by Ana Vela
Finally, at 3 am, Alex had to do her own packing, as she had to leave for her 6am flight. Kelsey went with Alex down to the driveway of her apartment.
“See you in Bangkok!” Alex waved goodbye as her taxi sped away.
Kelsey went back upstairs to her place and as soon as she closed the door behind her, she said out loud.
“Oh my Lord! I’m going to Asia!!”
*****
The next two days were a blur. She didn’t really want to sell her apartment, but she decided she would rent it out for 6 months. It was a good thing Kelsey lived in a sough-after neighborhood in New York and she had barely walked out of the realtor’s office when her apartment was snapped up. Next, she got her backpack and started packing her things, remembering Alex’s tips.
Finally, on a sunny Thursday morning, Kelsey locked up her apartment, said goodbye to her doorman, and stepped out of the comfort of her apartment building and into her new adventure.
*****
Kelsey was one of those New Yorkers who never left New York. “I can get everything here, why go anywhere else?” The truth was, she was afraid of flying. She had taken a plane to DC once and then she was such a nervous wreck she took the train home. And now, sitting in at the boarding are, she couldn’t stop her brain from thinking about how she was going to be stuck inside this hollow metal tube with wings.
Beads of sweat started forming on her forehead. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Her brain kept repeating it like a mantra. They started calling people to board. She sat, stuck to her seat. She took a deep breath. She imagined going back to her apartment, having to face her-wait, Carl’s friends, because really, ever since they were together they only hung out with his friends. Her grip tightened on her bag. She stood up, lined up, and gave her boarding pass to the lady at the gate.
She stepped into the plane, and walked down the aisle. She was looking up, searching for her seat number, not noticing that her traveling bag, a large shoulder purse, had slipped down her shoulder.
“Ow—Bloody hell, woman, watch where you put that thing!” said an annoyed voice.
“What? Oh!” Kelsey gasped. She turned back and saw the man she hit with her bag. Annoyed, blue eyes stared up at her. “Shit! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean-”
He snorted, rubbing his head. “Don’t you ever look where you’re going?”
“Hey, I said I’m sorry-“
The woman behind her cleared her throat and Kelsey stepped into her seat, which was right across the aisle from the man. Well this is going to be awkward. She thought, settling into her seat. Kelsey put her seatbelt on, and stared at the front of her seat, doing her best not to look beside her. She couldn’t help it, however, and she snuck a glance over at him. Hmmm…dark black hair, blue eyes, maybe early 30s….not bad looking she thought. Her eyes must have glazed over for a second because suddenly, she realized that he was looking back at her.
“Can I help you?” he asked wryly.
Kelsey couldn’t remember what she did later on, but she thought she let out an “eep!” and hid behind a magazine. For all her life, Kelsey had been awkward with men. Except for Carl, who relentlessly pursued her (at the behest of his grandmother, who wanted to keep her investing skills in the family). She could figure out numbers, but men always escaped her usually razor-sharp mind.
The flight went on without much incident. She didn’t sleep, but then again no one slept on these long flights. Finally, 15 hours later, the stewardesses were announcing their arrival in Hanoi, at 6 am local time.
*****
After she checked out of customs and strapped her backpack, Kelsey stood in line for a taxi to her hotel. She gave the taxi driver her itinerary and he proceeded to go down the highway as fast as he possibly could, zipping past motorcycles and trucks loaded with goods and into the main French District of the city of Hanoi. She went to the front desk, grabbed her key and she flopped into her bed and forgot the rest of the world.
Kelsey sat up in the dark room from her bed, confused for about 10 seconds when she realized where she was. She pondered on her weird, yet delicious dream of the dark-haired, blue-eyed stranger, trying to recall more details aside from being in a tent in the middle of the desert and him wearing nothing but a smile. As she rubbed her eyes, her thoughts were interrupted by her hungry growling stomach, and she stumbled out of bed and out of the hotel room.
