Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) (6 page)

As
they gathered their things from the back of the van and headed into
the hotel, Jenny felt a hand tug at her arm from behind. She turned
round to see Henry standing behind her.

“
Have
I upset you in some way?” he asked.

Jenny
tried to be aloof. She didn't want him to know that seeing him with
Emily had upset her. “No, what could you have done to upset me?”
she answered, an accusatory tone unintentionally infecting her words.

“
Nothing,
I'd hope. You're the last person on this tour I'd want to upset.”

His
words seemed completely genuine. Either he was ignorant of what he'd
done, or he still hoped she hadn't seem him and was covering his
back. He was a fine actor if it was the latter.

“
No,
it's fine, you haven't done anything. Look, I'd better go, Sarah
needs me.” With that she sped off towards the lobby of the hotel,
where Sarah was gesturing her to come over. She felt a little bit
guilty for how she was acting. It wasn't her way to make anyone feel
bad, regardless of what they'd done to her. She'd been trampled on a
lot in her young life and was very much a pleaser, someone who'd
always want to make others feel good about themselves. This cryptic
to and fro with Henry wasn't natural to her, and didn't sit well in
her stomach.

“
What's
all that about with Lord Henners over there?” Sarah asked jovially
as they walked into their latest hotel room.

“
God
I don't know Sarah, it's all messed up.” She thought about
bypassing the issue, about ignoring and letting it slide, but she
couldn't. Sarah was her best friend, and they shared everything with
each other. She took a deep breath: “I...saw him kissing Emily last
night....that's....that's why I took so long in the bathroom...I was
a bit upset, you know.”

Sarah
expression showed shock, as if that's what Jenny wanted, but also an
element of her own confusion: “Awww hun, what a dick! But....aren't
you guys just, you know, friends? Has something happened between you
two?”

Jenny
forgot that she hadn't told her about their kiss on the volcano....or
even about the little looks and touches, the small conversations and
general feeling she'd got around him. In fact, she hadn't really told
Sarah much at all about how she felt....probably because she felt
kind of silly having those feelings in the first place.

“
OK,
we have kissed, yeah....on the volcano a few days ago.”

“
Really!
You mean...wait....ON the volcano? That was, like, stupid-o-clock in
the morning? How'd that happen?” Sarah seemed keen to get a few
details before she could offer any sort of advice on the matter.

“
Well....”
Jenny started telling Sarah about the sunrise, how Henry whispered in
her ear, how he gave her the most amazing kiss of her young life, how
they smiled and looked at each, how they bonded on the way down the
mountain, how they played in the pool and she fell asleep on his
shoulder. They all seemed like little things, but added up they meant
a lot. “Am I being stupid here? I guess he can do what he wants,
right?”

“
Yeah,
sure, he can do what he wants, everyone can do what they want. And
what he wants is apparently to be a complete dick! Of course you're
not being stupid here, not at all. If I was in your position, I'd be
feeling the exact same way. He knows you like him, that much is
obvious, so to lead you on and do those things....and then kiss that
stuck up little Aussie chick in your face like that....that's
bullshit. I'm sorry Jen, but it is...it's bullshit.”

“
Well,
to be fair he didn't do it in my face. I only stumbled upon them...it
wasn't like he was, 'hey, Jenny, look at me', you know.”

“
No,
no Jen, don't do that. You always go do that....start making excuses
for the other person. Look, no matter what way you swing it, it's not
on. I don't know Jen, you're too nice I guess, you let people get
away with things...you gotta, you know, stand up for yourself a bit
more.”

Jenny
looked at Sarah. She knew she was right, but the way it was coming
out was upsetting her a little bit. “So you're saying I'm a
pushover....like I let Trent get away with cheating on me all those
times and that's why he did it. Like, if I was stronger my boyfriends
wouldn't be such dicks to me all the time?”

