Love in All the Right Places (Chick Lit bundle) (29 page)

"Hey."

This time I jumped. Well, just a little. I was still a bit frazzled from the height thing, so hearing Jesse's voice again, when I thought he had gone off to take photos was a bit of a shock.

"Sorry if I startled you. Pistachio or blueberry cheesecake?" He held up two ice cream cones.

"Pistachio?"

"Great," he said, handing me the nut-studded mint green ice cream cone. "I'm addicted to cheesecake," he confessed before starting on the cone I didn't pick.

"Thanks," I replied, before taking an experimental taste. "Hey, what would you have done if I said blueberry cheesecake?"

"I would still have given you pistachio," he smirked.

I had to laugh at that. "Okay, beggars can't be choosers. This ice cream is really good, by the way."

"Good! The brochure said—" he pulled out a copy of the Macau Tower brochure and read aloud from it. "'Ice Cream Winterland offers refreshing treats during your visit to the highest elevation in Macau! Visitors can savor a tremendous array of flavors, toppings and sprinkles! Ice Cream Wonderland is the best medicine to get over a fear of heights, especially for shocks caused by our glass floors!'"

I cocked an eyebrow at the description, not quite buying it. "That's what it says!" Jesse claimed. "Well, except for the last bit."

"Thought so. But thanks, really. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing. My treat. You looked like you needed it. But now, look at you. You look loads better. See? The brochure is right!"

His goofy, lopsided grin made me smile back. "Fine fine. I'll buy you something later. Maybe egg tarts or something."

"Deal."

We spent the next few minutes companionably sitting beside each other, focused on finishing our ice cream cones. Until we see a blur drop past the window we were looking out of.

"Did you see that?" We said at almost the same time. Jesse ran to the window panel to look up before turning back to me. "I think they're bungee jumping right above us!  Awesome! I am so doing that tomorrow."

"Good for you!" I replied, swallowing a lump in my throat. And no, it wasn't the ice cream. I remembered my little to-do list, particularly item #5: Bungee Jump off the Macau Tower. I shook my head at the thought. Really, Five? Are you nuts? You can't even look down through the glass and you actually think you can bungee jump?

"When I was a kid, around seven or eight I think? I fell off a horse when my sisters and I were riding in Wright Park," Jesse narrated. "It was horrible. We were only visiting Baguio and half our holiday was spent in a hospital. I ended up in a cast for weeks and weeks." I couldn't tell where he was going with his story. Falling off a horse was different from falling off a building. A building is definitely more painful, at the very least.

"So you never got on a horse again?" I asked.

"No way! After my arm healed, I turned into the most reckless kid ever." A big grin lit up his face, highlighting his boyish charm. I could see the reckless kid still hiding somewhere there, underneath the unruly curls and masculine jawline. "After breaking my arm and having it heal, I felt like nothing could touch me anymore. I felt invincible. I still do."

He popped the last bit of ice cream cone in his mouth then wiped his fingers clean before he offered me his hand to help me up from the sofa. "Come jump with me tomorrow. Face your fear. Tell Mr. Heights to suck it."

"I'm not afraid of heights," I gritted through my teeth. But even I can't convince myself. "Fine. Maybe a little. But I can handle it. Mostly. Well, except when I'm caught by surprise. But I can handle it, really. In fact, I wrote bungee jumping off Macau Tower for Gail's things to do assignment," I announced proudly.

Oops. Did I admit it out aloud? DID I JUST SAY I WAS BUNGEE JUMPING? Therefore I cannot change my mind and take it back? Crap.

"That's fantastic! I did, too!" He high-fived me. What was I to do? I high-fived him back. "So, it's a date then? We jump tomorrow?" He was so excited, so I just plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Hey, Megh! Simon! Guess who's going to bungee jump with me tomorrow," he called out to our companions before I could stop him. Oh great. Now there really is no turning back. The fake smile froze on my face.

An amused leer showed up on Megh's face. Her gaze swung from Jesse to me. "Oh really, you're jumping, Five? How... exciting. I wonder why." Contrary to her words, her mischievous smile said something else. Oh great. I don't even want to think about what she's thinking.

