A Little Bit Longer

Ashley sat on the stairs leading up to the gymnasium door trying to calm down her erratic heart. "I can't believe I did this!! I can't believe I did this!!!" She kept repeating to herself, the more she replayed the last few minutes in her head the more she flushed red with embarrassment. "This was without a doubt, the toughest thing I had to do in my entire life. Telling a guy I like he looks nice." She laughed at herself.

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The next two weeks passed and things had gotten quiet between Ashley & Samuel. The annual sport's week had just begun but neither Samuel nor Ashley had any intentions of participating in the official team matches. Plus, with the new rules and hectic schedule that med-school brought upon Samuel, he had stopped visiting the fancier library at Ashley's campus as well.

So one fine day, Anna decided to help out in her friend's unprogressive love story.

"What are you gonna do about Samuel?" she asked interestedly

"What is there to do? Zoey told me they have brought the 75 percent attendance policy quite strict over their med-school. I'm just gonna have to wait, right? Let fate decide." She answered gloomily.

"Oh, that sucks!"

"It really does."

After two minutes of thinking, she looked at Ashley with a sly smile across her face and a shine in her eyes like she had come up with an idea.

Ashley's eyes narrowed at her friend's mischievous smile, "What is it?" She asked avidly

"You wanna see him right?"

"Yeah?"

"And we don't have any attendance issues over at our college, right?"

"I am listening?"

"Why don't you visit him over at his campus for a change? Pay him a little visit"

Ashley had never thought of it. It really was a good idea, she had always wondered what Samuel was like over at his college surrounded by his mates. "But I don't wanna go alone!" she said in a timid manner.

"I will go with you!" She said excitedly.

"Really?! But what are we going to tell the other girls? You know I don't want everybody's involvement in it!"

"Would you stop worrying about them? I'm with you!" She said reassuringly. "Look, here's what you gotta do, just leave a message on our WhatsApp group that you have some unfinished business to take care of from the main university admin office at the other campus and that you don't wanna go alone, I will reply to you back on the group making it look like I volunteered to go with you and no one will suspect a thing!"

Ashley did precisely as she was instructed and the next day both the girls were on their way to pay Sam a little surprise visit.

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The sun poured through the window of Ashley's room as she rubbed her bleary eyes. She could hear the shower running in the bathroom. "It must be Roxanne getting ready for school." She thought to herself and walked up to her window. There was a pearly glow in the sky. Today was the day, she was finally going to see Samuel after two weeks in his college, with his friends, at his campus. Today she will get a glimpse of Samuel in his habitat.

After Roxanne was done, Ashley took a quick shower and after about twenty minutes got out with a white coloured towel wrapped around her head as she slipped on her red coloured close-fitting, summer top that had floral print on it with a pair of faded sky blue ripped jeans to go along her rust coloured sandals. I have to look casual yet phenomenal!" she reminded herself. She quickly blow-dried her hair and rubbed some hair protectant against her palms and brushed it through her long luscious dark brown hair and quickly straightened her locks giving a smooth classy look. She gently patted the blush on her cheek giving her already rosy cheeks a nicer darker tint. She looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time and liked how she looked, excited to see what lied ahead during the day.

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The bus had to leave at around 11 am from Ashley's campus to Samuel's campus. After taking the first two morning classes, the girls were now all set to leave for their little exciting journey of the day. The day was warm but pleasant. As they walked up to catch the bus Ashley noticed how the sun shone through the trees creating mysterious shadows through their way.

They got up on the bus only to find out that it was fully packed with team members and contestants of the speech competition that was to be held that day on the other campus. "An hour drive of standing just so I can see him? Aaah things you do when you're in love!" She thought to herself.

However, she felt guilty about Anna having to stand for an hour too. "Hey, I am so sorry you have to do this!" She said to Anna right beside her wearing a sea green coloured tank top with capri pants enjoying the summer weather. "Oh no, I'm having a good time! Besides, when you and Mr Dazzling brown eyes get married one day, I'm gonna tell people at your wedding I helped our Juliet sneak out to meet Romeo!" she laughed. The rest of the journey was quiet.

"Five minutes and we are there!" announced the bus conductor. Ashley bent down a little to get a view of the sky through the window, the blue sky which was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. It was going to be one hell of a day, she knew it in her gut.

As soon the girl got out of the bus, Ashley quickly asked Anna if she had a hairbrush to set her hair that gotten a little messed up in the hour drive. "Hey, you look natural! A little messy looks cute! Just relax, be confident and let's go in so I can have a better look at him again!!" she said excitedly.