And so Kelsey walked out of the hotel, her senses immediately assaulted with all sorts of sights, sounds, and smells. Her first night in Asia, she sat by the roadside, drinking the local beer (or “bia”) and slurping the fragrant and delicious pho soup from the small stands manned by little old Vietnamese ladies. The next day, she walked around the old quarter, marveling at the French architecture, sipping the sickly-sweet Vietnamese coffee and once in a while, a young person (or a group of them) would come up to her and try to practice English, or would ask to take a picture with her.
She stayed in Hanoi a few more days, then decided she would take the train down to Mui Ne, where she saw the beautiful sand dunes. Then she was off to the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh (formerly Hanoi) where after a week of two, she got the hang of crossing the street without being run over the seemingly endless parade of motorcycles.
When she got tired of Vietnam after about two months, she hopped on a bus and went over to Cambodia, to Siem Reap where the legendary Angkor Wat temples were located. She sat in front of the temple at sunrise, contemplating on the beauty of the sun as it rose behind the main temple’s three turrets.
She explored the far-off Beng Melea temple, with the roots of the overgrown trees that seemed to swallow up the ruined structures. It wasn’t until she had been in Cambodia for three weeks when she realized her time was up and she was scheduled to meet Alex in Bangkok soon.
*****
After a long journey (car to the border, walk, then van to Bangkok, total of 7 hours travel time), Kelsey arrived at the fame Khao San Backpackers area. It was probably just in time too, as Kelsey realized that she had spent about half of her budget living it up in Vietnam and now, unfortunately, she could only afford hostels for the rest of her trip in Asia. Alex had assured her that the Golden Flower was a “fabulous” hostel and she had stayed there “lots” of times, but at the age of 29, Kelsey wasn’t sure that hostelling and common beds were for her.
As soon as she walked into the Golden Flower, she heard her name.
“Kelsey! You’re here!” Alex practically jumped at her. “How are you? Tell me about your trip! But, wait, you gotta meet everyone!”
Alex dragged her to the table in the common room, where a bunch of people were sitting down, having a few beers.
“Everyone, this is Kelsey, my best friend! The one I was telling you about! Kelsey, this is Colin, he’s from Ireland, and Erika, from Sweden…” Alex continued to rattle on everyone’s names, which were just a blur to Kelsey. She waved at them and shook everyone’s hand.
“You must be tired!” exclaimed Alex. “Let’s get you to your bed! You can catch some sleep and then we’re off to dinner and clubbing!”
Alex helped her with her things, and they went up a flight of steps to their room. It was a mixed dorm room and there were a couple of people inside already. Alex pointed to one of the top bunks.
“I’ve reserved that one for you, and that one’s mine,” she said, pointing to the other top bunk just across. “Top bunks are a pain to go up and down, but it they do have more privacy.”
Kelsey way slightly apprehensive, but she supposed that it wasn’t too bad, considering how cheap it was and by her calculations, her remaining budget for this part of the trip would last her until she got to her next destination. She put her backpack in the locker provided for her, climbed up the ladder to her bunk, laid down and quickly fell into a deep slumber.
*****
The noise of people going in and out of the dorm woke up Kelsey. For a moment, she was disoriented and forgot where she was, but she slowly started to remember. She stretched out, sat
up and swung her legs down over the bunk.
“Yeow!!” she heard a male voice yelp as her feet collided with something solid.
Kelsey quickly slid down to the floor.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry-“
“Do you make hitting other people a habit?” A pair of familiar blue eyes stared back up at her. It was the same guy she hit with her bag in the plane in New York.
“OH- it’s you!” she exclaimed. “Oh no! I’m so sorry, here—uh” she tried to grab his head to massage it, but he swatted her hands away. “Look, I’m so sorry, I’m just new to this.”
“Oh really? I couldn’t tell,” he said sarcastically as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Listen here, you-” Kelsey was about to give him a piece of her mind when she heard Alex call her.
“Kelsey! You’re up! Good, it’s time to go!” her best friend bounded over to them.
“Oh, you’ve met Ben!”
“In a manner of speaking,” Kelsey bit her lip.
“Yes, Alex, I’m familiar with your friend,” the man said wryly. “We’ve bumped into each other before, but have never been introduced.”
