Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) (9 page)

Jenny
looked over at Henry at the bar, and saw him retreat somewhat into
his shell. She began to realize that he was recovering from a broken
heart as well; that he'd been suffering just as she had. She suddenly
felt an ever closer connection to him, like they were following the
same path. His journal, his pensive nature, this entire trip...maybe
it was all a way for his to escape as well?

Henry
returned just in the nick of time with the refills, and the drinking
game began to change track. Mark seemed to have noticed that Henry
was less than pleased with talking about his ex, so quickly changed
the game to something less personal. After a couple of options were
passed round, the group decided on '21' to get things moving quickly.
Thankfully, the whole group knew how to play it, so they didn't have
to waste any time explaining the somewhat complicated rules.

After
another half an hour of the game, it was becoming clear that the
alcohol was having its desired effect. Emily, seemingly a
lightweight, had suddenly become the chattiest person on tour,
beating out even Todd and Mark in the banter stakes. Todd himself was
becoming a little restless, gesturing to Mark to head off to another
venue, while the drink had clearly gone to Sarah's head as she pawed
over Mark with little thought for the rest of the groups judging
eyes. Only Andrew and Henry remained fairly level headed, both
apparently unaffected by the copious cocktails that they'd all
consumed. Jenny had tried to be slightly more reserved with her
consumption, knowing her limits, but was starting to feel the
familiar numbing of senses brought on by alcohol. It all made Henry
seem even more appealing to her.

As
the last of the cocktails were seen off, Mark suggested that they
find a new venue, largely on the back of Todd's insistence. The group
agreed, and they wandered off further down the beach looking for
somewhere suitable. It appeared that Mark and Todd were looking for
somewhere in particular, probably on the advice of Andy, Jenny
assumed. Within a few minutes they'd arrived at a relaxed bar set
just off the beach away on the other side of the walkway. It became
immediately clear to Jenny what Todd was after as she looked up at
the sign for the bar – mushrooms. As he'd recently revealed, he'd
dabbled in drugs in his past, and it appeared that mushrooms were
next on his hit list. What surprised her the most, however, was Marks
apparent eagerness to try them as well. It just didn't really sit
with his character.

“
OK
team, Todd, Henry and I are gonna stick it out here for a
while....anyone is welcome to join if they want, or there's a cool
bar just over the road there on the beach.” A quizzical look
crossed Henry's face when Mark spoke his name.

Jenny
felt this was going too far. Sure, she'd enjoy drinking alcohol on
nights out but drugs were never on her agenda. She looked at Sarah
who also didn't seem overly keen on the idea, although her temptation
to stick close to Mark seemed to be swaying her slightly. “Jen,
what'd you think...it might be wild!”

“
Sorry
babe but no way....I don't ever wanna do drugs.” She wasn't giving
an inch on this one.

As
Sarah was beginning to try to tempt Jenny further, Henry piped up:
“hey Mark, you know me...and this isn't it mate. My brothers would
kill me if they found out I'd done mushrooms so....count me out.”

Mark
didn't seem overly surprised at this statement and gave Henry a look
of 'fair enough'. In fact, Henry seemed a little disapproving himself
of what Mark and Todd were about to do. Apparently, this would be a
first for Mark as well and drugs weren't a part of their friendship.

After
a minute the two groups split. Jenny had won her battle with Sarah,
while Andrew chose to stick close to the girls to make sure they were
OK. Emily, meanwhile, opted to join Mark and Todd after hitting it
off with them over the drinking games. Andrew, a fair few years older
than the rest, asked her whether she was sure, to which he got the
annoyed 'leave me alone' younger sister type treatment. “I tried,”
he said, turning to the girls, although Jenny wasn't overly
disappointed that she'd be off with the others.

The
larger group then ventured back over to the beach and fetched another
round of drinks from the bar. Henry and Andrew walked at the front,
jointly leading the party, both of them seemingly against the idea of
drugs. Sarah looked over her shoulder as they went - the drink was
really affecting her now and her mind seemed locked on Mark. They
sauntered down to the beach, the guys chatting away about the
impending Rugby World Cup and the respective chances of England and
Ireland. Soon enough, they'd found a patch of sand with cushioned
beach chairs around a table and sat down to enjoy the ambiance.