"Yeah, she is. Managed to convince her, even if she's afraid of heights." He took one look at me and misunderstood my worry-stricken face. "Just a little bit, I mean. She's just a little bit wary of heights," he corrected, thinking that that was why I was frowning.

Just then, Javier arrived to collect us. "You guys good? If you're done, let us now go two floors up to the 360-degree cafe to catch the lunch buffet. It's a revolving cafe, showcasing a different view of Macau as the meal progresses, so I'm sure it will be a novel experience for you guys."

We all went to follow Javier, but Jesse pulled me back a bit to make us fall behind the others. "Hey, you don't mind my telling them, do you? I'm sorry, it just came out. I was so excited—"

"It's okay," I shrugged. "It was on my to-do list anyway. In a way, it might be a good thing. Now I have no choice but to jump."

"Really sorry, Five. But don't worry. I'll be sure to look after you. My sisters have always said that I'm a very reliable big brother," he assured me. "You'd really get along with them. In fact, you remind me so much of them, I feel like you're one of us."

I smile back at him, another fake one plastered on my face. "Gee. Thanks." I know he meant well. He was trying to encourage me for tomorrow. But why do I suddenly feel sad?

I WAS HAPPILY TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS of tables, wine bottles, and a large
pata negra
mounted on a traditional
jamonero
when Megh sidled up to me, eyes twinkling with mischief. "So, his smile finally got to you, eh, Five?" Megh didn't name names but I knew exactly whom she was talking about. "I can't really blame you, I was eyeing him myself. But if it's you, I don't mind," she simpered.

"He did not get to me," I protested. "I was just being friendly. And shut up, the others might hear you!"  I glanced over at the bar where our host Eduardo was animatedly showcasing the selection of beers available in his restaurant. Surrounding him were Javier, Simon, Jesse, Gail and Chang. I already downed a bottle of Super Bock, a Portuguese beer he and Javier insisted that I try, so they gave me their blessing to walk around and take photos while they worked on convincing the others.

Chang drove us to Eduardo's beachside restaurant for dinner; apparently, it was a well-kept secret among the locals for the best Portuguese cuisine on Coloane, one of Macau's two main islands. Some locals even claim it's the best in Macau. The restaurant was a mix of indoor and al fresco beachside dining. It was a cold evening, so we even if the al fresco option was more picturesque, we stayed indoors for the warmth. We hadn't started eating yet, but judging from the crowd of warm locals, our even warmer host, and the free-flowing alcohol, we would be having a great evening.

"They won't hear you. They're too busy laughing and being all best buds. The wonders a little alcohol can do." I glanced at the bar where the rest of our group was still seated, laughing louder than before. "Spill, what's the score between you and our 'friend' Jesse?" Megh asked, nodding her head towards the bar where he was laughing at something Eduardo was saying. With her excessively enunciated 'friend', it was impossible to miss the implied meaning she hinted at.

"There's nothing going on between us," I countered. "Like I said, we're just being nice to each other. We're friends at the most. We just acknowledged that things would be easier for all of us if we could get along, so that explains the friendliness."

"Really?" Megh refused to believe me. Was she usually this stubborn or was it the two glasses of
vinho verde
she had already downed? "If you refuse to tell me, I should ask Jesse instead."

She turned in a huff, ready to head to the bar but I quickly grabbed her arm. I dragged her through the restaurant's doors, the ones that opened towards the beach. Thankfully, no one gave us a second glance.

"I'm not joking, Megh," I told her as soon as we were out of earshot. "There's nothing going on between us. We're just trying to get along with each other. It would be an awfully awkward, not to mention unpleasant, trip if we couldn't get along, so we're opting to play nice." I felt like a broken record repeating the same thing but Megh was absolutely unfazed.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you guys sitting so close together at Cafe 360? You two were sharing dessert off the same plate!"

"We weren't sharing dessert off the same plate! I just took too many cakes, tartlets, pastries, puddings, and parfaits—get the picture? And he was too lazy to get some from the buffet." It was true, I took too many of those fancy schmancy desserts in teeny tiny shot glasses and mini-ramekins.

