THE FIRST DISASTER
568 Words
Aria Lawson arrived at the hotel the next morning feeling… slightly more confident than yesterday. Slightly.
She was armed with:
A clipboard full of plans
Three color-coded spreadsheets
Enough pens to start a small office supply store
She was ready.
Or so she thought.
Liam Carter arrived promptly at 10 a.m., looking immaculate as always. Ethan followed behind, rolling his eyes at Aria’s stacks of papers like they were a hazard.
“Good morning,” Liam said, his voice calm but with that underlying CEO authority that made Aria straighten her spine.
“Good morning!” Aria chirped, waving her clipboard like a flag of peace. “We have the layout, the catering, the seating arrangements, and—”
“Perfect,” Liam interrupted, leaning over to glance at her spreadsheet. “Let’s start with the stage.”
Aria gestured dramatically toward the grand hotel ballroom. “Everything will be flawless. Absolutely flawless.”
She didn’t notice Maya sneaking behind her, balancing a large bouquet of flowers on one shoulder, a bag of glitter in her hand, and a mischievous grin plastered on her face.
The first problem started when Aria climbed onto the stage to check the microphone.
“Testing, testing,” she called. The microphone squealed. Sparks flew. The sound system emitted a high-pitched screech.
Liam winced. “Uh… maybe leave the sound for the technicians?”
Aria laughed nervously. “It’s just a warmup… totally normal.”
Then, with one dramatic gesture, she gestured toward the centerpiece table… and Maya tripped on the cords, sending the glitter flying.
The glitter landed everywhere. On the tables. On the floor. On Liam’s pristine suit.
He froze. Aria froze. Maya froze.
Then, as if in slow motion, a tray of water glasses toppled. One hit the edge of the stage, splashing onto Liam’s shoes.
“Water?” Aria squeaked. “No—no! I mean, yes, I’ll get towels!”
Ethan stepped in, sighing so loudly it could have been a sound effect. “I will handle this before anyone else hurts themselves.”
Liam, surprisingly calm, looked down at the sparkling mess covering his shoes. Then he glanced at Aria, whose face was the perfect mixture of mortification and panic.
And he laughed.
It started as a small chuckle, but soon turned into a full, unrestrained laugh that echoed through the ballroom.
Aria blinked. “You… you’re laughing at me?”
“Not at you,” Liam said between chuckles. “With you. This is… absurdly entertaining.”
Aria couldn’t help but giggle too, even as she grabbed towels and started wiping the glitter off his shoes.
Maya whispered from the side, “See? He’s falling for you already!”
Aria shot her a look that said: Shut up! Now is not the time!
By the end of the day, the “first planning disaster” had:
Glitter everywhere
Water-stained shoes
Aria almost breaking another vase
Liam laughing so hard he temporarily forgot the scandal outside
And yet, somehow, it worked.
As they walked out of the ballroom, Liam turned to Aria. “You know, chaos looks good on you.”
Aria’s heart did that weird, flippy thing people only write about in romance novels. “Thanks… I think?”
“You think?” he smirked, walking beside her.
“Yes. I think.”
She didn’t know it yet, but she was hooked.
And so was he.
- Writer