Sarah
had a hard time denying that, but she chose her words carefully. “No
babe, that's not what I'm saying. You've just met some real shits so
far, that's all. All boys are like this when they're young, they just
don't give a shit. Look, you've only known Henry for about a
week....he's probably just like all the rest of them, why would he be
any different. Think about it, he's on a gap year, traveling around
the world, single...or maybe not, we don't know....what do you think
he's going to be getting up to?”

Jenny
fell silent. She hadn't really thought about it like that. “I
dunno, obviously I never thought anything serious would happen, how
could it. I just thought maybe...maybe he'd like me more....maybe
he'd wanna....”

She
trailed off and sat down on the bed, a few light tears gliding down
her cheeks. “Aw honey,” Sarah was next to her in a shot, giving
her a hug. “Look, forget about all of this....forget about those
stupid boys. Let's just enjoy the trip, shall we? That's what we're
here for right....to get AWAY from those boys....not to find another
dickhead. Sure, he's English and everything, but I'm sure they're
dickheads too...”

With
that Jenny gave out a muffled chuckle from Sarah's shoulder. “You
always know how to make me laugh,” she said, pulling pack and
wiping away her tears. “You're right....you're always right.”

In
the morning of the next day the group made their way inland towards
Mt Rinjani, the highest peak on the island. If Jenny thought that
Bali was a far cry from her life in New York, she was about to see
what the next level looked like. It became immediately apparent to
the group that Lombok was the lesser traveled of the two islands and,
although it offered just as much of interest, the drinking culture
that attracted so many young travelers to Bali simply didn't exist
here. For Jenny, that was perfect. She did enough of that at college,
and was sure she could enjoy a few nights out when the tour ended
back in Bali if she wanted. For now, she wanted a cultural
experience.

After
a couple of hours drive inland, they arrived at Mt Rinjani, a
spectacular volcano that, unfortunately, they were only scheduled to
see from the valley below. According to Andy, the mountain was, like
Batur, actually a dormant volcano, but a far more visually arresting
one from the top. Within the massive crater is an expansive lake, he
explained, thousands of feet up in the air, that looks stunning
against the backdrop of the sheer rock faces. Having climbed to the
peak several times before, Andy was happy to gush about the
experience to anyone who'd listen, although it seemed as though Mark
and Henry, in particular, were feeling the sting of envy with every
word he spoke. Andrew, meanwhile, was delighted, having booked in a
separate tour to the summit of the volcano when their current
adventure ended. By this point, both Mark and Henry had had to walk
away from the conversation, which brought a smirk to Jenny's face.

On
arrival, the group checked into their hotel. Although, this time, it
wasn't a hotel, but a guesthouse. On the hillside were a series of
huts and basic shelters, made purely from local wood sources, and
lacking any sort of luxury amenities. Each was nestled in between
beautiful trees and plants, with chickens and other small farmyard
animals sharing the space with them. At dinner, they'd sit round a
large rectangular wood table, rustic and strong, that looked as
through it had been handcarved from a single piece of wood. It was
silent, too, Jenny noted, a village atmosphere that lacked any form
of outside interference save the odd travel group passing by. There
was no a-la-carte menu, no team of waiters, no long list of beverages
to choose from. You'd get what you were given here, and Jenny was all
the happier for it.

Through
the afternoon they trekked the paths around the foothills at the base
of the mountain, passing by small villages as they went. The locals
would flock to them as they passed, intrigued by their funny shoes
and flashing cameras. At one village, they passed by a school where
dozens of young children were at play in a dusty courtyard. Andrew
was a particular hit here, taking pictures of the kids and letting
them play with his phone. “Crikey,” Sarah whispered to Jenny,
“I'm not sure I'd let them get their hands on my iPhone!”

