Chapter 11

I hadn’t felt so excited for anything in my life. I couldn’t sleep, and I felt a surge of relief flowing through me. No Mom, no Emily, no Marcus. And no Cristo.
I could finally catch a break.
Aubrey had sent me a list of essentials. Apparently, we’d be heading to a resort there with our very own open pool, which didn’t make sense considering how cold it was starting to get. But I went with it and searched for any bikinis I had.
Hmm, I’ll have to buy some, I realized while scanning my wardrobe. I hadn’t visited the beach in ages.
I was surprised she was only taking three other people along. I thought Aubrey was the super-social kind. But then again, I didn’t know much about her personal life outside her love life. My phone rang on top of a pile of clothes, and I noticed it was already 4:30 a.m. Aubrey wanted breakfast at the airport before we boarded the private jet, so we could all get acquainted with each other.
"Do you want me to pick you up?" read her message. "We’re all carpooling."
"No, it’s okay. I’ll see you there!" I sent back with a smiling emoji.
I finished packing the last of my items and reviewed my checklist one more time. Once I was satisfied with everything, I locked the case and swung my bag onto my shoulder, dialing Lyra to get the car.
It was a peaceful ride that seemed too short, but I could feel the stress flow out of me by the minute. Lyra chuckled next to me as she drove. “You’re looking younger by the second.”
“I feel younger, too.” I chuckled back.
“I’m glad you’re going.” She sounded genuinely sincere. “You should do this more often.”
“I’m surprised I didn’t before.” I sighed. “What was I thinking?”
“Not even on the bi-annual leave? Or even the holidays?”
“I’d still be working or doing workshops,” I admitted. “For some reason, I thought I always needed to be busy. Not sure what I was running away from.”
“Well,” she said slowly and turned into a parking spot, “I hope you learn something from this getaway. It’s nice seeing you like this.”
I smiled at her and got out, eager to get out of this country.
It felt so surreal, stepping into the airport while it was still dark outside. I rolled the suitcase behind me and looked around for Aubrey. I could hear her squeal from the other side of the place and walked over quickly with my head down. I didn’t bother taking off my sunglasses. I wasn’t wearing any makeup and had opted for dark fitted jeans and a cashmere sweater. The others were dressed casually, too, which I was glad for.
Aubrey threw her arms around me. She looked so happy, and it made me feel even better to be here.
“So, you already know—”
“Alex!” I laughed. “I should’ve known.”
She playfully rolled her eyes. “Kind of surprised you’re surprised at all.” I engulfed her in a hug but stepped back suspiciously as I sniffed her hair.
“Alex,” I began warningly, “you’re aware we’re heading to South Korea.”
“Yeah, what about it?” She chuckled.
“They have strict laws about marijuana.”
“I don’t think they’ll sniff out pre-made edibles.” She winked. I only shook my head.
“Also, I hope you remember Jenna Dupont?” Aubrey turned to a remarkably familiar pale, black-haired girl.
“Oh, I saw you at the Alexakis and Caron manor.”
She blushed a little. “Ah, yes.” Her accent was visibly French. “I was just there to…um, see a friend.”
Oh, I reminded myself, I’m not supposed to know she’s Cristo’s cousin.
“I remember you from a restaurant, though,” she said with a giggle. “A friend of mine paid the waiter to drop wine on your guest.”
“Cristo really did that?” I stood there in shock. Alex and Aubrey exchanged confused looks while Jenna nodded in amusement.
“He was so concerned. I’m guessing you’re a good friend of his.”
“We’re…acquaintances.” I shrugged. Jenna didn’t seem too satisfied by that answer, but she shook her head.
“Never mind, shall we all eat?”
The next fifteen hours on the jet were spent sleeping or reading, with the occasional bathroom break. Eating, too. For some reason, I was consuming a lot of their cream-filled éclairs. I only hoped I wasn’t going to get my period two weeks earlier than I should because that would really suck. The others were starting to get bored out of their minds, too.
It was a blur when the jet landed, and we piled ourselves into a limo to be taken to the resort. Although the flight was as luxurious as it could be, I needed to stretch out my body. My muscles felt cramped and I needed a warm soak.
I was most grateful to find out that we all had separate suites in the same hallway. Without hesitating, I locked the door to the bathroom and kicked my clothes off. I was surprised to find it already filled with warm water. It smelled wonderful, peppered with flower petals and beads. Already feeling relieved, I lowered myself into the bathtub and sighed loudly.
It felt like all the stresses and strains of my life were being pulled out through my pores. I wasn’t even afraid of falling asleep in it, and despite having slept on the plane, I could use a nice nap where I wasn’t constrained to a semi-firm seat that hurt my back.
Just washing myself felt like such a chore, and I didn’t feel like leaving the tub anytime soon. I knew I needed to head to bed and wake up in a few hours to wash my hair and get ready for the show. After ten minutes, I drained the tub and let the shower wash away any residue of essential oils and soap. Wrapping myself in a warm and fluffy bathrobe, I walked out and fell face-first onto the bed. Before I could even talk myself into getting up to unpack a pair of pajamas, I was out cold.
I woke up to my phone ringing in my bag beside me. Sitting up groggily, I reached over to search for it.
“Hello?”
“Are you up? We’re going to leave in an hour and a half for the show?”
“I’m up now,” I said with a good stretch. “And hungry, too. Are we going to eat?”
“We’re heading to the dining room in ten minutes.”
“All right, I’ll see you there.”
Working through the lead-like feeling in my body, I pushed myself out of bed and got dressed. Heading down to the dining hall, I saw mostly Koreans who likely lived abroad as compared to foreign visitors. It felt nice. We got comfortable and ordered a mix of their traditional dishes with more familiar cuisine.
I realized how different it was being here with Aubrey, Jenna, and Alex. I hadn’t had a girls’ day out in forever. Or at all, really. I always just tended to avoid everyone because of the preconceived notions of being hurt, but right now, I felt so much more comfortable than I ever had before. Dare I say it, even better than being around Marcus.
Why hadn’t I done this sooner?
I didn’t even notice the time flying by as we laughed and talked about anything and everything but men. Aubrey had started talking to people she’d worked with in the past. She was trying hard to get back into the fashion scene. Jenna was a phenomenal poet and writer who had made her debut a few months earlier. Alex was called up by a food show producer for weed-infused recipes, which sounded like a lot of fun.
“What about you?” Jenna asked me. “Anything exciting?”
“Honestly,” I chuckled, “this trip is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in my whole life. I just finally decided I was tired of working as a distraction and worrying about money when I didn’t need to anymore.”
“I mean, you’re the best matchmaker in New York,” Aubrey affirmed. “It’s a surprise you don’t take more time off for yourself.”
“You’re also very strategic, I’ve heard,” Jenna said. “I heard you hold a good portion of shares in some companies.”
“I plan ahead.” I shrugged nonchalantly and sipped my green tea to avoid any more questions. “By the way, how much time do we have before leaving?”
Alex checked her watch. “We should really get going right now if we’re gonna make it on time, to be honest.”