“Just something Mark said.”
“What did he say?” The speed of her reply shocked even Jenny herself.
“Ummmm...just that he...likes you. Haha Jen, is that so hard to believe? What do you think guys talk about? They're probably talking about us right now just like we're talking about them....it's a two way street you know.”
Jenny was finding it hard to contain her smile, which was clearly noted by Sarah: “Look at you, you're beaming! Christ Jen he's not that great! Or is he...haha! What the hell happened last night?!”
With that Jenny got up, grabbed her towel, and walked towards the shower. “Nothing!” she exclaimed as she walked through the door. “Not yet, anyway,” she mumbled to herself with a hopeful smile.
Outside, the rest of the group were already waiting. Over at the bar, Mark was stocking up on what seemed to be super-strength Red Bull capsules. According to Andy, they were illegal in many first world countries, something Mark took as an immediate green flag. “If they're illegal in England, they sound about right to me!” With that, he necked his first shot, before gulping down another. “That should give me some strength for the rest of the day,” he said, shooting a suggestive eyebrow up in Sarah's direction.
Henry was sitting at a table nearby, nursing a coffee. He looked up at Jenny and smiled, before turning his attention to his book and jotting down a few more notes. Jenny was still curious as to what exactly he was doing, but she refrained from interrupting him for now.
“OK gang! It's time to get going. It should take us a couple of hours to get up to the platform for sunrise, so let's get started. Are you all wrapped up warm? Great, jump in the van and we'll head off to the starting point.”
Jenny was glad that Andy had reminded them to dress warm. It seemed so much colder than it had just a few hours ago, although a few glasses of wine will often inhibit your ability to tell, she thought. They packed their bags into the van and then piled in. There seemed to be a surprising amount of energy in the group for so early in the morning, unless Mark had been secretly feeding them all his 'drug' without her knowledge.
After a short drive in the dark, they stopped and got out. “Alrighty guys and gals, you can leave your main bags in the car here. What you'll need is your daybag, an extra layer if you're cold, some water, your wallet, and your camera. Don't go forgetting that last one, trust me, you're gonna need it.” Andy always seemed to be upbeat. “Oh, one more thing. Some of us might wanna stretch our legs a bit up there – guys I'm looking at you,” he gestured towards Mark, Henry and Andrew. “If anyone wants to crack on at a quicker pace, I can lead that group, and Wayan here will tag along at the back. Oh shit, sorry – Wahan here is a local guide whose joining us to the top. Guys, meet Wayan”
Everyone quickly shook Wayan's hand.
“We'll all start off together, but if some of us start stretching off at the front, you guys behind stick with Wayan, OK? Now as I told you last night, the route is easy, but it can get a little steep at times, so just go at your own pace and if you can't keep up, Wayan will be there to help. Righto...let's get cracking, shall we?”
With that Andy launched off towards the base of the mountain, flashlight in hand. Henry immediately followed, with Mark and Andrew close behind. “Boys,” thought Jenny as she joined in towards the back with Sarah. “Why do they always have to be at the front? So competitive!”
Within about 30 minutes the ascent was starting to pick up. Andy was right in saying that it wasn't difficult – you simply had to follow the well marked path – but is was definitely steep. Jenny started to wish that she had got a longer nights sleep, or at least that she'd taken Mark up on his offer for one of those super Red Bull's he had packed in his rucksack. Unfortunately it was a little too late: the boys had already sped off, and Jenny found herself towards the back with Sarah, Eno and Miley. Unfortunately, the latter two were now pegging Jenny and Sarah back, but they had to stick with Wayan for safety reasons.
They continued like this for a further hour, plodding along and stopping for the odd short break. Soon the light of dawn began to appear, a precursor to the actual sunrise. By this point though, the climb had begun to level out, and they were making good progress. Wayan assured them that they'd get to the platform for sunrise, so they didn't fret too much.
With the light getting steadily brighter, they spotted the lookout point about 50 meters ahead. Mark and Henry were both sat on a bench, gazing down towards the lake below and the mountains in the distance. They were both busily fiddling with their cameras, trying to alter the settings to capture the most spectacular sunrise pictures possible.
As they did so, the hue around the fringes of the distant mountains began to grow more intense; more colorful. Gradually, the golden smog burst to life, the sun peeking out over the side of the hills and casting a ferocious glow over the landscape below. The lake sparkled and shone, while in the distance the coastline of the island grew ever more clear, casting a light over the Lombok Strait, the interconnecting body of water between the two neighboring islands.
Jenny had never witnessed such a sight. She gazed down at the beautiful blends of color filling the valley below, transfixed by the majesty of it all. As she did, she felt a hand touch her lightly on the side, and turned to see Henry standing next to her. He was close, his body and hand warm despite the cold. He turned to her and bent down towards her ear: “do you want a perfect moment?” he whispered. She turned her head and her eyes caught his, a glint of orange light illuminating his hazel browns. She nodded, and he slowly drew his lips towards hers, pulling her into a deep, longing kiss. His warm lips moved over hers perfectly, like two cogs in a machine, lubricating her senses. Her mind was a whirl, her heart aflutter. Then, as soon as it had began, Henry's lips slid from hers, casting them back into the cold air.