The
day continued to go by lazily, the group exploring for miles around
their guesthouses, passing not only villages, but tranquil rice
paddies, rushing waterfalls, and sky blue lakes bordered by deep
green vegetation. There wasn't much laughter, not much joking and
talking: it didn't seem in keeping with the place. It was the sort of
experience that Jenny would cling to for the rest of her life, one
full of peace and tranquility, one that harkened back to the days
before mobile phones, 3D televisions, and total convenience
everywhere you looked.

When
the group returned to their guesthouses they took some time out to
freshen up using the rudimentary showering facilities on offer. Soon
enough though, they all began to gather at the large rectangular
table by the kitchen area: the mood was quiet and pensive, everyone
seemingly lost in their own little worlds. Within a few minutes
everyone was gathered, save Henry. According to Mark, he wasn't
feeling up to it that night and didn't want any food.

Jenny
felt an immediate wrench in her gut when Mark spoke, as if she was
responsible. “It could quite easily be that he's just not hungry,”
her logical mind suggested, but she was having none of it. For the
rest of the evening she was distracted, her thoughts back on Henry.
Whatever she wanted to think, during the quieter times of the day her
mind would continually wander to him. She still wanted to talk to
him, to laugh and giggle with him, get to know him better....to kiss
him. She felt herself inexorably drawn to him, like a fly to a
glowing flame, and had feelings for him that she couldn't possibly
have predicted after so short a time together.

Her
thoughts continued to drift and she played little part in the group
conversation about modern film that was now perking everyone up. At
its core, Mark and Todd seemed to be singing the praises of the slew
of superhero films that were now dominating the summer blockbuster
landscape, Emily natted on about rom-coms, and Eno and Andy harkened
back to a much brighter time in film, where not every leading man had
to have a bulging body and chiseled torso. To Jenny, this seemed
somewhat contradictory coming from Andy, who himself had a fairly
aesthetically pleasing shape despite his 40 odd years.

The
conversation continued to morph into other hot topics until, one by
one, the group left for bed. Soon, once Sarah and Mark had decided to
go off on another one of their little walks, Jenny was left alone,
gazing up at the night sky. She sat there for a time, trying to count
the stars or spot any constellations she once knew as a child, until
the cool air forced her hand and she decided to retire to her bed.

As
she wandered off past the little huts and sleeping chickens, she
looked over to where she knew Henry and Marks guesthouse to be.
Inside she could see that the lights were on, but no-one was inside.
She knew Mark was off with Sarah, but where was Henry? Her mind began
to race with jealous thoughts, her heart pounding to keep up. Was he
with Emily? Had to gone over to her guesthouse?

She
started to creep in closer to get a better look and confirm her
fears. As she approached, she peered in through the open doorway.
“Henry?” she asked, “are you in there?” She didn't expect an
answer, and she didn't get one. He was gone.

As
she turned away she noticed a chair just to the other side of the
doorway, pointing outwards towards the hills below. There was no-one
on it, but something did catch her eye. It was Henry's book, the one
she'd seen him writing in so often during the tour.

Driven
by jealously, she gently picked up the book, noting its exact
position so that she could replace it unknown. She opened the first
page to see a simple sketched drawing of a map. It was lightly filled
in, and missing great details for many of the worlds continents, but
there was a clearly marked path heading from London and across
Europe, Asia, and towards Indonesia. It was a map of his trip, filled
in as he went.

She
flicked to the next page to see some more notes and basic sketches.
Details about India, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, New
Zealand, Fiji, and the United States littered the next few pages,
periodically broken by drawings of famous landmarks. Jenny noticed
the Taj Mahal, a Whale Shark - she guessed from Thailand - Ayers
Rock, the Sydney Opera House, and the Hollywood Sign to name a few.
If nothing else, Henry appeared to have a very artistic hand.

She
had a quick look around to see if anyone could see her. It took her
eyes a couple of moments to adjust to the darkness between the huts,
but she couldn't see anyone. She returned to the book, flicking
through some more pages, with additional details listed about tour
times, flights, airports, local currency and customs, visa
requirements, and so on.