Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) (7 page)

About
to give up, she found a page that said:

“
Day 1 – London Heathrow to Mumbai”

Her heart jumped. It WAS a journal.

She wrestled with herself for a moment. “Should I read
it?” she thought, “I'd hate for anyone to read my inner
thoughts.” However, her jealousy and curiosity outweighed her
logic, and she plowed on through the next pages, bypassing his
thoughts about India, the Maldives, and Thailand, before finally
reaching Bali.

“
Stage 4 – Bali”

“
Day 62 – Arrive in Denpasar”

She flicked on, passing by his days spend surfing and
relaxing on the beach in Kuta before finally reaching day 68:

“
Day 68 – Kuta to Ubud”

She tentatively skimmed over his words. He spoke
eloquently, poetically. Was there going to be anything in there about
meeting her? There was...

“
Mark and I met our tour group today, albeit a little
late. I had seen one of them, Jenny, I think, relaxing by the pool
before. She was nice, they all were. Some amusing life anecdotes from
some of them as well over drinks, particularly our leader, Andy. I
can tell Mark and I are going to have fun with him!”

She continued to skim for her name, hoping to find out
how he felt:

“
Day 71 – Batur”

“
As I write this I must say I am exhausted. My habit
of staying up until at least midnight is not serving me well out
here. It is currently nearing 4.30 in the am and the group is
preparing for an ascent up Mt Batur for sunrise. On this occasion
though, I'm not going to complain about my lack of sleep, because it
was well worth it. Jenny and I talked properly for the first time
last night. She's lovely, and beautiful too. I must say I didn't
expect to find someone I'd like on a cultural tour of Bali and
Lombok, but I guess she's here. Here's hoping she feels the same....”

Jenny couldn't help but smile, but it shouldn't have
been anything she didn't already know. Reading him say it in his own
words, however, made all the difference to her, distrustful as she
was. “Perhaps that kiss did mean something after all,” she
pondered. She carried on:

“
Ascent complete, and what a morning. It's gotta be
the best day of the entire gap year so far. Trek was exhilarating,
and the sunrise; words can hardly do it justice. Something came over
me when I saw it and I kissed Jenny. I don't know why I did that,
it's not really me. However, I'm glad I did, I think she enjoyed it.
I just find her so intoxicating...”

Jenny continued to smile as she read, but suddenly
became very aware of what she was doing. She was just so engrossed in
Henry's journal, and wanted to keep reading it forever for hope of
seeing her name. Before replacing it, however, she wanted to know one
more thing....did he mention Emily in the same way, was he just
playing both of them? She skipped on a few pages until she found it:

“
Day 74 – Ubud to Mataram, Lombok”

“
Feeling pretty rough today, although have tried to
get up to enjoy the last of Ubud before crossing the water to Lombok.
Just had a swim in the pool and saw Jenny. She seemed really off with
me and I don't know why. I thought we were getting along great. I
guess she was feeling ill last night... maybe it's not about me....I
hope so anyway. I'd like to continue enjoying her company. In fact,
it'll be a shame to say goodbye to her in a week or so, I think I'm
starting to really like her....”

Jenny skimmed further down through the following pages
until she saw white paper. “Nothing of Emily,” she thought, brows
furrowed. “OK, that'll do, “ she whispered to herself, before
quickly replacing the book to where she found it. Hustling off into
the darkness, she pondered what she'd read.

No Emily, nothing except a moment describing her when
they met. He did say she was pretty...maybe he wouldn't write it in
there that he'd kissed her in a club. Maybe he was drunk and doesn't
remember? Her mind continued to run with as many potential scenarios
as it could muster as she entered her hut and slid into bed. And
where was Henry tonight?

With these questions swimming through her mind, Jenny
drifted off into a troubled sleep.

The
next morning Jenny was awoken by the sound of prayer. A distant
chanting could be heard down at the bottom of the hill below, filling
the room and causing Sarah to wake abruptly from her slumber.

