Love in All the Right Places (Chick Lit bundle) (27 page)

@macau

Chapter 5

#BienvenidoAMacau

DESPITE THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE NOONDAY SUN, it was deathly cold when we stepped out of the airport. We were warned that it would be cold, but I didn't expect it to be this bad, especially since it was almost noon. I gave my coat a tug and wrapped my scarf around my head Audrey Hepburn style, so that it would protect my ears. The others however, were not as lucky.

Simon had his hoodie zipped all the way up, its drawstrings pulled so tight that only a small circle revealed his nose and eyes. Megh's lightweight coat was pulled tight as well, coupled with a longing look on her face. This time however, it wasn't directed towards Jesse but towards my scarf. Jesse, who was stubbornly just wearing an ordinary flannel shirt on top of a white t-shirt, was desperately shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.

"The white van, go to the white van." Javier, our Macanese guide pointed towards a van in the airport parking lot. Javier Alfaro was the Macau Tourism Board's local representative. Tall, handsome, and decidedly European, Javier was actually a local who descended from Portuguese migrants. He proudly identified his heritage, saying that it was exactly what Macau was all about. The locals and the Portuguese settlers, selecting then assimilating the best of both worlds.

We all scurried towards the white van like our lives depended on it. Actually, if you consider staying out in this cold, it did. It was probably what motivated Simon and Megh into getting into the van first. By the time I got in, the only available seat was beside Jesse.

Relax, Five. You lasted the plane ride with him. It wasn't so bad, was it? Granted, he was asleep most of the flight, but he was nice at some point, right? I took a deep breath and slid beside my so-called buddy.

"Welcome to Macau. Or as we say here,
Bienvenido a Macau
." Javier positioned himself beside the driver, turning sideways so we could see his profile. His very handsome profile. "As you all can see, we're in the middle of winter here. Some of you aren't that ready, no?" he said with a small chuckle. "Well, I suggest you go through your luggage and pick out your coats. We have quite a few things to do today, if you recall the itinerary provided to you by Dorie, yes? To save time, our driver Chang—say, 'Hi Chang!'—will drop us off to our first destination while Gail checks in the hotel for you. So pick up what you will need for today, your coats, your cameras, whatever essentials you need, so Gail can drop off the rest of your luggage at the hotel already, okay?"

Javier had a short discussion with Chang before turning back to us. "We are currently in Taipa, an island to the North of the Macau Peninsula. Most of the activities in your itinerary are on Macau itself, so our home base will be there, too. For the next few days, you'll be making your home along Ponte 16. It used to be the first fisherman's port and is known for its iconic clock tower. This is a part of the old historic center of Macau, so you can expect a quaint, old downtown feel. An additional nice thing about it is the fact that it's very near Senado Square and a lot of other UNESCO World Heritage sites, so you can explore the area by foot. But enough about that, we'll be exploring that area tomorrow. Let's talk about today instead."

"Because it's your first meal in Macau, I think it's only appropriate to have Macanese food, yes? Our lunch will be at one of the best Macanese restaurants on the island. It's where we take VIPs and visiting heads of state to dine. After that, we'll go to the Grand Prix Museum and the adjacent Wine Museum. Then, it's the Fisherman's Wharf for us, so you can see the interesting architecture and play some games. Finally, we'll hit the hotel strip so you can see the hotel's little shows like the Tree of Prosperity and the Performance Lake, before we have dinner at The City of Dreams. Are you guys up for that?"

While Javier's spiel was merely a rehash of Miss Dorie's itinerary, I still got excited hearing it. I guess being here made the difference. They weren't just words on paper anymore, but actual places we'll see and experience beginning today. I looked out the window, extremely excited to begin a new adventure.
Bienvenido A Macau. Bienvenido.

