Any moment now.

Aster lay prone in his bed, browsing his phone. The past week had been dreadful. Aster's nerves and tendency to overthink were like a one-two punch to his ability to function as an ordinary human being. He had been doomscrolling for hours, and finally, something happened. A notification popped up from the top of his screen with the subject header: Central Crew audition results.

Once again, his heart rate started accelerating, and he immediately clicked the "open" button.

Congratulations! You have been accepted into the best club in CUA! The Central Crew will be hosting its orientation this Friday, 6 o'clock, at the Central Crew room. Bring your best smile! 

Aster let out an audible sigh of relief. He still stood a chance. But why did the orientation have to be on Friday? He had no choice but to cancel his "Fri-date" plans with Ash. He swapped over to his messaging app and opened his conversation with Ash.

Aster: I passed the audition :)

Boyfriend: Ugh, guess that means you’ll have less time for me…

Boyfriend: Anyway, I just got a last-minute gig on Friday, so we won’t be able to meet up this week.

Aster buried his face in his palms. The ship he was in always had subtle holes in its hull, not enough to let a significant amount of water in. However, he knew that a colossal, irreparable hole had just opened, and that it would not be long before the ship descended into the ocean's depths. The question would be whether he should go down with the ship he was captaining.

Why can’t he just be happy for me? He always finds a way to make everything about him. Ugh, whatever. At least I don’t need to tell him so soon that we can’t do Fridays anymore.

***

"Welcome, everyone, to the Central Crew! I’m Hazel, the president of the Central Crew."

The Central Crew's room was a snug, simple environment. It had a singular long table, a couch, and a couple of chairs. Cupboards lined one of the beige-painted walls, along with several posters and pictures. The room felt like it perfectly fit the number of people present- ten in total. It felt neither crowded nor empty. It felt homely.

"And this is Calix, the vice president and treasurer! So, the Central Crew will…"

Aster almost immediately zoned out. Hazel's comforting voice faded into the background, and Aster began observing the other members in the room.

Central Crew is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. That’s not a bad thing, I guess. But then again, Calix and I are the only two guys here…

It didn't take Aster long to start overthinking. 

What if he likes another girl? What will I do then?

Aster felt his stomach turn. He began imagining scenarios of Calix holding hands and going on dates with the different girls in the room.

Not now, not now.

Aster's thoughts began to fragment. Waves of anxiety and uneasiness washed over him as he continued envisioning a million different scenarios, none of which involved him being together with Calix. He took a deep breath and attempted to summon all his might to just focus on the Calix that was in the room, the real Calix.

He noticed that Calix's hair at the back of his head was tied into a little ponytail, something that Aster had not seen him do as of yet. He donned a long-sleeved grey-black shirt as outerwear and a silver chain around his neck. A simple black watch was on his left wrist, taking up the little space that was present between the sleeve and the beginning of his palm.


Aster's eyes continued down, examining Calix's black sweatpants, before eventually reaching the black running shoes that were snugly on his feet. The dark colours that covered Calix from head to toe contrasted with his pale skin tone, exemplifying his facial features even more. 

The luxury of time was never present when Aster wanted to admire Calix until now, and he noticed something that he had previously overlooked: a small beauty mark under the arch of Calix's right eyebrow. His gaze was set on Calix's well-defined jawline, and his admiration of Calix would have been easily noticed, had everyone else's attention not been on Hazel.

Wait, why am I here again?

"...split into groups! Aster and Lila, you’re with me and Calix! We’re heading to my favourite place in the school!"

Aster was disoriented, but followed Hazel and Calix out like a puppy following its owners. They walked out of the room and began strolling through the school.

Just how much is she gonna make us walk?

After an exhausting, ten-minute trek, they arrived at a serene garden filled with flowers as far as the eye could see. Daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips spread their vibrant colours far and wide. Aster took a second to appreciate the beauty of the garden; he had a love for flowers, and his outfit was clear evidence of it: a light brown pastel sweater with three flowers on the front.

"Isn’t it just beautiful? Come and take in the pure majesty and splendour. Bet y'all wouldn’t know about it if ya didn't join Central Crew! 

Aster and the other two members of Hazel's group shuffled into the garden, with Calix at the tail end. Hazel turned around to address the group.

"Before we begin, the washroom is here, so if anyone needs to-"

The other two girls dashed off before Hazel could even finish her sentence, leaving herself, Aster and Calix to wait outside the washroom.

Is this my chance? Will it be okay to approach him?