He stepped back, smiled, and turned away, wandering off to find a new vantage point to take a picture. Jenny starred after him. “Perfect,” she thought.
It was still only 7 am when Jenny cast her gaze over the rest of the group. Andy and Eno were nowhere to be seen, Miley was still recovering from the climb while seemingly enchanted by the morning light, and Andrew, Mark, and Sarah were taking it in turns to photograph the other two with the mountains and rising sun as a backdrop. No-one seemed to have noticed her and Henry, who was now crouching about 30 meters away on a rocky outcrop with his camera. She wanted to walk over to him and talk, but refused to break the moment.
Instead, she turned towards a small cabin-like building behind the platform, where Andy, Eno, and Wayan were gathered. They each sat with coffee in hand, purchased from a small kitchen in the corner, looking over a map of the region. Andy seemed to be giving Eno some re-assurance that the rest of the days climb wasn't quite so taxing. He looked up at Jenny and asked her what she thought. “It was...amazing,” she said, lost in a daydream.
“Excellent, that's what everyone says,” although Jenny suspected her experience had been slightly different. “Righto, I reckon it's time to get cracking. Jen, honey, would you go and get the other guys to come in here for a quick briefing?”
Jenny wandered back outside and gestured to the group to come into the cabin. By this point, Henry had joined the others for their group photo session, although he seemed to prefer it behind the camera. He took one more snap before they all turned to rejoin the rest of the group. Andy then explained that there were two options: to go straight down the other side of the mountain from the platform, or to continue up to the top and take a look around the crater first. What Jenny hadn't quite realized was that Mt Batur was actually a dormant volcano, not a mountain.
As expected, the latter got a general round of approval from most, while Eno and Miley took up the former option. Andy was to lead those two straight down for an early lunch, while Wayan would chaperone the rest up and around the crater. With a quick goodbye, the groups parted, all now one layer lighter given the warm morning sun.
For the next couple of hours the younger, “va
rsity team”, as Sarah joked, explored their way to the summit of the volcano, navigating a somewhat treacherous path around the crater as they went. With an almost sheer edge on one side, a single misstep could have proved fatal, something not lost on Mark who was having a bit of trouble with the grip of his shoes.
After a few near misses, the group came across a small hut at the top of mountain, inhabited by an elderly woman and what appeared to be her daughter. They seemed to be up there selling souvenirs, such as postcards, but Jenny wondered how they could possibly make any money doing so, given the dearth of tourists she had seen. “Perhaps it's busier later in the day,” she thought.
Following a brief water stop and photo session, the group began their stretch down the mountain. After a quick word with Wayan, Henry bounded off to the front and started making quick progress, hopping over rocks, and dancing his was down the track like a mountain goat.
“Yeah, he loves to be at the front,” Mark pointed out, upon seeing Jenny's quizzical look. It appeared Wayan had given him the go ahead to stretch his legs, and he didn't look to want to waste it. “See's himself as a bit of an 'action man' I guess,” continued Mark, “not one for plodding along.”
As Henry gracefully took the lead, the rest followed suit, albeit at a more sedate pace. One loose rock could easily result in a broken ankle, so the rest of the group were a little more circumspect in their descent. Soon, Henry was almost out of sight, several hundred meters below and approaching a wooded section of the trail.
By the time the others reached the woods, Henry had found a lovely vantage point looking down towards the valley below through a clasp of trees. He sat on a rock, book in one hand, pencil in the other. It looked as through he was drawing a quick sketch. He looked up to see the rest of the group approaching and quickly shut the book, turning towards them all with a glowing smile. He seemed to be so much more open and relaxed than when Jenny first met him.
For the rest of the climb down, the group stayed together. Henry had seemingly satisfied his urges, and was now happy to meander down with the others. He walked at the back with Jenny, talking to her about the sunrise and the climb, the natural beauty of the area and how different it was from back home in England. He was poetic and eloquent in his speech, but spoke nothing of their kiss.
After about 45 minutes they found Andy, Eno, and Miley enjoying a well earned lunch in a cafe at the foot of the mountain. The others joined in, hungrily filling their bodies, before moving off to a beautiful spa with an outside jacuzzi and beautifully crafted curved swimming pool. They relaxed and played in the water, gazing up towards the peak they had just defeated, and the now powerfully yellow sun they had seen wake from its slumber.
Henry and Jenny played in the pool, teasing each other and seeing who could swim furthest underwater. The touch of Henry's skin, warm and smooth, and his chiseled body, crafted from stone, made Jenny feel a little light headed. It was a beautiful blur to her, and any thoughts of Trent were now far removed from her mind.