“
What
IS that!”, she exclaimed grumpily. Sarah wasn't great when she was
sleep deprived.

“
It's
the morning Muslim prayer,” replied Jenny, smiling for the cultural
shift from Bali. “Not your usual wake up call is it...?!”

“
God
no...but it's still dark out, don't these people like sleep?” She
sounded ignorant, but Jenny knew she wasn't like that.

“
I
guess they probably got to bed a little earlier than you Sarah,”
Jenny laughed. “What time did you get in...you weren't here when I
got back after dinner?” Jenny refrained from informing her of her
little pre-bed jaunt into Henry's thoughts.

“
Oh,
yeah,” Sarah croaked, “I hung out with Mark for a while,” she
sounded sheepish, which was unlike her.

“
And....??”
Jenny was looking for details.

“
Ahhh,
it's too early in the morning Jen. We made out, that's all I'm giving
you.”

Jenny
didn't push it. Sarah wasn't one to be coy about what she got up to
with guys, so it probably just was the pre-dawn hour that was
tightening her tongue. “Alright, let's talk about it later. Here,
use these.” She handed Sarah a little box of foam earplugs, “I've
got plenty to spare.”

“
Thanks
babe, you're a star,” and with that, she turned away and dragged
her blanket back over her head.

Jenny
sat for a moment on the bed. She felt wide awake, despite a fair
deficit of sleep, Henry's words still harassing her mind. She stood
up and gently walked outside. It was brisk in the cool morning air, a
slight fog hanging over the hills like a light blanket. She peered
down towards the valley in front of the hut: there were small lights
dotted around in the weakening darkness, highlighting the source of
the prayers that rung through the hills. She stood there for a while,
just listening and shivering slightly in the breeze, until something
caught her eye to the right.

In
the distance she saw Henry, unclothed bar a pair boxer shorts. They
were tight to his skin, showing off his powerful thighs, the white
color showcasing his deep tan. A pulse of longing, of impurity, raced
up Jenny's body like an electric shock. She continued to watch as he
emerged from his hut, the doorway framing his Greek statue body as he
aimed his gaze down the valley to the source of the noise. He turned
his head to the right, noticing the journal that still sat positioned
where Jenny had found it the previous night. He leaned to pick it up,
pausing for a moment to examine it. “Perhaps he's concerned about
dew,” Jenny thought. After a few seconds he seemed content, and
turned around to return to the hut. He never seemed to notice Jenny
the entire time, or at least he didn't show that he did.

Jenny
spent the next hour or so reading on her bed, although her progress
was stunted. Somehow the love adventures of Thomas and Charlotte
didn't seem quite so interesting when she was embroiled in her own
mini drama. After a while of reading the same page over and over, she
got up and ventured out into the now bright morning light. Sarah was
still sprawled across her bed, seemingly in the throes of some kind
of dream, so Jenny left her to it.

She
wandered towards the table where they had enjoyed dinner to find Andy
and Andrew laughing over a large bowl of fresh fruit. She'd heard
that the Australians and Irish had a similar sense of humor, and so
it would seem as they continued to crack their sides as she
approached. “Jen my love, how're you going this beautiful morning?”
went Andy's traditional morning greeting.

“
Oh
great, enjoyed the wake up call a little earlier!” She said it
sarcastically, but was being quite serious.

“
I
know, I know...shoulda warned you guys about that I guess. Ah well,
who doesn't like a nice surprise!”

“
No,
it's great....anything that's different from New York is just FINE by
me! You know, new experiences and all that, variety is the spice of
life....” She rattled off a few more common phrases of similar ilk
before shutting up.

“
She's
a wise one for her years, our Jennifer,” said Andrew with a
chuckle, wrapping his arm over her shoulder. “Alright Andy, what's
the score for today then...?”

