She knew exactly what she was supposed to do. She would go home and become a lawyer. She still wanted to. Through all of this, it was the one thing she kept close to her heart.
The question was what she was going to do with herself until then. She knew she was doing the right thing, for herself and hopefully, for him too.
He was sitting in that way of his, with his long legs splayed out and threatening to dip over the edge of the cliff. His deep brown eyes were set on something in the horizon, his caterpillar eyebrows furrowed like he was pissed at the entire island. There was a slump to his shoulders, and he looked . . . tired. Tired and defeated with nowhere else to go. She could imagine him sick and alone, bottling up all his emotions because he thought he didn’t deserve to have someone to share the pain with. She wondered why this didn’t surprise her.
“I’ve been around a cancer patient before, you know,” Ava reminded him, apropos to nothing. She pulled her legs up, resting her chin on her knees and staring out into the sea. It reminded her a lot of summers she spent with her family on the beach. Bali had nothing on the beaches in her memory. “And yeah, I get it, it’s hard on the people around you.”
“That’s a bloody understatement,” Scott chuckled, leaning back and resting his elbows on the ground, closing his eyes as his face soaked up the sunshine. She could see freckles across his cheeks from this angle, his long lashes sweeping. He wiped his hands over the light stubble on his face. He looked frustrated and annoyed. Ava wondered what he was thinking.
“But it’s even worse if you have to deal with it on your own,” she told him. “What’s the point of fighting if you don’t have anyone to do it for?”
Scott looked up at her, trying to study her from his vantage point. The sun was getting in his eyes and it shone around Ava like a halo. Or quite possibly, a lifeline.
“What are you trying to say?” he asked, his voice tense but hopeful.
She sighed deeply and looked down at him, a small smile playing on her lips. “That Gabbie was right. You are an idiot. But apparently, so am I. We’re running away from things that we know we need.”
Ava reached forward and pulled the phone that she knew was in Scott’s pocket. Unsurprisingly, it began to ring in her hand. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his mouth, filling him with warmth as his lips parted in surprise. The kiss seared through them both, passion burning deep within them, but there was something else too. Something new and hesitant, but something that could still grow strong as time passed. Ava’s hand shook as she brushed it against his cheek, pulling him closer to her despite the beard burn. She wanted him to know that she was here for him, that she wasn’t running anymore.
“I’m not going to die,” he whispered to her, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’ve got things to do.”
“Of course you’re not,” Ava reassured him, smiling. “I’ve got things to be done to me.”
Then she slid the answer button on the phone and handed it to Scott before she could run out of breath. Scott leapt up with his phone, pacing near the temple like it would give him strength. Before he said anything though, he gave Ava a cheeky little grin.
“By the way,” he said, placing his hand over the bottom of the phone. “About my job. I’m a restauranteur. People in Manila like restaurants, don’t they?”
Then he turned to the phone before Ava could say anything more.
“Hello,” he said like he hadn’t been dodging this call for the better part of three days. “Yes, this is Scott McLeod.”
Ava sat up and watched him, biting her lip nervously. Of course she was terrified. She had attached herself to a man who could vanish at the end of three months, six months, a year. They didn’t even come from the same continent, they had barely known each other for a week.
But Scott mattered to her, and she was going to hold on to that for as long as she could, no matter what happened in the end.
From his side of Tanah Lot, Scott took in a deep breath as the oncologist prepared to give him the answer he was dreading to hear. His hand was gripped tightly to Ava’s to remind him what he was going to fight for. And he was determined to fight, whatever the result.
When he found out, he felt tears spring into his eyes.
“Holy shitting arse,” he cursed, half-gasping, half laughing, half-sobbing. “Fuck, that’s—yeap . . . yeah . . . ehm . . . thank you. Thank you.”
He hung up and looked at Ava with eyes that were wide with fear. His face was pale and his hands shook, but Scott managed to put his phone down, slipping it back in his pockets. His eyes were still watery, but not a single tear came out. Ava felt something cold grip her heart.
