The Week That Bounds Us

"Sasha, oh my gosh!" Rachel said. I stopped eating and raised my head to listen to her. "What is it?" I replied, curious to know what was wrong. "Check out this hottie," she whispered, looking at the table in front of us. "He has been staring at you ever since we got here. I think he is interested in you, babe," she added. I immediately looked at the table to see the most handsome guy I had ever imagined. His handsomeness was dangerously alluring; he looked like he was sculpted by the gods, too perfect to be human. His long, fluffy black hair and brown eyes added to his striking looks. He seemed to be with a group of friends, all Asian and dashing, stylish, but none could compare to him. I couldn't help but look at him. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and he gave me a smile. I immediately turned away and continued munching on my delicious barbecue. "There is no way a guy that hot and handsome would notice me. He's probably looking at Rachel, not me," I thought to myself. I always knew I was pretty but not pretty enough to capture the attention of a guy that gorgeous. He was probably looking at Rachel, who's a lot more appealing than me. "I can't let myself get distracted by a guy," I thought to myself. "Handsome guys are always the worst." I didn't want to think much about it. I just wanted to enjoy my dinner in peace. I was grateful to even be here. I still remember how I got here. It was by my hard work and luck... A week ago "This isn't real. This isn't real," I said to myself while staring in shock at my laptop. There was no way this was true. My novel had just won first place at the online awards from a major online novel platform. "Oh my gosh! This can't be real!" I screamed. My novel had been doing great right from the moment I wrote it. In just three months, I gained millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers. Now I had just won first place, which I never expected. On top of that, I had won prize money of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, a fifteen thousand dollar bonus from the platform, six months of free promotions, and a vacation trip to the Maldives for eight days; flight, accommodation, food, and travel expenses all taken care of. "What the hell!" I screamed. This had to be a dream. I kept looking at it for hours, still feeling like it was a prank. I then called my besties, Rachel and Kira, to come over. Rachel and I had been friends since our first year in university. Since I got into uni very early at the age of sixteen due to being very smart, Rachel took it upon herself to act like my older sister. She was two years older and was very nice to me. Even when my family had difficulties, she always helped me, even though I was a Literature major and she was a Theatre Arts major. Kira, on the other hand, I met in my second year. She was coursemates and close with Rachel, which made us bond. After school, while waiting for my Youth Service batch, I decided to start writing novels. My first novel didn't do well, but I never gave up. During my Youth Service, I continued, and that's how I got to where I am today. Since Rachel and Kira have been special to me, I decided I would go with them on the vacation. I am highly introverted and would feel lonely if I went alone. I really didn't have an option except them. My elder sister was on her honeymoon, while my elder brother and baby sister were busy with their studies. I couldn't interfere. When they heard the news, they were happy for me. They hugged me in excitement. I asked if they would love to come with me, and they didn't even hesitate to say yes. The next day, being Friday, we all went to the embassy to get our documents sorted. We were told they'd be ready in five business days. This was enough time to get ready. We went shopping for summer wear, party clothes, shoes, bikinis, makeup, perfumes, and other accessories. We also got suitcases and everything we needed for our girls' trip. Five days later, our documents and passports were ready. The next day, we organized our things and booked our flights for the following day. Since my flight was free and business class, I paid for my babes' business class too. Friday, we left very early for the Maldives. The flight was long, and it was our first flight. We were very excited. We arrived in the Maldives at 8 p.m. local time. We were so tired by then. There was a lady waiting for me at the airport. She was my travel guide, who was in charge of my vacation. When she saw my girlfriends, she stared. I then said they were my friends and I was paying for their trip. She told us that we would be boarding a seaplane to our resort. We boarded the seaplane and flew off. Even at night, the Maldives was very beautiful. It was a breath of fresh air. I had been cooped up in my room, writing for months. We were taken to a luxurious suite at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, which had everything: a wonderful view and scenery, quality room service, and masterpiece cuisines. From what I heard, even billionaires come here to the Muraka suites. The company had booked an overwater bungalow just for me, which was wonderful. My friends and I could share it and save money. "I and my girls are going to have the time of our lives," I said to myself. We had made many plans for this vacation, but all of them would have to wait because we were exhausted from our travel. We fell asleep, telling ourselves that tomorrow would be a great and fun day.