The man stood up, and Kelsey realized he was at least 6’2” and had a lean physique. He was wearing a fitting white shirt and shorts. She couldn’t help but admire his broad shoulders and chest, tapering down to a slim waist.
“Oh, then, Kelsey Truman, this is Ben Knight, a fellow traveler from London,” Alex motioned to the young man. “Ben, this is Kelsey, the friend I’ve been telling you about!”
“Pleased to meet you, Ben,” Kelsey held her hand out, which Ben shook with a strong grip, but said nothing.
Kelsey shrugged. I guess he’s the strong silent type, she thought.
“Well then,” said Alex, sensing some weird vibes between the two, “everyone is waiting for us! Get dressed so we can get dinner and then we’re hitting up the hottest club in Bangkok!”
*****
Kelsey quickly got dressed in her nicest outfit – a strapless yellow and black dress, gold chunky necklace and strappy sandals. She followed Alex out to the common room where everyone was waiting. Dinner was uneventful, just at one of the many Thai restaurants along Khao San Road. The were a big, international group, about 12 people from the hostel and everyone, aside from Kelsey, Alex, and Ben, all looked so young, maybe early 20s. Kelsey ignored Ben, just as he ignored her. Afterwards, they got some drinks at a couple of bars, then grabbed some taxis to Club Aviva at the Royal Sheraton Orchid Hotel by the Chao Praya River.
As they walked to the club, Alex and Kelsey fell behind the group.
“So….you know Ben?!? Spill the beans!”
“What? Oh!” Kelsey said. “It’s nothing, he was on the flight to Hanoi, and I smacked him good with my bag!” Kelsey giggled. “I guess you could say I made an impression and now he probably thinks I’m some klutzy lunatic who hits strange men on purpose.”
“But, he’s hot, isn’t he?” Alex asked.
Kelsey thought for a moment. “Well…I guess, but I mean…it’s not like he’d go for someone like me!”
Alex stopped walking and stepped in from of her friend. “Kelsey! Don’t say that!”
Kelsey had self-esteem issues even before she met Carl, and Alex knew the break-up probably didn’t help.
“Besides, you look hot in that dress! I’m sure he noticed! I swear I caught him staring at your boobs!”
“No, seriously, Alex,” she said. “I’m too chubby, too short, too independent, too smart for my own good. I’m not being humble, just honest. Ben, Carl…guys like that don’t fall for me.”
“Honey, you look great! Seriously, I didn’t have a chance to tell you, but it looks like travelling agrees with you!”
Kelsey gave her a skeptical look and Alex sighed.
“Well, my dear,” she put her arm around Kelsey and they continued to walk towards the club. “That’s the purpose of this trip…if jerks like them don’t ‘go’ for girls like you, then it’s there loss. You will find that there are literally millions of guys out there and you will find one that will worship the ground you walk on, or at least, want to screw your brains out!”
*****
Club Aviva was just like any club in any major metropolitan city – dark, loud, smokey, and crowded. The younger “kids” definitely enjoyed it, but Kelsey and Alex mostly stayed near the bar, sipping their drinks. Ben has disappeared for a while, but soon, he came next to them, holding his own drink.
“Not your cup of tea, ladies?” he seemed to have loosened up, for which Kelsey was glad because she couldn’t stand the way he was so cold to her.
“Well, you’ve been to one club, you’ve been to all!” screamed Alex, trying to get over the din of the club.
“Besides, this is really not my scene,” admitted Kelsey. “I feel too old for this shit!” she laughed. “I’m gonna pay for this in the morning!”
Ben smiled, the first time she saw him do anything but scowl at her. There was some silence, then finally he asked. “So, Kelsey, what brings you to Bangkok? Adventure? Excitement?”
“A broken heart!” Alex volunteered before she could answer.
Kelsey blushed, “It’s NOT that bad!” she said. She was definitely getting tipsy after all that drinking. “And-whoops!” She was gesticulating wildly with her hand, when she slammed it into one of the drinks sitting on the bar. “Whoa!” she turned around, and saw that she knocked a tall glass over…right into some guy’s chest.