This is it, she told herself. The jury’s out.
“Say something,” she demanded, unable to stand the tension.
“So,” he said shakily, kissing the tops of her knuckles. “Do you think I could open a restaurant in Manila?”
It took Ava forever to understand what that meant, but when she did, her heart kicked itself into overdrive. She began to laugh as his grin went wide with all his boyish charm, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up and spinning her around. They kissed while the waves crashed underneath them, and the bright, Bali sunshine finally showed up.
“Oh my fucking God,” Scott said, laughing as Ava pressed her face into his chest. She pulled him in tight against her. Something about Scott felt more real now, and God help her, she wasn’t going to let go anytime soon. “I’m okay. I mean, not completely, but for now . . . I . . . I’m okay and I’m incredibly happy. This is barmy! I mean, I’m doing this, I’m actually going to be with you. And I’m not sick! We have to talk about how we’re going to do this—I live in Hong Kong for fuck’s sake, and I haven’t really done this in a long time, Ava.”
“We can make plans later,” she said, still smiling. “I’m so happy for you, Scott. I don’t think I’ve ever been this emotional about anything since—”
“Since you booked a ticket to Bali?” Scott teased, pulling her chin up to look into her light brown eyes. He loved the way the light always seemed to catch them, making her look curious and lovely. He was never going to get tired of the way she laughed, the way she looked at him. She was a girl worth living for.
“Hello!” a voice suddenly interrupted, making them turn their heads toward the sound. Standing by one of the outcroppings of the cliff was Wayan, his dark curls blowing madly in the wind. Both his hands were raised high into the sky, waving at them. “Please come here, I will show you something!”
Ava leaned against Scott, her brows furrowed. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” she said, but they followed him anyway, their hands clasped together as they trudged through what felt like the other side of the island. They went down a few steps, keeping a steady grip on a flimsy rope as Wayan expertly weaved through the area.
“Oi, Wayan, are you kidnapping us?” Scott joked, and Wayan only replied by shooting them a wide grin. That did not bode well for either Ava or Scott.
But as they kept walking, Ava felt her legs start shaking like they did whenever she neared the edge of something tall. Oh my God, please don’t let it be what I think it is, she begged silently, involuntarily squeezing Scott’s arm.
Lo and behold, Wayan walked into a clearing and turned to them. He smiled proudly at the couple when they stopped, brandishing his hand out into a cliff that led to the sea. It was a drop of about ten meters, and right into the ocean. The waters were calmer there, there was a ladder and a beach on the side, but that didn’t make his suggestion any less terrifying.
“The best way to see Bali is by falling down,” he joked, smiling happily at the couple. “I bring all my friends here to make a memory of their time here.”
“Trust me, Wayan, we don’t need to jump off a cliff to remember Bali, thank you,” Ava protested, slowly backing away from the offending cliff edge. Wayan politely chose not to hear that, and gestured toward the cliff again.
“Okay, now you jump,” he
declared, grinning happily at the couple. “Give me your camera so I can take a video, Ms. Ava.”
Ava’s jaw dropped as Scott started to strip off his shirt (Ava realized that she’d never seen his bare torso in the sunlight, and oh God, he looked perfect) and his shoes without a second thought. She continued staring as he walked to the edge of the cliff, and snuck a peek downward. He put his hands on his waist and turned his body toward her. He was smiling so widely. In spite of Bali and all its wonder, he managed to see her and see past her plans, her personality. Ava knew there was a metaphor there somewhere, but now wasn’t the time to start looking for it. Scott held out a hand to her.
“Ready?” he asked, and she ignored her hammering heart, her shaking knees, her cold hands and her head telling her that this was crazy and unsafe. Ava obliged Wayan by handing over her camera. She kicked off her shoes, laughed and grabbed Scott’s hand. They gave each other a look before taking the leap off the cliff and into the foamy blue sea below.