Andy
started briefing the two of them over what to expect for the rest of
the day, but was forced to repeat himself continually as more of the
group joined them at the table. By the time they had all come
together, Sarah the last to appear, Andy had decided to whittle down
his speech to the bite-sized version. It seemed the day would be
spent on the move once more, exploring a few local areas before
heading off to the village of Senaru for the night.

It
was a more jovial day than the last, most of the group seemingly more
upbeat than they had been during their tour of the area yesterday.
That is, except Sarah, who appeared a little more downtrodden than
her usual vivacious self. Jenny's attempts to extract any telling
information as to the cause were unsuccessful. According to Sarah,
she was “just tired”, but it seemed like more than that. Jenny
suspected it probably had something to do with Mark, although he
seemed fine, joking and laughing as usual with Todd and Henry.

Jenny
also noticed that Emily had begun to spark up a friendship with
Miley. They were both quiet, and Emily hadn't exactly ingratiated
herself to Jenny and Sarah thus far, even though their similar ages
made it likely that they'd have a few more things in common. Everyone
loved Miley though, she was the motherly kind, always finding out if
people were OK and quietly getting along in the background.

Towards
the end of the day the group were back in the van, rumbling along the
dirt roads towards their next overnight destination. Soon they found
themselves in the small village of Senaru, a quaint place nestled in
between the might of Mt Rinjani and the tangled Lombok jungle. Jenny
continued to be stunned by the tranquil beauty of the place: sweeping
vistas across towering valleys, deep green jungles, crashing
waterfalls and peaceful rice paddies; and all without sight or sound
of another tourist the entire time.

Unfortunately,
it was all to be over too soon for Jenny. The next morning they were
to move on down to the coast and take the short boat trip over to the
Gili Islands, a group of three small islands a few miles off the
coast of Lombok. Although she loved islands and beaches, she felt she
hadn't quite soaked in the serene ambiance of Lombok quite yet. Andy
assured her that they'd be returning in a couple of days for another
afternoon and evening on Lombok, but Jenny suspected it would only be
a fleeting visit, concerned more with travel than exploration.

With
a feeling of disappointment filling her veins, her head turned back
to Henry. She still hadn't spoken to him properly since that night in
Kuta, save a few passing comments here and there, and their
relationship was becoming increasingly strained, as if both of them
wanted more but neither was willing to take a leap. In fact, it was
getting to the point of being awkward, with them purposefully
avoiding each other when sitting for lunch or dinner, or when finding
a seat in the van to take them to their next destination. Both of
their inexperience was telling, a circumstance that would be unlikely
to occur with someone a little older. The self assured and confident
Henry suddenly seemed sheepish and edgy around her, turning to talk
to someone else or peering into his book whenever they found
themselves too close to each other.

The
evening was non-eventful, and everyone retired to their beds fairly
early. It seemed that Jenny wasn't the only one woken up by the
morning players, and with another early start beckoning the general
consensus was to get an early night. Todd was the most vociferous in
his desire to get to the Gili Islands, especially after hearing word
that one of the three was known for its full moon beach parties and
hedonistic nightlife. “Come on boys, a piss-up on the beach....you
up for it?” he had said to Mark and Henry, before Andy issued the
disappointing fact that they'd actually be staying on the central
island of the three, Gili Meno, which was far more peaceful and laid
back that its bigger neighbor.

Jenny
didn't care. In fact, she wasn't looking for another night out,
especially after the last one. Back in their room she and Sarah
talked for a while before hitting the lights. Sarah had continued to
be quieter than her normal self throughout the day, and it was
becoming ever more apparent that Mark was the reason.

“
I
dunno Jen, I really like him, but I don't think he gives a shit.”
Sarah did have a knack of falling quickly for guys, and hard.

“
What
do you mean he doesn't give a shit? Didn't you make out last night?

“
Yeah...but
he was a real prick about it. I was telling him I liked him and then
he just kinda shut off, like he didn't care, you know. He just
suddenly became all cold and...I don't know...disinterested. Then he
just left me out there and walked back to this room. I don't know,
maybe I was too full on....”