You can do this.

Aster mustered up all the courage that he could.. He was his own hype man- preparing himself to take that leap of faith.

You've already spoken to him before… You got this, Aster!

He was just about to try to start a conversation when Calix took a step back to the wall to lean on.

Dammit. Now what?

The entire day, Calix's eyes had never met Aster's. He wondered if Calix had been intentionally dancing his eyes around him. As Calix leaned on the wall, he undid his little ponytail and ruffled his hair. Aster's eyes followed the little black hair tie that Calix had removed from his hair, which now snugly sat on Calix's right wrist.

What he did next shocked Aster. Despite a rather chilly wind blowing through the garden- in Aster's opinion, at least- Calix began to take off his outerwear, revealing a somewhat tight-fitting black tank top underneath. For the first time, the entirety of Calix's well-built arms were on full display for Aster to see. 

Ash has nice arms too, but everything about Calix is just next-level. If I keep looking, I might end up-

Before Aster could finish that thought, Calix began fanning himself with his collar.. Aster caught the slightest glimpse of Calix's chest, and that made it even harder for him to keep his composure. He already felt himself turning red and knew that he had to excuse himself and find a space to calm down. 

Calix must be really oblivious if he doesn't think I'm a weird, creepy stalker by now. I need to cool off.

"So Aster, what were you doing before you enrolled here?"

The question came from Hazel. Aster was caught by surprise- he had already forgotten that there was more than just Calix and himself in the universe. However, it made sense. Hazel's personality was warm and friendly, from what Aster gathered. That was in stark contrast to Calix, who had only said what was absolutely necessary so far. Aster decided to just stay and answer Hazel's question, instead of finding a spot to take a breather. 

This should take my mind off Calix for a bit.

"I was in Botanical View High School."

There was a subtle posture shift from Calix. He bent slightly forward from the wall he was leaning on, with one eyebrow raised. It was Aster's first time seeing Calix look remotely interested in anything, and the first time that their eyes had met since the hallway incident.

"I studied there too. I might have seen you around last time."

Say something natural, Aster, don't be awkward… don't be awkward…


"Cool."

Through the utterance of that single word, Aster had unwittingly killed the conversation.

Oh crap, why am I being so awkward??? Why isn't everyone back yet?!

Right on cue, the two girls who had sprinted to the washroom returned. The little group headed further into the garden, with Hazel and Aster walking in front, followed by the other two girls and Calix in the rear. 

"Here's a nice spot to sit." 

Hazel signalled them to sit in a circle on a little stone area in the centre of the garden. She took a seat on Calix's right.

"Let’s do a quick introduction- your name, year, course and a fun fact about yourself. I’m Hazel, year two in interior design and I have four sisters."

The group gave her a round of silent applause. She gently glanced towards Aster, who took the hint and immediately followed up.

"I’m Aster, first year in film production and my favourite food is anything with eggs!"

"YAS EGGS SLAY!!" 

Hazel's enthusiasm towards Aster's mundane fun fact made him laugh out loud. It did make him feel good to be acknowledged. 

The girl on Aster's left was the one who had brought him into Central Crew's room on the day of his audition. She had light brown eyes and arched eyebrows. Her thick, slate blue coloured hair, draped down in layers past her chest, complemented by her choice of outfit: a brown oversized hoodie with a white blouse and denim shorts. It perfectly embodied the weather that they had been experiencing: the collision of winter and spring.

"The name’s Nahekoy from music production, and I love going to flower shops to look at pretty flowers!"

"WOOP WOOP FLOWERS!!!"

Once again, Hazel's enthusiasm made everyone there except Calix laugh out loud.

"You don’t need to hype every single person up, yknow?" Calix said in a deadpan tone. His face remained completely neutral, without an ounce of emotion.

Does he ever feel anything?

Hazel playfully ignored Calix's comments as she gestured for the last unknown girl in the group to introduce herself.

The girl had a long, black hush cut with a purple gradient. It gradually developed a light purple hue as it reached her shoulders. Her pastel blue, sharp eyes accompanied her thin and dark brows. Her small face accentuated her sharp chin and smile. She had many piercings on her ears- Aster counted an industrial and two lobe piercings on each ear. 

Stars were clearly a motif for her. Her star earrings and beaded, silver star necklace stood out thanks to her plain black crop top and khaki green pants. All this was complemented by her somewhat tan, sun-kissed skin, which made the accessories and colours that made up her outfit pop even more. Her cool demeanour impressed Aster, who was sure that she was probably one of the popular girls back in her high school.

She made a peace sign with her fingers as she introduced herself.

"Lila here. I’m in game design, and I play the drums for fun!"

Calix started his introduction before Hazel had the chance to resume her over-the-top antics and cheering.

"I’m Calix. Nahekoy is my coursemate, and I started learning the piano at three years old."

Three? That's crazy.

"Now, it’s time for some fun orientation games!"

Hazel's energy was contrasted by a subtle shudder from Calix.

***

Aster swung open the door to his house. Hazel had prepared a plethora of orientation games that had tired everyone out significantly. His legs wobbled as he made his way straight to the couch.

If I just take a nap here for a few minutes, maybe I'll have enough energy to take a shower.

Just as Aster closed his eyes, he heard his phone let off a chime. He picked it up and read the message. He had been added to a chat group: Central Crew 25’. A message came in almost instantly, and upon seeing the name of the sender, Aster was instantly revitalised.

Calix Frost: Hope everyone enjoyed orientation this week. Feel free to introduce yourselves in this chat. See you all next week for our first session!

This means… Oh my god. I can't believe I have his number!