AFTER DINNER, WE AGREED TO JAVIER'S SUGGESTION of taking a walk through the hotel strip so we could take night shots of the hotel facades. Macau's casino strip was definitely a sight to behold. But actually catching the sparkling lights on a photo proved to be a challenge, since I was ill-equipped for it. The lens I needed for the shot was tucked away in my luggage. I tried to make do with what I had. I adjusted my shutter speed, I made my aperture bigger, and I fixed my ISO settings but I couldn't quite get the shot I wanted. I reviewed my shots through the camera's LCD screen. They were either too blurry, too grainy, or underexposed.

"You'll need a tripod for that," said a voice from over my shoulder. It appeared that Jesse was peeking at the screen along with me.

"I know that," I retorted, peeved that he was looking over my shoulder. His unsolicited advice also grated on me. I knew what I had to do without his help. I wanted to point out that I was already going to look for something to prop my camera on when he pulled out a tripod from his backpack and handed it to me.

"Here, use this," he said, offering me his own travel-sized tripod. His generosity caught me unaware. I was so surprised that the most I could utter was thanks before setting the tripod up. Soon enough, I was shooting the scene with the settings I wanted. I congratulated myself for a great photograph, which, I grudgingly admitted, was partly thanks to Jesse, too.

I braced myself for some smart-alecky remark as I returned the tripod to him. But to my surprise, all he had for me was a friendly, "You're welcome." He simply took the tripod, repacked it, and joined the others so we could continue with our walking tour.

Where was the mockery I'd come to expect? Confused, the most I could do was hoist my camera back over my shoulder and follow the rest.

BY 10PM, WE WERE ALL AS TIRED AS HYPERACTIVE TODDLERS at the end of a day out. The van was silent as it traversed the quaint downtown streets. Hopping around town, even in an air-conditioned van, was pretty tiring. That, plus I had more than one glass of wine with the luxurious steak dinner we had at a swanky hotel restaurant. I was definitely looking forward to just lounging in bed. So when Javier suggested taking an early night? I could've kissed him right then and there.

He led our weary pack to the hotel's lobby and after a short conversation with the concierge, held up a collection of room keys. "Here are your room keys. I don't think I need to remind you to keep them safe at all times, do I? No, you don't need to share rooms. The hotel was kind enough to provide you all individual rooms." A solo room? In this hotel? That's fanfreakingtastic! I could hardly hold back my glee when Javier handed me my room key.

"Things to know: Internet access is complimentary. During your free time, you can use the rest of the hotel facilities, like the gym, business center and swimming pool. Breakfast is served from 6am onwards. I will pick you up at 10am tomorrow morning. I'm sure you'll have adequate time between 6am and that to eat and get ready so please don't be late. And if you decide to still go out tonight, please inform your buddy and Gail, just so we know where you are. Remember, 10am tomorrow, understood?"

The announcement, as well as permission to go out, seemed to lift our spirits up again. I could hear Megh making plans to go out with the guys. "Hey, Five," she called out. "I'm trying to convince these two to hit the casinos tonight. Are you in?"

"No, thanks," I declined. "I want to get settled in tonight. Maybe tomorrow night."

Megh shrugged and continued working on the guys who, while not declining, still weren't a hundred percent convinced yet. Her convincing powers still hadn't wrangled a yes by the time the elevator doors opened on our floor.

"Well, give me a call in case you change your minds." She glanced at the keycard in her palm. "I'm at Room 1414," she added before the elevator doors closed. I fished my keycard from my pocket. Room 1417.

We walked down the hallway, following the signboards that indicated which wing our rooms were in, oohing and aahing over the fixtures. The hallways were lined with super soft carpets that seemed to swallow our feet with every step. The elegant wall scones cast a soft light along the hallways, the kind that always makes your skin look so soft in photos. Megh seemed to have the same thought as she pulled out her phone to take a selfie of herself, before pulling me beside her to take one of us.

Megh spotted her room first, but soon after, I saw mine as well. "Hey, we're just across each other," she announced. "This is great, I can bum a smoke from you when I run out."

"You can ask for anything you want from me except for smokes," I replied to her enthusiastic reaction. "Remember, I don't smoke?" Her face fell.

