by Paula Kay
“Yes, that’s right. Do you know him? How funny.”
“I wouldn’t say that I know him well, but I remember meeting him at an expat meet-up in town.” She grinned at Isabella. “He’s cute, right?”
Isabella felt her face instantly go warm. “Oh, I don’t know. Is he? I hadn’t really noticed.”
“Oh, okay.” Nina laughed. “I’m sure everything is going to be perfectly platonic between you, so you don’t have to act like he’s not attractive.”
Isabella laughed too. “Of course. Well, it’s cool that you know who he is, anyway.”
“He did seem like a really great guy, and how wonderful that he’s a writer, Bella. I’m sure he can give you some great ideas about places to work around town if you want to get out of your apartment to write at all. Chiang Mai is great for having a lot of really good cafes with wi-fi. I think you’re going to like that aspect.”
“I think so too. Well, let’s not keep that date of yours waiting.” Isabella winked at her friend. “Now that I’m actually here, do you have any final tips or recommendations for me? Things I should do right away?”
“Yes! I do, in fact. Tomorrow, or as soon as you’re able, go book a massage with a sweet woman called Fai. You’ll find the place on soi 12, which I think is just a few blocks from where you’re staying.”
“What’s soi?” Isabella laughed. “I have a lot to learn.”
“Oh, sorry. Soi is just the Thai word for street, basically. The area where you are staying has street signs, so it’s pretty easy to get around. So, yeah. Go book a ninety-minute massage with Fai and tell her hello from me. She’s really wonderful and I have the feeling you could use a massage, Bella.”
Isabella laughed. “Oh you think so? Great. I will do that for sure. If you think of anything else, e-mail me, okay?”
“Will do—and Bella?”
“Yeah?”
“Do take the time to really soak everything in there, okay? I have the feeling that it’s going to be really good for you—something that you need right now in your life.”
Isabella smiled. “I will. And thank you. Now you go enjoy your Spanish man.”
Isabella laughed as she closed the chat and then picked up her phone to check the response from Dylan.
Chapter 12
Isabella had responded to Dylan’s e-mail the night before with her address and a meeting time of ten o’clock in her lobby. It wasn’t typical of her to give strangers the address of where she was staying, but after finding out that Nina knew of him, it didn’t strike her as odd and it seemed the most reasonable thing to do.
She’d gotten a good night’s sleep and was feeling surprisingly well, despite the time change for her. After getting ready, she still had an hour until Dylan’s arrival. She opened up her e-mail to check if there was anything from Thomas. They’d exchanged a few quick text messages after she’d arrived the day before, but it had been the middle of the night his time and he’d had classes the next morning, so she was dying to have a real chat with him.
She opened up her video chat when she realized it wasn’t too late to try him. After a few rings, the application stopped connecting abruptly. He’d declined the incoming call. Isabella felt her body tense as she stared at her phone, waiting to get a message from him. Within seconds she received the incoming text.
Sorry, Iz. At a party and it’s too loud to talk. Can we try tomorrow?
Why did she feel like she’d just been punched in the gut? He was at a party? College students went to parties. She couldn’t expect him to just be sitting home waiting for her to call. She punched in a quick text back.
Sure. I can’t wait to talk to you. I miss you, T. xo
I miss you more. Love u. xo
She smiled as she fired off one last text. He loved her. That’s what mattered.
Love u too.
She responded to a few other e-mails and before she knew it, it was time to head downstairs to the lobby to meet Dylan.
Isabella saw Dylan enter the lobby just as she was exiting the elevator. She couldn’t help being reminded of Nina’s proclamation when she’d told her friend that she’d met Dylan. He was good-looking. She watched him for a few seconds before he noticed her walking toward where he stood looking out the window. He was tall and had dark curly hair—not tight curls, but the kind that looked like he’d just rolled out of bed and run his fingers through his hair.
He turned around as she came closer and she noticed first his eyes, then his wide smile. They were a brilliant shade of blue—almost as if he had to be wearing colored contact lenses, but Isabella would bet money on the fact that he wasn’t. And now she really couldn’t get Nina’s statement out of her mind. But it was okay that she was spending the day with him, wasn’t it? He was a new much-needed friend and Thomas wasn’t the type to be jealous—not that there would be anything to be jealous of. Isabella shook her head as if doing so would stop the ridiculous thoughts she was now having.
“Bella, hi. It’s so good to see you again.” Dylan took a step toward her and kissed her on the cheek.
She smiled back at him. “It’s good to see you too. Thanks so much for meeting me here. I hope it wasn’t too out of the way for you.”
“No. I actually live in the same neighborhood, only a few streets over from you. You did a great job choosing your location, by the way. This is one of the nicer apartment buildings for sure.”
Isabella felt herself tense up a little bit. She still wasn’t completely used to her new financial status and it was moments like this that she was reminded that she was able to afford a much different lifestyle than many others her age. And she guessed that Dylan wasn’t much older than she was.
“Oh, yeah. A friend recommended it to me. Actually, she says that she met you when she was here—at a meet-up of some kind. Nina? She would have been here about three months ago, I think.”
