The day before the trip was chaotic—bags half-packed, teachers reminding us of rules no one listened to, and excitement buzzing through the halls. But in the middle of all that noise, something quieter was happening.
Mira kept finding excuses to be near Calvin.
"Clavin," she called, jogging up to him with a paper in hand, "do you know if we're allowed to bring snacks?"
Calvin glanced at the list. "Yeah. As long as you don't bring the entire supermarket."
"Oh," she laughed. "Good. I was worried."
She wasn't.
She just wanted to talk to him.
I watched from a distance with Xavier beside me. "She's definitely into him," I whispered.
Xavier nodded. "The way she looks at him… yeah."
Meanwhile, Calvin was still completely oblivious.
Later, when we were assigned bus seats—again randomly, according to the teacher—Mira ended up beside Calvin. The way her shoulders stiffened for a second gave her away.
Calvin noticed none of it.
"So," he said easily, buckling his seatbelt, "you ready for three days of chaos?"
She smiled, softer this time. "With you? Yeah."
He laughed. "Good answer."
Her heart probably did something dramatic. Mine would have.
That night, while we were double-checking luggage, Mira pulled me aside.
"Hinata," she said quietly, twisting her fingers together, "can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Does Clavin ever talk about… liking someone?"
I paused, choosing my words carefully. "Not really. He's the type who takes things slow. But when he cares, he really cares."
Her eyes lit up just a little. "Oh."
Across the room, Calvin was arguing with Xavier about who packed more clothes than necessary.
"Why do you need five jackets?" Calvin asked.
"Why do you need three hoodies?" Xavier shot back.
I smiled to myself.
Mira watched Calvin laugh, her expression thoughtful—hopeful, but unsure.
This crush wasn't rushed.
It wasn't obvious to everyone.
It wasn't guaranteed.
And that was what made it interesting.
Because somewhere between shared dorms, bus rides, and late-night conversations, something was slowly forming.
Not love yet.
But the possibility of it.