"I saw you feed him chocolate-covered strawberries from the chocolate fountain!" Megh had this victorious gloating look on her face, like saying it meant that she won the argument.

"That's not what you think it is," I retorted. Definitely not—the way Megh's mind works, chocolate-covered strawberries are far from innocent. "He hates strawberries. He argued that even covering them in chocolate won't make him change his mind. I was just trying to prove a point!"

Her eyes narrowed into slits tinier than usual. "Jesse was holding your arm during the boat ride at The Venetian."

"Not during," I countered. "He just helped me on and off the gondola. What's wrong with that?"

"His arm was around you."

"His arm was behind me," I corrected. "It wasn't exactly roomy in the gondola. Hello, you were there? You and Simon were sitting closer than we were. He just had his arm on the backrest—"

"A-HA! But you noticed. You were self-conscious! You luuuuurve him~"

"SHUT THE F UP MEGH!" I wanted to throttle her, but I settled for shaking her strongly, enough to rattle her brains. Megh, on the other hand, was laughing so hard that I thought her boobs would pop out of her low-cut shirt. Her laughter was infectious though, so we ended up falling along the beach, a mad tangle of giggling arms and legs.

"I kid, I kid," she tittered, "I'll shut up already, let me go, Five." She laughed so much that she was hiccuping when I finally let her go. "Fine, I believe you. You're just friends," Megh fished through her purse for a cigarette, but couldn't find her lighter. When she finally gave up, she beamed me a friendly smile instead. "But Five, you have to be kidding yourself when you say there's nothing going on. I've seen how he looks at you. I don't think it's nothing."

"There's nothing, really," I insisted. Megh was just imagining things, I'm sure. Besides, it's not like I see him that way. "He's like a big brother to me," I said, echoing his sentiment about me reminding him of his younger sisters. "I don't have one; we're all sisters in my family, so I'm just having fun having a big brother around. Besides, he told me I remind him of his little sisters. That's not something you tell a girl you have romantic intentions for." Twitch.

"Are you sure?" This time, Megh was frowning. "I could've sworn... And I'm rarely wrong about these things."

"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about," I reassured her. "Jesse's all yours," I added.

"Are you sure?" she replied doubtfully, forehead burrowed in a frown. "Because I could've sworn—"

"I'm sure-sure. As sure as the earth is round, as sure as the sky is blue, and as sure as I need another bottle of beer," I proclaimed. "In fact," I raised my voice, crazily shouting to the wind. "I, Five Cuevas, think that Megh and Jesse belong together!"

Megh still looked doubtful but my little stunt had her giggling. "Well, if you're sure. I'd hate to see that hotness go to waste," she giggled again. For some reason, her laughter was suddenly grating to my ears.

"Come on, let's head back. Javier might be worrying we've run off with some locals. Or worse, some visiting Portuguese tourists." I gestured, eager to get back to the restaurant and away from Megh's company. I chalked it up to her craziness. Crazy Megh and all her crazier insinuations. Still, I wondered if they heard my little stunt on the beach in the restaurant? I hoped they didn't.

Chapter 7

#MacauWithoutTrainingWheels

THE LAST TWO DAYS HAD BEEN A WHIRLWIND tour of everything to see in Macau. We got to experience almost everything it had to offer. From seeing the old world wonders of the various UNESCO World Heritage sites, to being mesmerized by the mind-blowing musical productions, to losing money in the casinos, we experienced it all.

Sunday morning was no different, as Javier brought us to play with the exhibits at the Macau Science Museum, to eat egg tarts at Lord Stow's, and to enjoy Sunday brunch at the member's only Macau Military Club. But thankful as I was for the ease of guided touring and getting to see Macau with insider connections, I was looking forward to spending Sunday afternoon exploring on my own.

Well, with Jesse, actually.

"So, how do we do this?" Jesse asked as we stood in the middle of Senado Square. Javier offered to drop us off where we wanted, so after a short discussion, we decided that San Malo, the main street running beside Senado Square, was the best place to start. Megh and Simon made for The Venetian; Megh wanted to go shopping, while Simon wanted to take more photos of architectural details. Gail hied off back to the hotel, needing to work on reports for the trip.

