Over the next two hours they enjoyed one of the most delicious dinners Jenny had ever experienced. They drank wine together, and shared an intricately designed dessert. They shared further memories of their childhood, and reminisced about the tour just gone. Jenny was having such as a good time that she barely remembered that this would be their last night together: when that memory hit, her heart sunk.
“Jenny, I wanted to give you something,” Henry said, out of the blue. “Something to remember me by.” He opened his journal and slowly drew out one of the pages. “It's nothing really...just something I did a few days ago.”
Jenny reached out and took the piece of paper: it was a picture of her, a drawing of her face, eyes closed, hair shaped across her forehead. “Henry...this is...amazing,” she said, gradually beginning to well up. “When did you do this?”
“It was a couple of nights ago on Gili Meno....after you'd fallen asleep on the bed on the beach. I couldn't sleep so went to get my...book...and started drawing the view in front of us: the posts of the bed, the falling curtains, the lapping ocean against the sand, the backdrop of Gili Air and Lombok in the distance. Then I saw your face....you looked so peaceful and beautiful so....I sketched you. I hope you don't think that's weird....I just love to draw beautiful things.”
Jenny didn't think it was weird at all, and reassured Henry of that immediately. “It's a wonderful sentiment Henry, thank you so much....you have a real talent.”
Henry smiled gratefully and took a sip of wine, “I'm glad you like it,” he said, “I didn't know whether to give it to you.”
“Why wouldn't you?”
“Because not all girls would appreciate it....not all girls would get it. But you're different, Jenny, you're different to any girl I've ever met. I really care about you, and I don't want you to forget me.”
Before Jenny could reply he summoned the waiter to bring them their bill, which he quickly paid himself, leaving what looked to be a sizable tip in the process. “You don't have to pay for everything Henry...I'm not that type of girl,” Jenny said, grateful but with a hint of discomfort in her voice.
“It's really OK Jenny, this is my treat for you.”
Jenny began to wonder a little more about Henry's background. He'd never really talked about money before and all this: the luxury private car, the pre-dinner drinks, the fancy restaurant; it all suggested that money wasn't an issue for him. He seemed at ease in this world, as if it was one he'd lived in, grown up in.
As Henry pulled out Jenny's chair to leave, Jenny could see their private car waiting outside once more. They stepped inside and started off back towards the resort, Henry offering another small glass of champagne as they went. “That's lovely, but I think I've had enough for now, Henry.” Jenny didn't want to appear discourteous, she just wanted to make sure her memory of the night remained intact.
After a short drive back up the coast, they pulled back into Jenny's resort in Seminyak. They stood outside the car, a weight hanging over them both. “Will you stay here a little longer?” Jenny asked. She didn't want to mess with Henry's plans for his early morning flight, but was desperate to spend a little more time with him alone.
“Of course, Jenny, I'll stay as long as I can.”
They walked around to the pool where all was quiet, save a light murmuring of noise as the last few customers left the restaurant, and sat down on a cushioned deck chair facing the twinkling water. Jenny lay back into Henry's strong arms and felt safe, like nothing in the world could touch her. She didn't want the moment to end, she didn't want Henry to leave: her heart pounded at the thought of the following morning, waking to know that he'd be in a plane thousands of miles away, or already touched down in Singapore, excited by the prospect of exploring a new city. He'd leave her there, with only her memories of him to comfort her, and before long she'd have to return to reality, to her life in New York, as his travels around the world continued. She felt sure that he'd forget her, that he'd quickly find himself drawn into another wild adventure, while she'd have nothing to distract her from the aching feeling that was already beginning to mount in her chest. She wanted him to remember her, she wanted their last night together to be special.
“Henry,” she started nervously, “I...I wanted to give you something as well. Something to remember me by.” Henry looked at her curiously.
“I wanted to...” she was having trouble getting the words out, “I wanted to give you....me. I want you to be my first.”
Henry looked at her deeply, “are you sure?”
“Yes....I've been thinking about it for a few days now. I feel comfortable with you...it feels right.”
Henry seemed slightly nervous himself: “But what about what you told me....sex is something that you think you should only do when you're in love?” his question was leading.
“Well I....I think I am falling in love with you.” It was the first time Jenny had spoken those words.
Henry shifted his weight slightly so he was completely face to face with her, lying on the deckchair: “I feel the same way Jenny, I'm falling for you as well.”
With that he kissed her deeply, slowly, romantically. Their lips fit together like lego, his hands caressing her exposed skin. Jenny got up and took the lead, taking Henry by the hand towards her room. She peeked inside to see Sarah already asleep, seemingly alone. She turned to Henry with disappointed eyes, “Sarah's already asleep in there,” she whispered.