“Oh yes. Is she a photographer?”
“Yep, that’s right.”
Dylan laughed. “Well, I hope that she didn’t have any stories to tell about me. Some of those parties can get a bit wild.”
“Is that right? I guess she left that for you to tell me about.”
“Oh, you think so, huh?” Dylan winked. “Not really. I’m pretty tame when it comes to partying, actually.”
Isabella felt her face grow warm as it suddenly struck her that their conversation so far was feeling slightly flirtatious. She turned toward him. “Shall we go? I’ve been looking forward to your tour.”
“Sure.”
They stepped outside into the apartment parking lot and Dylan made his way to one of the motorbikes parked off to the side. Isabella followed behind, feeling slightly nervous as she realized where they were headed.
“I thought we could go on my motorbike… I have an extra helmet for you and it’s just an easy way to get around.”
Isabella wasn’t exactly opposed to riding on the back of a motorbike in general, but somehow the idea of sitting so close to Dylan—to a perfect stranger, really—with her arms around his waist, seemed more intimate than what she was feeling comfortable with.
Dylan was waiting for her to speak and she was sure that he could tell by the reaction on her face that she wasn’t as into the idea of riding on the back of the bike.
“Or we don’t have to take the bike—if you’re not comfortable with it.” He laughed. “Which by your expression, I’m guessing you’re not.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sure I would get used to the idea but I think just starting out, I’d rather not. But I’m happy to pay for a taxi, or to walk—or whatever else you think would get us around to the things you want to show me.”
“No worries. I’ll just leave the bike here. We can walk, but let’s start with a ride in a tuk-tuk. Have you been in one before?”
“Is it the little motorcycle thingy with the seat on the back? I saw them when I was out last night. That looks good to me. And no, this would be my first time in one.”
“Great.
I’m going to have him take us on a little driving tour around the moat that goes around the old city. It’s not far at all—nothing is, really, but I think you’ll find that the heat is what will get to you while walking. It takes a bit to get used to for sure.”
“That sounds great. Ooh I’m excited to take my first tuk-tuk ride.”
Dylan hailed a driver and negotiated a rate, a process that Isabella found entirely interesting. Nina had warned her that she should negotiate with drivers and anyone at the markets. She’d said that it was a way of life and that they enjoyed the bargaining game.
For the next thirty minutes or so, Isabella watched from the open tuk-tuk as Dylan pointed things out to her and instructed the driver where to go. She found it fascinating that one part of the city—the old town or inner city within the moat—could be so different from where she was staying.
Dylan told her that the area where they were staying—called Nimman—was the newer, more trendy area of Chiang Mai. It was where many of the digital nomads—a term Isabella instantly loved—liked to hang out because of the many cafes and co-working spaces located there.
They pulled off to the side of the road, and Isabella could see a massive temple-like structure over a wall. Dylan asked the driver to wait for them and offered her his hand so that he could help her out onto the sidewalk.
“I want to show you one of the temples. In Thailand, they’re called wats, and you probably know that many Thais practice Buddhism. Chiang Mai is known for having some of the most beautiful wats and also for having so many. You’ll see them all over if you’re walking around the old city.”
“Wow, it’s so beautiful.” Isabella looked up at the golden structure in front of her. There were white stone carving of elephants on either side of the entrance and within the temple there was red carpeting and what looked like an altar of sorts. “And they don’t mind if we go inside?”
“No. We can go. Well, one should be dressed appropriately, which we are. No shorts or sleeveless tops. And we’ll take our shoes off just over there. When you sit inside or wherever you are really, it’s important to note the positioning of your feet. For Thais, the head is the most sacred part of the body and the feet are the least sacred. So, you should always take care when sitting not to point them at anyone—to sit with them tucked under you. I’ll show you. Come on.”
Isabella followed Dylan to where they took off their shoes and then entered into the temple to sit up front before the Buddha statue. Almost instantly, she felt at home in the quiet environment. There were a few other Thais there praying and paying their respects and she could see some monks in another area just beyond the main temple.
After several minutes, Dylan motioned to her and they got up to go back outside.
“That was great. Thanks for taking me here.”
“Sure. And there are a few places that do monk chats throughout the month also. You can come and ask questions about the religion, or anything, really. It’s can be quite interesting, if you like that sort of thing. And there are also meditation retreats offered at a few temples nearby—one of which is at the wat on Doi Suthep. I’ve never done it myself, but friends of mine swear by it’s being one of the most enlightening experiences they’ve ever had. Personally, I’ve not wanted to go without my computer for more than a few days.” Dylan laughed.
“Hey, that reminds me—speaking of your computer—I see on your card that you’re a writer?”
“I am, yes. And you? Are you on vacation?”
“Would you believe that I’m a writer too?”
“Are you?” Dylan grinned at Isabella as he helped her back into the tuk-tuk. “How ’bout we go have some lunch? I want to find out more about this beautiful new writer friend of mine.”
Isabella felt herself blush as she nodded. “Lunch sounds fantastic. I’m starving. And I want to find out more about you too.”
