Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) (12 page)

Her
thoughts continued to stray as she got ready for dinner, with the
conversation with Sarah turning to less sore topics. When they were
both ready to go, they headed down to the lobby to join the group
before setting off towards a quiet part of Senggigi for dinner. She
felt a little awkward as she walked beside Henry, impure thoughts now
cluttering her mind: his muscular arms, dark golden tan, masculine
gait and smooth English accent all conspiring against her.

By
the time they reached the home where they'd have dinner, she'd
managed to snap herself out of it and was enjoying a few jokes with
Andrew. They gathered in a small courtyard outside a simple white
brick home, a large rectangular table positioned in the center. The
night was brightly lit with stars, but extra illumination was
provided by two hanging spotlights above the table. They poured a
romantic light over the group, who hungrily chowed down on several
local dishes brought out by the owners of the house at regular
intervals. For Jenny, it was the best food of the trip, although a
little spicy at times, and she enjoyed talking to the homeowners as
they joined the group each time a new dish was served, sometimes with
a little translation help from Andy.

As
the dinner drew on, Andy got the group to recount their favorite
moments of the tour. For several who had enjoyed the full trip, the
trek up Mt Batur in Bali for sunrise seemed to be a highlight. For
Todd, it was the night out in the Gili's that sat with him most,
while Andrew had a particular fondness for the reef off Menjangan
Island. When it came to Henry's turn, he issued his agreement over Mt
Batur, smiling at Jenny as he talked poetically about the sunrise.

All
of Jenny's moments had involved Henry, whether the night before the
climb, the kiss on the mountain, the trek down, the boat trip back
from their night on Gili Trawangan, their night spent on the beach,
or their afternoon spent alone exploring the island. Of course, she
also gave a platonic reply, choosing her time spent doing crazy
activities like para-sailing and jet-skiing on Gili Meno, activities
she never thought she'd try before. It was a cop out, but she and
Henry both knew their highlights involved each other.

After
dinner they said their goodbyes to their hosts and returned to the
hotel for drinks. Everyone was exhausted following the days events
but seemed determined to see off the trip with a bang, so were happy
to stick around for a little longer before retiring for a well earned
sleep. A couple of rounds of Bintang beer ensued, everyone continuing
to share stories of the trip. Andy, under weighted questioning from
Mark, told the group that it was the best bunch he'd ever had,
although Jenny probably thought that's what he told them all. Eno
seemed in particularly high spirits, at one point fetching a bag of
gifts that he gave out to each of his cohorts one by one. The girls
were each given a piece of authentic Indonesian jewelery, while the
guys were given small ornaments as momentos of the trip: Mark a small
statue of Mt Batur, Henry an intricately carved scene of a reef. Eno
had clearly put some thought into it, to which the group were very
touched and thankful.

After
a little while longer the group started to disperse until, once
again, Jenny and Henry were left alone. They sat together and talked
for a little while, until gradually the conversation turned to the
inevitable.

“
I
hate that I'm leaving in two days,” Henry had said suddenly. Jenny
was thankful that it was him who brought it up. “I want to take you
out on my final night....our first official date. I want to end this
trip with you...only you.”

Jenny
smiled and nodded, “I'd love that, Henry.”

They
didn't say much more, Jenny didn't see much point. She wanted to say
“stay, don't go, delay your flights and stay here with me,” but
she didn't. She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, how she
felt more for him than she ever did her last boyfriend. She wanted
each moment with him to last that little bit longer, to slow down
time and extend the experience. She did none of it because there was
no point, it wouldn't change anything: he was leaving in two days and
they'd probably never see each other again after that. It was a
sobering thought for Jenny, but she knew she had no control over it.
Instead, she decided to make the most of their final days and hours
together, starting with a kiss.

