“Oh I kill it at Wordle.” Her eyes took up a competitive gleam that intrigued him. God, she was so pretty.

“Do you now? Wanna show me what you’ve got?” He brought his phone out of his back pocket and waved it in her face dance-off style. She laughed and, gesturing for him to wait, disappeared into her room. She was back in a moment, phone in hand and hair pulled up.

“Your room or mine? And before he could answer, “Actually, yours is better. My room is a mess.”

He led the way into his room silently and waited for her to pick her preferred sitting spot. Just as he expected, she selected the cute little bench under the window.

“Make sure you’re comfortable because you’re going to shed tears in that place. You want to make sure it’s warm and cozy.”

“Sir, are we yapping or playing?” she asked, effectively shutting him up.

Laughing, Alex settled at the feet of the bed, and in no time, they were battling each other.

From randomly shouting out in frustration over lost points to each of them mocking the other for bad guesses, they played a few chaotic rounds with Desi winning every single time.

After the fifth round of being dragged by his feet, face down in the dirt, he conceded, which had Desi jumping up to do a little victory shimmy.

“Hey, aren’t you celebrating a little too hard?” he asked her, laughing. He couldn’t remember laughing so much in one day.

“I haven’t even started celebrating yet. What was your first score again? That’s your new name now. I’m gonna call you One.”

“You don’t get to say that, Miss Three,” he said, sidling up to her on the small window desk. “You probably spend all your time playing this thing.”

Desi giggled at the way he pointed an accusing finger at her phone.

“Yes, I do. What do you spend your time doing on this thing?” she asked, mimicking his gesture.

“Uh, not much. I spend most of my time on that actually.” He gestured vaguely at the iPad on the headstand. “Drawing”

“Drawing?” The playful light in her eyes was replaced by something he decided to translate as curiosity. 

He reached for the iPad and opened the app with which he still drew whenever he got the inspiration. After a silent moment of hesitation, he opened his gallery to show her his drawings.

“It’s not major stuff. I just sketch when the inspiration comes.” He was saying, but she wasn’t listening. She was leaning into him and staring closely at the screen in his hands as she zoomed in and out, then swiped through sketches.

“Oh my gosh, these are so good. You are so talented, " she said, her voice somewhat hushed and in awe. 

He was used to this reaction, but coming from her, it hit different. It didn’t help that her messy bun was brushing his cheek, and he could smell faint hints of fruit in her hair; something he couldn’t quite place.

She leaned closer as she zoomed into one of his patterned tattoo sketches, and he bent his head to catch the scent that kept hovering at the border of his subconscious. That was when he noticed the tiny tattoo behind her ear. It was the words ‘Carpe diem’ written in cursive letters. 

“Sexy.” he whispered, but she heard him and drew back.

“Huh?” she looked a little confused. 

“I saw your tattoo.”

“Oh” she subconsciously reached for her neck, running her finger over the tattoo as she smiled at the memory of getting it. The tattoo was her gentle reminder to live for herself, and in the present, as a direct rebuttal to her mother’s life, which had been spent catering to the needs and whims of others.

She had made sure to get it in the one spot where her mother liked to touch her whenever she was advising or reassuring her. Or just admiring the daunting mass of hair that was on her head.

“Carpe diem?” Alex asked, bringing her out of her reverie, “Is that your motto?”

“Yup. Gotta live in the present.” She reached for the iPad he was still holding, “but these though,” she hoped he would take the bait and change the topic with her, but he silently took the tab from her and brought his face closer to hers, searching her eyes.

“So the tattoo is a touchy subject then.” 

“Not really. There’s just nothing to say about it.” How could he read her so well? He barely knew her. “Do you want to get a drink? I’m a little thirsty,” she said as she stood, and Alex followed suit.

Her bun was coming loose, so she let her hair down and started trying to put it back up when Alex held her hand in place, stopping her.

“Guava?” he asked, coming closer and sniffing her hair. Desi felt the heat of his body through the t-shirt he was wearing. She could feel a corresponding warmth spread through her, and she wondered if he was doing this on purpose. She had pretended not to, but she heard him call her sexy for the second time that day. Did he know the effect he was having on her? Did he not realize how attractive he was?

She was even more attracted to him now that she had seen his work. He was a talented artist who made surreal images with those slim, long fingers. 

Fingers that were presently wrapped around her wrists as he came even closer and sniffed the air around her head lightly. Desi could smell his cologne, and it made her want to collapse against his chest. If she leaned forward just a little bit, she could almost kiss his neck. 

She looked up at him, and he was staring at her too. His eyes were darker, more intent, as he watched her. His hands moved from her wrists to her waist, and she felt shivers run up and down her spine.

Desi cleared her throat and jumped back as if he had burned her.

“M…my shampoo? Yes. Guava. Uh… ah… water.” she said and all but ran out of the room. Alex took a deep, calming breath of his own before heading out after her.

If she had stayed there, looking up at him, her doe eyes drooping slowly, pupils dilated, and lips parted for another second, he would have kissed her.