Chapter 13
Isabella took a huge bite of her salad, taking in all the people sitting outside on the patio. Many were foreigners in small groups or solo with a laptop or book, but there were also a lot of local Thai people lunching there as well. Isabella instantly loved the place and knew that it would become one of her favorite go-to spots.
“I know it might seem lame that I brought you here instead of some cool Thai restaurant, but I figure this is a good spot to know about. You can eat a lot of delicious Thai food, but I don’t know any foreigners that don’t also want something else once in awhile. I’d say the local favorite salad spot is a good place to start.”
“Indeed. This is perfect. Thank you for showing it to me—and for this morning. I really enjoyed the tour and the visit to the temple.”
Dylan looked across the table at her and smiled. “You’re welcome. It was completely my pleasure. It’s always fun showing someone around here for the first time. By the way, I don’t think I’ve asked you how long you’re here for.”
“Well, that’s to be determined, I guess. Right now I came in without a visa, so I’ve only booked my apartment for a month. They’ve already let me know that I can have it longer if I like, though. I suppose you’re a good person to ask about all the visa stuff?”
“Oh, yes. I can tell you exactly where to go—to get the visa, but also to enjoy some neighboring countries while doing so.” He caught her eye and moved his hand as if he were about to reach out and touch hers.
Isabella pulled her hand from the table into her lap, feeling awkward and unsure of what to say next.
“So, tell me about your books, Bella. What do you write?”
“I write women’s fiction. Well, I’ve only actually published one book so far, but I’m working on a series. And also I’m only just self-published. I don’t have an agent or anything cool like that.”
“Hey, I don’t have an agent either. I’ve been doing everything myself for the past five years and have learned a lot in doing so. If you need any tips or there’s anything I can help you with, just ask, okay?”
“Wow. That’s awesome. And your books are doing really well.” Isabella caught his eye and she felt herself blush for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. “I confess. I looked you up online.”
Dylan laughed. “I tried to look you up too, as a matter of fact.”
“Nothing there, huh?” Isabella laughed. “I’m still early in my career. Heck, I’m not even sure if I’m any good at all. But I guess I thought that I needed to at least give it a go. Not to say that I don’t love writing. It’s the one thing that I’ve loved my entire life.”
“Then I’m sure you’re going to do wonderfully if you keep after it.”
Dylan was quiet as he seemed to be studying her.
“What?” Isabella moved her hand toward her mouth. “Is there something on my face?”
“You’re really beautiful, Bella.”
I should tell him about Thomas. Isabella’s heart pounded at the way Dylan was looking at her, but she didn’t volunteer the information. Why wasn’t she telling him?
Now she really was blushing as she thought about how to smoothly respond to Dylan’s compliment. She looked over at him, noticing that he seemed slightly amused at her discomfort.
“Thank you, and you’re being silly. Will we go somewhere after lunch? I don’t want to keep you from something.”
“You’re not keeping me from anything. I thought maybe I could show you some of my favorite spots to work—just nearby and around the neighborhood. Maybe we can grab a coffee. Does that sound good? And are you feeling tired at all? That jet lag can be a real drag coming this way.”
“I am getting a little tired, but your plan sounds like a good one.”
“Shall we head out then?”
“We shall.”
Dylan paid the bill—despite Isabella’s insistence that she pay half—and they began walking down the street past where Isabella had walked the night before.
“I liked our visit to old town today, but I have to say that I’m glad I chose to live over in this neigh
borhood.”
“Yes, I’m glad you’re over on this side of town too.”
Was it Isabella’s imagination or did his hand just brush against hers as they walked? She stepped a bit to the right to create a little more space in between them.
They walked for a while, Isabella taking in all the shops and people that they passed. Dylan pointed out several cafes down the different streets and then they turned onto soi 12.
“Oh, I think this is the street where my friend told me to get a massage.”
“Fai?”
Isabella laughed. “Wow, this place does have a small-town feel. Don’t tell me that Fai is your massage person too?”
“She is, yes. And very well known among the expat community. She definitely has the magic touch. But it’s more than that too. Fai is a real sweetheart. If you believe that people have callings in their lives, hers is to be a healer, that’s for sure. We’re going to walk right past there, so we can stop in if you’d like to book an appointment. She often books up pretty fast on the weekends, I think.”
“Sure. That would be great, thanks.”
Fai was busy with a client in the back, but another person took Isabella’s name and booked her for an appointment in just two days. Isabella was excited that she’d been able to get in so fast.
They walked a block further, then came to the cafe that Dylan had chosen for the afternoon treat.
“I think you’re going to like this place. The barista here is a master artist. You know how they make designs in the foam of the coffee drinks?”
Isabella nodded.
“Well, on the weekends here, he does portraits of people in their coffees. It’s very special and fun to watch. I have a lot of friends who like to come here. The coffee is superb, the owners are great, and the wi-fi is strong.”
“And also it’s very cute,” Isabella said as they stepped inside the door.
Dylan laughed. “Yes, it is also very cute.” He waved to a small group of people sitting back in the corner with their laptops and notebooks spread out on a large table. “Great, some of my friends are here. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”