The End
An excerpt
FROM CARLA’S TRAVEL DIARY
This was an entry in my travel diary from our first day in Bali. These are my first impressions of the island. To this day the notebook still smells like kalachuchi from the hotel.
December 1, 2014
8:58 P.M.
A lot of people have been kind of discouraging about Bali—we were told to avoid Kuta like the plague, hire a car and driver and not to expect a lot of things, especially the beach.
Some parts of it are true. But what Bali lacks in beach they more than make up for in culture. Almost every structure we see has a touch of decadent Balinese whorls and florals. Approaching the island from the plane you think you’re landing in a sea of red tiled roofs. The airport alone looked like a theme park with all its decor.
It’s not hard to imagine why so many people have called for Bali.
It started to get dark so we stopped by a nearby eatery for dinner. We ordered an assortment of grilled seafood (with a delicious sauce we could not stop raving about!) nasi goreng, and satay sticks in thick peanut sauce.
Mom and Dad are most looking forward to shopping for furniture which, sigh. But the idea that we’re bringing home a piece of Bali is nice.
We keep seeing small altars everywhere. They don’t have any idols in them or anything though? I’m not sure what religion the Indonesians practice. But there are also these small baskets made of green banana leaves filled with flowers. They’re so small we have to be careful not to step on them!
Acknowledgments
LONG AGO, WHEN I decided to try to write my own stories, we went on a trip to Bali. I fell in love with the temples, the rain and the canang sari that seemed to follow me everywhere. I wanted to capture the beauty of the city in a unique way, and Midnights in Bali was born.
But other things got in the way (like other books, new friends, new cities) and Bali was put aside. Until I got a chance to join #SparkNA last year, a workshop conducted by idol Mina V. Esguerra, with people who I would soon be honored to call my friends. The theme was about being brave, and I thought that Scott and Ava would get their chance to see the light of day here.
We were all different writers then (I certainly was), but the energy, the excitement, and the kiligation were still the same!
Scott and Ava wouldn’t have their story without the love and support of the girls from #romanceclass, Mom, Dad, and Gabbie, my travel buddies. I couldn’t have known about little Bali tidbits if it wasn’t for Ekha, our extremely helpful tour guide. Maci and Ingrid beta-read this story and said “Yaas!” to the steamy bits, even when I was super nervous about it!
To the people at Spark Books, who took a chance on newbie authors, thank you! This has been a dream come true.
You hold in your hands a little piece of a girl’s wildest dream. Thank you so much for reading Midnights in Bali!
Guide Questions
FOR BOOK CLUB DISCUSSIONS
1. Most of Ava’s struggle in the story was because of the burden of a plan she felt that she had to follow. What would you do if you faced a similar failure in your life? What makes you feel better in times of failure?
2. Have you ever felt the need to escape from your own life? If you could fly to any destination to explore and lose yourself in it, which place would it be? What would you want to see there?
3. Why is it important to be brave, and step out of your comfort zone?
4. Do you believe in falling in love as fast and as hard as Ava and Scott did?
5. Do you think he and Ava would be able to stay together after all? Describe a scenario that may happen after their trip to Bali.
Bonus Question:
On a scale of one to verra verra much, how affected are you by the Scottish vacuum of charm?
About the Author
If you ask CARLA DE GUZMAN what she does for a living, she will tell you that she’s not quite sure. By day, she works at a consultancy firm and writes for a lifestyle website. By night, she’s an author and an artist, spending her midnights at her desk and making these silly love stories. She loves to travel, coming home to her dog Kimchi, and spending her weekends having dinner with her crazy family. She’s currently on a quest to see as many Impressionist paintings as she can, and is always in search of the perfect pain au chocolat. Visit her at @somemidnights, to follow her adventures.
Her other books—Cities; Marry Me, Charlotte B!, and We Go Together—are available online and on romanceclassbooks.com!
OTHER BOOKS BY CARLA DE GUZMAN
Cities
Marry Me, Charlotte B!
We Go Together
If the Dress Fits
Midnights in Bali Page 9