It
was quieter at this end of the beach and they were able to talk
without shouting. Jenny sat back in her chair, the alcohol swimming
in her system, betraying her senses. She looked at Henry who
continued his rugby debate with Andrew, and smiled. She felt relaxed
and comfortable, slightly removed from the loud dance beats and
hedonistic atmosphere at the busier end of the shoreline. This was
her sort of night out: tipsy but not drunk, nice cocktails not shots,
sensible conversations about interesting topics not mindless
ramblings and banter.

Sarah,
however, was diverting her attention somewhat. She was clearly drunk
and her thoughts seemed entirely dominated by Mark, constantly
talking about him and wondering whether she should go and join him.
After about 45 minutes the alcohol got the better of her and she
darted off, against Jenny's advice, to go and see how they were
doing. Jenny was afraid that she'd end up taking mushrooms as well,
especially if it meant spending more time with Mark, but there was
little she could do. Thankfully, she stumbled back down the beach
about 10 minutes later, a grumpy look on her face: “they weren't
there,” she said, slurring her words, “I couldn't find them.”

Jenny
couldn't help but be relieved. A combination of alcohol, drugs, and a
boy who didn't seem interested in her seemed like a recipe for
disaster. “That's alright babe, they'll turn up soon enough, they
know we're here. Let's just relax and enjoy ourselves, OK?” At that
Henry got up and fetched some more drinks, returning with another
batch of cocktails and a large jug of water. He passed a knowing look
at Jenny as he placed the water in front of Sarah, and served up the
cocktails to the others.

The
night carried on in this vein for a little longer, with Henry and
Andrew mainly talking to each other and Jenny trying to coax Sarah
out of her slump. To perk her up, Jenny suggested they go for a dance
up on the decking area near the bar, leaving the boys to finish the
cocktails: by this point, Sarah had well and truly had enough and
Jenny wanted to keep her head fresh to make sure she was safe. After
a quick dance they were back at the bar getting some water when a few
Australian lads approached them. They were a little bit rowdy and
drunk, Jenny thought, but appeared friendly.

“
G'day
girls, how are you doing tonight? You fancy having a drink with us?”

Jenny
glanced down towards Henry and Andrew on the beach, who continued to
chat away oblivious. “Erm, we're actually with those two guys down
there.” She pointed down the beach.

“
No
we're not,” Sarah suddenly came alive, “they're just friends of
ours. We'd love a drink with you.” She turned to Jenny: “what's
the problem, they're hot...”

Jenny
got the feeling that Sarah was trying to make Mark jealous somehow,
as if he'd return just to see her surrounded by a bunch of guys.
“We'll, I'd love a drink anyway even if she doesn't,” Sarah
gestured to Jenny.

“
Great....shots
and cocktails coming up!” said the guy, turning to the barman.

Jenny
felt compelled to stay with Sarah even though all she wanted was to
go back down and join the guys. Sure, these boys were good looking,
but she had no interest in them at all. Her eyes turned back to Henry
down the beach, who had glanced up to see where they were. Jenny saw
him look at her and Sarah at the bar, surrounded by a bunch of guys,
a look of jealously written on his face. He turned back to Andrew,
but Jenny could clearly see him looking up at them regularly.

After
a couple of shots, Sarah was getting overtly flirty with the guys.
There were three of them, all whispering in each others ears and
laughing suggestively. All but one had lost any interest in talking
to Jenny, disinterested as she seemed, and were dancing and getting
overly tactile with Sarah as she continued to guzzle on the cocktails
they passed her. Jenny leaned in to Sarah and spoke in her ear:
“babe, you alright with all these guys?”

Sarah
shooed her away and turned straight back to the guys. They were now
starting to get even more physical, pulling her around and grappling
over her like a prize. The guy with Jenny seemed nice enough though,
telling corny jokes and seemingly trying a less direct pulling tactic
than his mates. Jenny's attention, however, was barely on him, as she
continued to look over at Sarah, slightly concerned. She now appeared
completely off her head, stumbling about and being propped up by the
three guys around her, laughing as they copped a feel. Then, one of
them stepped in to give her a kiss, to which she accepted at first.
When the next pulled her off him, however, and went in to kiss her
himself, she started to get a bit more defensive, trying to push the
guy away with her hands. The guy continued to try to kiss her,
pulling her hands away and laughing as he did.