Jenny
woke up early the next morning with her thoughts locked on Henry.
They'd spent another hour or so together, lying down on a sun-lounger
by the pool, kissing and looking up into the spotted sky above. They
slid into the warm water for a midnight dip, playing quietly beneath
the surface and enjoying each others bodies. The underwater lights
shone out through the water, creating an ethereal glow as they
floated and glided around the pool. They'd gone to bed in a romantic
haze, kissing under the moonlight outside Jenny's room, before Jenny
slipped off into a deep sleep.

By
the time she woke up Sarah was already busily gathering her things
for the journey back to Bali. They were to spend roughly an hour and
a half on the road before taking a short 25 minute flight back into
Denpasar. It was the final stage of the trip, and once back in Bali
the group would scatter for the final time.

After
a quick breakfast - everyone seeming a little pensive owing to their
impending parting - they stacked their things in the van and started
off southwards down the west coast of Lombok towards the
International Airport, roughly 25 miles south-east of Mataram. It was
a quiet journey, and not too many words were spoken as they went.
Todd, as the group had come to expect, was the most lively, excited
by the prospect of continuing his travels down the Australian East
Coast. He talked about the wild parties and crazy experiences he was
anticipating, something that both Mark and Henry nodded along to,
knowing that Australia was coming up for them shortly as well.
Listening in, Jenny couldn't help but be slightly concerned: it
seemed that the popular backpacking route through Australia was
teeming with promiscuous women looking for fun or, at least, that's
how Todd painted the picture. “You boys are gonna have a whale of a
time, good looking fellas like you,” he'd said to Mark and Henry,
at which point Henry turned to Jenny with a comforting smile and
light shake of the head.

“
It's
nothing to do with me anyway,” Jenny thought to herself
defensively. She knew that when he left that would be the end of
their holiday romance; that he'd inevitably end up hooking up with
other girls as he continued his travels. Despite all that though, she
couldn't help but feel jealous at the thought of another girl locked
in Henry's embrace.

The
ride continued further inland past a few final striking views of
Lombok. They passed over bridges and through valleys, up over hills
and along small dirt tracks. Deep green forests littered the
countryside, peppered by quaint villages and beautiful temples. As
they got deeper inland they could see the mountainous peak of Mt
Rinjani in the distance, dominating the surrounding landscape, and
all the while the sun shone down on the island, enhancing the bright
greens and rough browns of the woods, hills, and tracks. It was a
lovely route, and a great way to say farewell to this most beautiful
of islands.

After
90 minutes they came cruising into the airport. It was slightly more
than Jenny was expecting, a fairly large glass-fronted entrance
leading into a bustling space inside. They quickly moved through into
the departure lounge, where several shopping outlets and duty free
stores encircled a decent sized waiting area. Outside, the runway was
busily accepting small commercial planes, taxiing off into their
appropriate slots. After a short waiting period, it was time to board
their plane: a stocky Boeing 737 that looked like it had seen its
fair share of service. The flight took off and went without a hitch,
barring a fair patch of turbulence that Mark, in particular, didn't
enjoy. Apparently he and Henry had already taken about 10 flights on
their trip so far, and he was getting more and more nervous with each
one. Unfortunately, Henry teased, there were more than 10 still to
go.

After
25 minutes they touched down safely in Denpasar, much to Mark's
relief, and set off into the airport to collect their luggage and say
their goodbyes. Jenny felt a pang of sadness as they all walked out
into the parking lot, each going off on their separate ways. Andy was
to fly straight back to Australia to see some family, while Andrew
was heading off to Java for a few days before returning to Lombok
once more for his trip up Mt Rinjani. Miley and Eno were set to
return to Vancouver and LA respectively, while Emily and Todd were
both continuing their trip down to Uluwatu right on the south tip of
the island for some of the regions best surfing. Emily, by all
accounts, was quite the surfer.

After
a few hugs and farewells those that were flying on elsewhere
continued back into the airport. Jenny was most sad to say goodbye to
Andrew, and shed a small tear as they hugged: “take care Jen, if
ever you're in Ireland you come stay with me,” he'd said. Emily and
Todd both said their goodbyes as well before jumping in a taxi to
take them further south. “I'll see you boys in Oz, and it's gonna
be wild!” Todd said, high-fiving Mark and Henry with a big smile on
his face.