"Oh well, at least I know I can run to you in case I need anything other than a smoke. Like if I need someone to kill errant cockroaches in the bathroom. Not that there'll be any, not in a place this swanky," she added before opening her door. "Good night, Five. Still haven't changed your mind about hitting the casinos tonight?"

"Go ahead. I think I'll take a long hot soak in the tub tonight. But thanks for the invite. And good luck hitting the jackpot!"

She gave me a small wave before entering her room. I followed suit and entered my own room as well.

I knew as soon as I set foot in the room that I made the right decision. It wasn't a hotel room. It was paradise! The impossibly soft carpeting in the hallway? It was nothing compared to the carpeting in the room. Big mirrors lined the foyer. The bathroom was huge, ornate and most importantly, had a grand looking bath tub! A large picture window showcased a view that started from the charming, antiquated downtown area extending to the flashy, ultramodern casino strip. Rich wood panelling, lit up by dimly lit scones bathed the room in a warm glow. And the bed. A fluffy king-sized bed lorded over the center of the room. I dove into it and I immediately knew that I was ruined. No other bed will come close. Not after this bed.

I had half a mind to just go to sleep already but I didn't want to ruin the marvelous bed by sleeping in my icky, dusty clothes in it. I forced myself to get up and use the bathroom before changing into my pajamas. But the sight of the grand, elegant tub in the bathroom was too much to resist and the next thing I knew, I was already drawing up a nice hot bath, sprinkling it with some complimentary bath salts and getting ready for a long soak. Well, a comfortably hot bath by my standards. Some people might argue that it's scalding, but they were just wusses.

I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I SPENT IN THE WATER. I actually fell asleep—I know, I know, bad idea, but I couldn't help it. I could tell I was in pretty long as my fingers had turned pretty prune-y and the water had cooled considerably. The thick cloud of steam that permeated the bathroom had also dissipated by then.

This is how you cap off an evening, I told myself. I was readying myself for the most restful night ever, when I caught the word 'DIE!' scrawled on the bathroom mirror. What the hell was that? I felt a cold shiver run up my spine. Suddenly, sleeping solo in an unfamiliar hotel room wasn't as wonderful as it was cracked up to be.

I tried not to look at the mirror, but it was a losing battle. I struggled against my fear but it got the better of me, so I frantically pulled my robe on, grabbed my room key then desperately knocked on Megh's door.

Please be in, please be in, I thought with every frantic knock. It took a minute, but it felt like ages for me. When the door opened, I immediately pushed my way inside. "Help! My room's haunted!"

"Your room's haunted? What happened?" the person behind the door asked.

"My room! The bathroom! Someone wrote 'DIE!' on the mirror!" I explained, my words tumbling all over each other. So panicked was I that it took a few moments for the voice to register. That didn't sound like Megh. That voice was familiar all right. As familiar as it was male.

"Slow down, hold your horses!" It was Jesse all right. Shirtless, clad only in baggy boxers, and hair all disheveled, but it was him. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation to your haunting. Start from the beginning."

"What are you doing here? This is Megh's room," I asked, momentarily distracted from my fear and quite unable to resist looking at him. He looked, well, hot. He wasn't six-packed and all, but he had a lean, lithe—what am I thinking? And oh god, did I walk into a secret hook-up?

"We swapped rooms," Jesse explained patiently as he grabbed a discarded t-shirt from his bed and pulled it on. Then, he walked to the mini bar to pour a glass of water. "She wanted a smoking room. This is a no smoking floor. The hotel's fully booked, there's a convention of some sort, so there's no other room available. I offered to swap," he explained matter-of-factly before handing me the glass of water.

"Relax a bit. Catch your breath and start from the beginning." I took a sip of water then took a seat by the room's desk. No way was I sitting beside him on that bed.

"I was just emerging from the bath," I started, only to remember I was clad only in a bathrobe. Great, Five. Just great. "When I spotted the word 'DIE!' scrawled in the mist on the mirror." It was only when I was relating it again did I realize how silly I sounded. I ran screaming from my room to his, clad only in a bathrobe because of a word scrawled on the mirror. I probably sounded like a desperate attention-whore.