Most of the afternoon was spent driving to their next destination. The van that had taken them to the mountain in the early morning re-appeared at the spa at about 2 pm, and everyone jumped in, Jenny and Henry stepping into the back together. The drive was going to take about 3 hours, according to Andy, so he advised people to get some kip if they could. Jenny sat against Henry, feeling his strong arms pressed against her own as the van whirled into life. Soon, she felt the warm rhythm of sleep pulse through her body and, with heavy eyes, quickly dozed off.
When she awoke her head was nestled on Henry's left shoulder, and she noticed that a light blanket had been laid over her body. “You were shivering a bit under the air-con,” Henry spoke. “How was your sleep, I think we're nearly there...”
“Great,” she replied, her eyes smiling. She lifted her head and looked out of the window. The landscape had changed remarkably since they started the drive. Gone were the bristling jungles, expansive lakes, and mountainous peaks. Instead, they were cruising along a lovely coastal road, with beautiful white sandy beaches along the shore, fishing boats out on the water, and palm trees and other exotic flora lining the tracks.
With everyone beat from the days activities, there was little in the way of socializing that night. Having pulled into a simple hotel, the group found themselves quickly dispersing following a mellow dinner. As they all retreated to their rooms, Henry pulled Jenny to one side. “I had a great day,” he told her quietly, before kissing her on the cheek. “Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning.”
That night, he once more invaded her dreams.
Chapter 5
The following two days were more water-based than the last. Upon awaking the next morning, the group embarked on a trip to Menjangan Island, a small island off the north-east coast of Bali. Here they enjoyed some world class snorkeling on a rare and largely untouched reef, exploring the stunning beauty of the marine life beneath the waves. Henry seemed completely at ease in the light blue waters, duck diving deep to the reef bed and not returning for some time. His enthusiasm for wildlife become immediately apparent, spending most of the day talking with local guides and learning about the aquatic life and conservation projects in the region. Jenny watched on from the shore mostly, seeing him excitedly submerge time and again, often joined by Mark and Andrew.
The next day was another very early start for some. Andy had found that dolphin watching was a potential activity at that time of year for early risers, so presented this option to the group. Eno, a little grumpy over the last couple of days, said he'd rather sleep in, while Miley didn't seem to enjoy going out on the water too much. Jenny and the rest of the group were far more receptive to the idea, getting up at 6.30 am to take a boat trip out onto the waters. For a couple of hours they whizzed over the waves in a rickety wooden propeller boat, but caught no sign or glimpse of any dolphins. Henry seemed the most disappointed of everyone, but he didn't complain.
After lunch the group once again embarked inland, visiting the picturesque mountain town of Bedugul. Here they explored the beautiful botanical gardens of the region and the crater lakes of Tamblingan, Buyan, and Bratan, before continuing their journey back to Ubud where they had started. When they arrived it was late afternoon, and the group were to get an additional two travelers for the next portion of the trip across the neighboring island of Lombok. Jenny seemed surprisingly put off by this idea: she had become really comfortable with the group, and didn't want anything interrupting the fleeting time she'd have with Henry.
After settling back into their original hotel rooms, the group gathered for dinner in a nearby restaurant. Jenny strolled in with Sarah and noticed that the group had swelled. Henry was sat on the far end of the table, flanked by Mark and Andrew, and sitting opposite the two new members of the party. One, another young Englishman called Todd, looked to have sparked up an immediate rapport with Henry and Mark, chatting away exuberantly about what was going on 'back home'. It appeared he had just flown in from London, and was beginning his own adventure across the South Pacific. The other, a young girl called Emily, was sitting there quietly, admiring Henry. She was an Australian, very pretty and slim, and looked to be about Jenny's own age. She sat back and stroked her long blond hair, her blue eyes locked onto Henry as he casually conversed with Mark and Todd. He didn't seem to notice her, but Jenny felt an immediate pang of jealousy with the way she was looking at him.
When they got to the table, Andy stood up and introduced the two new cohorts. Todd had a much rougher accent than Mark and Henry, and seemed to be a local London lad, but very polite nonetheless. Emily seemed less interested in meeting Jenny and Sarah, only giving them a passing greeting gesture before settling back down to look at Henry and continue what seemed to be a mild conversation with Andrew.
As dinner progressed, the idea of a night out suddenly came to the fore. Their morning ferry to Lombok wasn't until 10 am, giving them the chance to enjoy a bit of fun before settling into the second portion of the tour. Kut
a, as Mark and Henry said, was great for clubbing, something that Andy nodded his approval to. “Guys, just remember though, we're getting that ferry at 10 tomorrow...if you're not there, you're not there, and we carry on without you.” Andy was all for them having some fun, but made it clear that the tour could not be rescheduled if something happened.
After a bit of deliberation, most of the group agreed that a night out was a good idea. It would take them about an hour to get to Kuta in the taxi, but as Mark pointed out, “we can drink on the way, don't worry!” Todd and Emily, fresh to the tour, both seemed well up for it while, true to form, Eno and Miley decided it wasn't for them. “I think this is one for the youngsters,” noted Eno, accurately.
Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) Page 3