3.

It was clouded and it was raining. We waited for our tour guide to arrive. It cleared up pretty fast when the last group got to the meeting point – Jack's group. Soon after our guide came and introduced himself. The tour wasn't interesting, I'll say that much, more or less what I expected. I talked to some classmates, took glances at Jack and carried my pocket umbrella on my shoulder. The tour ended and we went back to the hotel. We each got a card to open our room door and I dragged my stuff to my room.

When I first saw it, it was – small. Really, really small and tiny. The whole surface area was 6 square meters at max, free space limited to 2 square meters. 2 double beds, a big window, 4 lockers (for each person) and a sink with a mirror. It certainly was something, alright. I wasn't expecting it either. I unpacked my stuff and saw which group was in the room opposite to ours – yes, of course Jack's. I thought to myself that maybe this was a sign from the gods. I just didn't know what kind.

When Peter went to the toilet, partly because he wanted to know where it was, and opened the door, I noticed Jack's room door was open too. I took a quick glance at his face and he met my gaze at this exact moment. I froze like an idiot, and if it wasn't for our door closing, I would have probably not looked away. Shaking myself out of my frozen state, I stretched out on my little bed (I claimed the upper bed by the window) and sighed. Half a second. This was going to be a long week.

After staying cooped up in my room – or bed – for a good hour, I made it my task to search for the toilet and shower. I hoped there were more than one – of both. Turning left after exiting my room, I found a bathroom with 3 toilets, one little shower (which was a sorry excuse for one) and 2 sinks. I frowned at the shower, knowing it would be difficult to wash myself in there, and returned to my friends, complaining about the bathroom situation. In the late afternoon we went to the supermarket in town and bought some junk food for dinner. Although we weren't technically allowed to eat indoors, no one really cared.

As I was paying, I looked outside to see Jack and his group of friends on the opposite side walk, strolling in the direction of our hotel with food of their own. I watched him in awe, imagining myself next to him, maybe with less of his friends (or no one at all), I don't know, holding hands? Laughing? Kissing!? I let out a sigh with a bitter smile plastered on my face. As if. I stuffed all of my food in my backpack and waited outside the store. It was getting dark as we walked back, slowly but surely. Walking up the stairs to our floor, I went to the bathroom and asked Julian to carry my things to our room.

I don't like public bathrooms, especially with other people around, or when it's cold and the cabins aren't closed at the top and bottom, and above all when you want some peace and quiet. I was happy no one was there. I entered the toilet in the middle and closed the door. And then someone walked in. I groaned inside. They went into the stall right to me. After I was finished I washed my hands in the left sink. I heard the right stall door open and instinctively looked in the mirror – what I instinctively regretted.

A shirtless Jack, and with shirtless I mean no shirt, just pure abs (perfection) and muscular arms (everything), stepped out and made eye contact with me in the mirror. I immediately looked back on my hands, holding my breath, my heart pounding like crazy and my brain equal to liquid. “Hey,” he greeted me as he stepped to the sink next to me to wash his hands. “Hi,” I answered short and quiet, still not daring to look up, feeling very uncomfortable – in a good way apparently. He asked me something but I didn't hear the complete question.

“Hmm?” I asked back, feeling very stupid. He must have thought I'm stupid, or ignoring him. We were the only ones in this quiet bathroom, no way I could just not hear him. “Do you know what we'll do tomorrow?” I looked at his six pack through the mirror and quickly looked back at the sink. “Oh, uhm, I don't really know. I think we'll do that Jack the Ripper walk,” I pondered, laughing inside. I wiped the smile off my face and dried my hands. He chuckled and my heart skipped a beat. “Oh yes, that,” he said, his deep voice echoing through my head. I blushed slightly, smiling, and made my way to the door, risking a look at his profile. He glanced at me, startling me in the process.

“See ya,” he said with one side of his mouth twitched up. God, I love it when he smiles like that. I nodded with a smile of my own, heart racing, practically running down the hallway, blushing like an idiot and thinking about how much his dimple made him look so handsome. I entered my room and fell face first on my bed, sighing loudly. “What's wrong?” Peter asked. I put my hand on my chest and clenched it. I paused for a second before answering. “... I don't know.”