When
their taxi had left only Jenny, Sarah, Mark, and Henry remained,
standing alone outside the airport. A sudden sense of emptiness hit
the air, as if no-one quite knew what to do with themselves after the
structure of the previous two weeks. “Right girls,” Mark piped up
finally, “what's the score with you two then? Where you headed off
to, shall we taxi it together?”

Sarah,
thankfully, had stopped pining over Mark and was now fairly normal
around him: “well, we're booked into a hotel in Seminyak, a Contiki
Resort, for the next week. Is that on your route?”

“
Yeah
its close but not where we are....we're slightly further down back in
Kuta, got a hotel booked there for a couple of nights, then off to
Singapore.” Jenny's heart shrunk as Henry's imminent departure was
voiced.

“
Ah
cool,” Sarah continued, “if it's close maybe you guys wanna come
join us at our hotel for dinner or something, from what I've read
it's one of the best resorts for young people in Bali.” There was
no sense of boasting in her voice.

“
Yeah,
we'd love that,” it was Henry, “we'll check in at ours and then
come see you later.”

As
Mark and Sarah went about hailing their respective cabs, Henry turned
to Jenny: “like I said last night, I want to take you out tomorrow
evening. Tonight we can enjoy our time as a group, but I want
tomorrow to be special for you.” He gave her a light kiss on the
lips. “I'll see you later,” he said, before sliding into the
awaiting cab that Mark had summoned.

As
Mark and Henry sped off towards the coast, Jenny and Sarah entered
their cab and gave the name of the hotel they were staying at:
“Contiki Resort in Seminyak please,” Sarah issued to the driver.
The hotel was only a few miles away, so it didn't take them long to
get there. As they pulled up, it was clear that their stay here would
be a cut above the other hotels they'd experienced so far: the
entrance was far grander, and the inner lobby was beautifully clean
and polished. They approached the front desk and checked in, before
being led up to their rooms. There were several floors, all with long
balconies overlooking a massive inner courtyard consisting of an
enormous pool, loads of space for sunbathers, and a large outdoor
restaurant/bar. Their room was light and breezy, with two single
beds, a large television, and a luxury en-suite bathroom. They lay
down their bags and stepped out onto the balcony, looking down at the
many young people eating lunch at the restaurant, relaxing by the
pool, or playing in the water. It was totally different from what
they'd experienced so far: the touristy beach holiday side of Bali
that was known for its great nightlife, shopping, and relaxed
atmosphere.

After
a bite to eat Jenny and Sarah spent the rest of the afternoon
relaxing by the pool. Following an active two weeks, they were both
happy for the change, but it certainly felt a bit odd being only the
two of them. Jenny's thoughts strayed to Henry as she lay under the
hot afternoon sun listening to her iPhone, and she wondered when he'd
show up. They both lay there for hours, chatting and joking away,
Jenny spilling a few details about her and Henry after much coaxing
from Sarah. At about 6 pm, when the sun's heat was beginning to wane,
a familiar figure strolled across the carefully manicured lawns
beside the pool towards them. It was Henry, flanked by Mark, and
Jenny couldn't contain her smile at seeing his.

“
Evening
ladies,” he announced as he arrived, bending down to kiss them both
on the cheek. Mark followed suit, both of them looking smart in nice
shorts and shirts. “This place is pretty amazing isn't it, I love
the pool. So, what's going on, you girls gonna get ready for dinner,
or are you gonna wear those?” he gestured to the girls bikinis.

Jenny
and Sarah laughed before setting off up to their room to get ready,
leaving Mark and Henry down at the poolside bar. After having a short
shower, Jenny could see them smoking their cigarillos from the
balcony as she got dressed and put her make up on. She thought back
to two weeks ago in Ubud: it felt odd that it had only been that long
since they all met.