Jenny
had seen enough, but as she started off towards them Henry came
rushing past her and pushed the guy to the ground. He grabbed Sarah
by the arm and gently pulled her back behind him towards where Jenny
stood: “keep your hands off her,” he warned the group menacingly.

The
guy hit the floor hard but launched himself up, coming straight at
Henry and trying to punch him in the face. Henry swerved to the side,
clearly more sober, and pushed the guy in the back. He went straight
into the bar, smashing his head on the counter, and crashing back
down to the floor. His two mates come rushing in, ready to attack, as
Andrew appeared at Henry's side. They stopped suddenly to grab their
felled companion who groggily got to his feet.

Henry
and Andrew stood steadfast: “you treat a girl like that and you're
gonna get hit mate,” said Henry coolly, unwavering. He turned his
head to the guy stood next to Jenny, “I think your mate might have
a concussion. I suggest you get him to bed asap.” The guy
sheepishly nodded and went over to the others before they all dragged
their heels back up the road, supporting their downed mate and
springing insults as they went.

Henry
turned straight back to Sarah, who was sat, face in hands, sobbing,
on a chair near the bar. He kneeled down in front of her and gently
pulled her hands away from her face. “You OK?” he asked softly,
looking straight into her tear soaked eyes. “Do you want to go
home?”

She
nodded, gingerly getting to her feet. “OK, let's head off,” he
said, giving her a quick hug before turning around to the others and
passing Sarah over to Jenny. “I think we should all get going now,
although I'm a little concerned about the rest of the group. I don't
really want to leave without them.”

“
That's
alright mate,” it was Andrew, “ I'll go look for them and make
sure they all get back alright. You get the girls home safely.”
Andrew himself had had some history of drugs as a youngster so was in
a better position to handle the situation.

Henry
nodded his approval before they all set off back to where they had
arrived on the island. According to Andy, getting a taxi late at
night was possible, but they might have to barter for it and be
willing to spend a lot more money. Jenny walked behind with her arm
around Sarah, watching Henry confer with Andrew ahead about the best
places to look for the others. She had just seen another side of
Henry that made her weak at the knees – protective, loyal, and
heroic. The way he stepped in and dealt with the situation was hugely
attractive to her.

By
the time they had reached the docking area Andrew had made his way
off in search of the others. “Sit here girls while I find us a
taxi. It won't take a minute,” he smiled at Sarah reassuringly, who
continued to sob quietly onto Jenny's shoulder. Jenny watched Henry
as he approached what appeared to be a group of boat owners, all
lingering down on the shore next to a series of small wooden crafts.
He talked for a minute or two with each before returning: “right
girls, I've found us a guy who'll take us back over to Gili Meno.
Don't worry about the cost, I've covered it.”

Jenny
waked Sarah from her stupor and followed Henry down to the beach.
They stepped aboard and sat on short benches facing each other, Jenny
propping Sarah up on one side, and Henry facing them on the other.
Seconds later the small motor at the back whirled to life and the
boat started cruising off towards the dark shadow of Gili Meno in the
distance, it's silhouette cast against the black skies by the glowing
light of the moon.

As
they began to speed away from island, the noise began to dissipate
until only the light chugging of the motor and the gentle splashing
of the boat against the waves could be heard. Sarah had passed out
once more, leaving Jenny and Henry alone for the first time in days.
They sat opposite each other, the boat so small that their knees were
nearly touching, and gazed longingly into each others eyes. Henry
leaned in and took Jenny's hands, dragging her closer towards him.
They sat there for a moment, hand in hand, looking at each other in
the lingering light, but said nothing. Soon they were midway between
the islands, and Gili Trawangan was just a series of lights in the
distance. Jenny glanced over the back of the boat to see the water
lit up all around them by green patches and spots of phosphorescent
algae, glowing under the light of the bright moon and stars above.
She looked up to see the night sky peppered busily with beautiful
white lights, denser and thicker than she had ever witnessed. Not a
spot of sky was left untouched by a shining star, casting their glow
down onto the shimmering green water.