“Oh crap! I’m so sorry!” she imagined Ben behind her, snickering at her clumsiness and she felt even more embarrassed. She grabbed a couple of napkins and started to dab the man’s wet, and surprisingly, muscled chest.
Strong, yet soft hands grabbed hers. “Don’t worry miss,” said a gentle voice, as he put his lips near her ear. “It will come off”
The voice was soft and slightly accented. She stepped back a bit and looked at the man she spilled the drink on. He had black hair and brown eyes, but his face was definitely not full Thai, probably mixed-European. Pink lips upturned in a smile, a straight nose, high cheekbones. Not tall, but about Kelsey’s height, maybe an inch taller. His built was slight, almost slim, but she knew that he worked out and had some lean muscle underneath. He was wearing a (now-wet) shirt and black pants, and what looked like very expensive leather shoes. Kelsey didn’t know how long she was staring at the beautiful man, but Alex nudged her from behind.
“Her name is Kelsey!” Alex cheerfully volunteered.
Kelsey was shook out of her trance. He smiled, “Nice to meet you, Kelsey. I’m Marcel. Marcel Pradchaphet.” Kelsey held out her hand, which he promptly kissed. Kelsey blushed some more.
“I’m really sorry about your shirt! You should let me pay you or make it up to you!”
He smiled. “Well, you can make it up to me if you and your friends would join me at my table?”
*****
Alex, Kelsey, and Ben followed Marcel to the VIP section of the club, up a flight of stairs and then into one of the private rooms. The whole wall was made of glass, so the occupants had a magnificent view of the club, but the glass somewhat muffled the loud music. Inside was opulent, rich velvet couches, mirrored ceilings, a private dance floor, and drinks flowed freely. There were already a number of people inside, but one couch was reserved just for Marcel. They plopped down next to him, with Kelsey on this right and Alex and Ben on his left.
“Wow!” Kelsey exclaimed. “I’ve never been to a VIP room like this!”
Marcel smiled, handing her a glass of premium vodka on the rocks.
“I’m friends with the owner and he’s trying to get me to invest into his other ventures.”
“What exactly do you do?” asked Ben skeptically.
Kelsey rolled her eyes, but Marcel answered directly. “I’m a businessman, my family owns many businesses here in Thailand and Cambodia,” he explained. “And also a few more businesses back in Switzerland, where my mother is from.”
Ben
didn’t answer, and Kelsey huffed in approval. Glad someone could shut him down, she thought. She was liking this Marcel guy.
They stayed for another hour or so, talking and laughing with Marcel. He stood up at times, mingling with his other guests, although he always came back and always sat down next to Kelsey.
“I think he likes you!” Alex exclaimed the next time he left. “He’s dreamy too! So exotic! And nice to boot!”
Ben rolled his eyes. “Well, if you like pompous show-offs, I suppose he’s ok!”
Kelsey ignored Ben’s remark, but turned to Alex, “He does not show off!” she giggled. Kelsey was definitely drunk. “But yeah…so hot!”
Ben seemed annoyed. “I’m going to go find the others!” he stood up. “Meet you guys in 10, outside? We should get back to the hostel.” He didn’t wait for an answer and instead left.
Kelsey felt a little bad, and she didn’t know why. “Yeah, I guess we should go.”
“NO WAY!” Alex said. “At least, not you! You are gonna stay here and you are going to seduce him!”
“What?” Kelsey exclaimed. “I couldn’t possibly-“
“Hello? Kelsey, you are truly blind! The guy is just waiting to have you all to himself and to get into your pants!” Alex finished her drink and stood up. “Stay here, and whatever you do, don’t come back to the hostel until you’ve been properly fucked!”
Kelsey stared after her friend as she retreated out of the room. She supposed she could just leave and follow Alex. But, Marcel had already spotted her sitting alone and with Alex lost in the crowd downstairs, she’d never find her and Kelsey had no idea where their hostel was or even how to tell a taxi driver where she was.