"What do you need to do here?" I asked, looking around to get my bearings. "I just want to shop for pasalubong. I'm thinking of hitting the little stalls lining the street to St. Paul's. I hear it's fun since all the vendors are pretty generous with giving out free samples to taste."

"Well, I don't have anything particular in mind," Jesse replied before pulling his camera out. "I'll probably just take pictures while you shop. I wonder if the ruins are any better for photos now."

"Not really, at least not according to my sister. Weekends have the facade crammed with tourists. In fact, we were probably better off yesterday since it was relatively early."

Jesse's face fell. "Sucks. But I should probably still try." True to his word, he started snapping photo after photo of various interesting things as we walked. Once we hit the food street, I pulled out Libby's travel notes. We walked around, sampling the offerings of the different stalls until we located the
pasteleria
she favored.

It turned out that Libby's favorite
pasteleria
was a popular one, as evinced by the crowd in front of the pastry shop. Or maybe it was because the seller was generous with dispensing samples of the different jerkies she was selling.

"What is that?" Jesse asked, eyeing the piled sheets of cured meat.

"That's
bakkwa
, a Chinese jerky of sorts. There's pork, there's beef, there's spicy pork, spicy beef, special pork, special beef—the list is endless." I smiled at the lady and gestured to one of the bright red sheets. I pointed to both Jesse and me. She took the big slab then snipped off squares using her large kitchen shears, then handed them to us. "
M goi
," I replied in thanks, one of the few Cantonese phrases I picked up from Libby.

Jesse sniffed at the
bakkwa
before popping it in his mouth. "This is awesome," he said enthusiastically. "You know what this would be good with? A big bowl of rice. That would hit the spot."

I pointed to a different sheet and the lady cut off pieces for us again. "Oooh, spicy. I think I like this better." We continued the same routine, trying the different variants with Jesse doing a running commentary of everything he's tasting. I sampled the wares silently, until I found the ones I liked best. Through a bit of English, Cantonese, and a whole lot of hand gestures, the lady understood that I wanted to buy two kilos worth of my favorite variants, separated in 500 gram packs.

"Aren't you getting any? You really liked them," I asked Jesse as the lady wrapped my purchases up.

"Hmmm, maybe just a little. 200 grams?" he mused.

"What? That's too little. That won't be enough for you, what more your sisters."

After a moment's though, he called the lady's attention and asked for a kilogram of the spicy pork. "Yeah, you're right. They're going to love this. Thanks for the suggestion."

The lady handed us the packed jerky then pointed us toward the counter in the store. On the way to the counter, I grabbed a basket and picked up some almond cookies and Phoenix egg rolls. "More of my sister's favorites," I told Jesse. "She used to work here in Macau, so she knows all the good stuff."

He fished the packs from my basket and checked them out. "Crisp rolled wafers filled with sweet and spicy pork floss," he read aloud from the Phoenix egg roll box. "Sounds good," he said before picking a few boxes of them and the almond cookies as well. "She worked here, huh? Well, if that's the case, I'll trust you both."

The line to the counter was long, blame it on it being a Sunday, but the wait wasn't that bad since we were chatting endlessly. I showed Jesse Libby's guide, complete with notes on the sites we had already seen as part of our itinerary, and the other things I should do when I can spare the time.

"Hey, look! This is the egg tart store I was telling you about. Lord Stow's competition." His finger was resting on Libby's entry about Margaret's Café e Nata. "Let's hit it after this?"

"Sure, sounds yummy," I replied.

With the help of Libby's guide, we were able to plan out the rest of the afternoon by the time it was our turn to pay.

Trudging off to our next stop laden with bags of pasalubong, Jesse admitted, "You know, I'm not the sort of person who brings home loads of goodies during my travels. This has got to be a first. So be ready if my sisters worship at your feet and demand to meet you."

I laugh at that. "I'll be ready then."

MARGARET'S CAFÉ E NATA WAS A SMALL BAKERY coupled with outdoor seating nestled along one of Macau's side streets. Despite the commonplace feel of the store, it was packed with people. It's either they have really great egg tarts, or really great PR.

We couldn't spot seats after we purchased our egg tarts and coffee, and had agreed to just scarf our food while standing when a nice older lady, I'm guessing European by her accent, cleared her throat. "Hello, you and your boyfriend touring Macau, too?" She gestured towards our large bags of local delicacies, a sure sign of being tourists. "We're almost done eating, why don't you sit with us, then you can have our table when we leave."

I was just about to say that she was mistaken, when Jesse piped in, "Why, thank you, ma'am. We really appreciate it. My girlfriend here was just saying her feet are already hurting from all the walking we've done." Jesse laid his food on the table then proceeded to pull out a seat for me, before taking one for himself.

"I'm Jesse and this is Five," he introduced. "This is our first time in Macau.  Is it yours, too?"

"A pleasure to meet you. Michelle and I, well, it's the first time we've been here in years," the man said. "We visited here years ago, but that was so long ago, it feels like a different place now. It still feels just as magical though." The man reaches for his wife's hand and gently caressed it, as a small but meaningful smile was exchanged between them.

"We're celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this year," confided the woman. "So we decided to visit all the places we've been to since we were married. Macau was the first country we ever visited. Josiah was here for work and I tagged along. It was very different, pre-handover and all, but yes, it's still just as magical."

I smiled at the sweet older couple, wishing I had that with someone when I grew older. The twinkle in their eyes and the silent communication left me envious—someone who understood you. But their next question almost had me snorting coffee out my nose.

"What about you, how long have you been together?" Michelle asked, her friendly tone impossible to ignore. I was just about to correct her that we weren't together when Jesse replied for us both.

"Not too long, but it feels like forever," Jesse looked at me sweetly, before winking so quickly, I'm sure the couple missed it. "Actually, we've been planning this trip since we met." True. "And it’s the first time we've traveled together, too." True. "But it won't be the last." I coughed as a small piece of egg tart wound up going down the wrong pipe. Jesse was by my side in a flash.

"You okay, honey?" he asked, patting my back comfortingly.

I nodded okay, before taking a few sips of my coffee.

"You really should eat slower; I keep telling you that you should stop rushing into things." I could see the laughter hiding behind his eyes, a small private joke between us.

Instead of simply returning to his seat, he scooted his chair closer to mine. The older couple thought nothing of this, but I was acutely aware of his closeness. We continued making small talk with the couple, until they stood to leave us their table. "You kids be sure to enjoy yourselves. And stay together until you're as old as us." Walking away hand in hand, they seemed like a pair of newlyweds on their honeymoon.

"They're so sweet, aren't they?" Jesse observed, oblivious to our closeness. He was more focused on his egg tarts than anything. "And these egg tarts are fantastic! The flakiness is perfect, and that delicate eggy-ness—" He gestured with his hands, unable to capture the exact expression.

Seeing him appreciate his food made me realize that while I was eating, I wasn't tasting anything. Too caught up in the moment, I surmised. I took a bite of egg tart and found myself agreeing with him. "Yeah, it's extremely delicate. And its sweetness is barely there, not quite hitting the spot so you'll want more."

"Exactly!" This time, he popped a whole egg tart in his mouth. He made even sillier gestures, looking absolutely stupid until I couldn't help but laugh. He grinned at my reaction. "We should bring some of these home, don't you think?"

"Definitely," I agreed, digging into the rest of my tarts with gusto, poise be damned.

"Hey Five, you have some egg tart here." Jesse gestured to a spot on his cheek, just a centimeter away from the corner of his mouth.

I dabbed at approximately the same spot on my face with my fingers. "No, the other side," I tried again but as I missed it, he leaned forward and wiped it away with his hands. "There, all gone."

"Thanks." We stared at each other for a millisecond longer than needed, suddenly too aware of how close we were sitting. This time, he seemed to notice it, too, as he leaned back and away before swigging the last of his coffee. "Come on, let's get our takeaway egg tarts then head out to Macau Tower. I'm not letting you back out of jumping." His grin was playful and mischievous, but the hand he extended to help me up was warm and gentle.