“It's OK, follow me.” Henry then took Jenny through the hotel, before stopping at a room, door slightly ajar, light off inside. He slowly pushed the door open and switched on the light: it was empty, and unoccupied. He led her inside before turning and shutting the door. Suddenly, a wave of nerves hit Jenny's body like a hammerblow. She looked up at Henry's strong dark frame: he stepped forward and kissed her once more. The kiss gradually grew more passionate, more forceful, Henry gently pushing Jenny up against the wall. He released his hand from her waist and reached for the light, twisting it slowly to dim the brightness to a dull glow. His hands returned to her body, slowly unzipping her dress and sliding it off her body, revealing her warm, soft skin below. Jenny responded, unbuttoning his shirt and dragging her hands down his chest and abs, the bumps and ridges causing fits of desire to pulse through her body.
Henry turned and led her towards the bed, lying her down before climbing on beside her. They continued to kiss and caress each other, gradually stripping each other down until they were left, lying there on the bed, nothing between them but their skin. Jenny's heart pounded faster with every second that went by, every touch of Henry's body, every stroke of his hands over hers. The pleasure grew in her as he explored her most sensitive areas, touching, kissing, caressing her all over. Jenny was lost in a dream, spasms of pleasure echoing around her body. Henry turned and reached to his jeans on the floor, drawing out a condom, “are you ready....are you sure?” he asked once more.
Jenny nodded, not wanting to speak, not wanting to break the moment. She lay there flat on the bed, Henry looming above her. As he moved closer, Jenny felt a pang of pain amidst the pleasure, a feeling she had never experienced. Henry moved gently, carefully, as Jenny's enjoyment began to slowly intensify, gradually building up to a crescendo. Their movements became more powerful, more vigorous, as they rolled around on the bed, every second getting more and more intense. They kissed and writhed, their bodies drenched in sweat within the humid room, until at once they both climaxed together, Jenny's body pulsing and throbbing before gradually settling back down on the sodden bed.
They lay there together for a few minutes, not speaking, hearts pounding, breath panting. Jenny smiled and exhaled, kissing Henry lightly on the lips. It was the most exciting and erotic thing she'd ever done, and she felt no regrets at all about doing it with Henry.
Her mind continued to wander as they lay beside each other, a mixture of emotions infusing her every thought. She felt contented, blissful as she lay in Henry's arms, his perfect body glistening with sweat
but, at the same time, unhappy and deeply troubled that he was about to leave. To finally take that step, only for her chosen partner to disappear from her life so suddenly felt out of touch with her morals....despite what she felt.
Her conflicting inner dialogue was broken when Henry finally spoke. “My flight's at 9 this morning, and I've got to get to the airport by 8 am but....I don't want to leave. If it's OK I'll stay here as long as I can, then go back to my hotel in a few hours?” It was 3 am.
It was all Jenny wanted to hear: “I'd love that,” she said.
They got dressed and remade the bed as best they could. Before leaving the room, Henry left some money on the side table for the cleaner, as recompense for spoiling their good work. They wandered out into the warm evening air and back down towards the pool, stopping to lay back down on a deckchair. The hotel was silent, and all that could be heard was a general chattering of bugs and crickets within the bushes and plants surrounding the courtyard. Jenny was exhausted, but refused to sleep, lying in Henry's arms under the warm glow of the moon and stars. They lay there for a while in silence, both savoring each passing minute, before Jenny, against all her wishes, fell into slumber.
When she awoke she could see the light of early dawn infecting the sky above, a light she was so unhappy to see. She turned to Henry to see him lying there fully awake, his eyes showing no sign of tiredness; instead a ponderous look of sorrow. “It's getting light,” he said, “I have to leave in a little while.”
It was about 6.30 am when they slowly got up and wandered towards the front lobby. The hotel was beginning to come alive, and the check in staff were already at their stations, accepting the first new arrivals to the hotel, who staggered groggily out of incoming taxis. Henry walked up to a newly available taxi and spoke briefly to the driver, returning a moment later to Jenny who had sat down on a sofa within the waiting area in the lobby. “That driver is going to take me back to my hotel when I'm ready,” he said. “I want you to know Jenny....this has been the best two weeks of my life. And not because of the trip or the tour...because of you.”
A smattering of tears began to trickle down Jenny's cheeks as she spoke, “me too, Henry, I couldn't have imagined meeting someone like you on the other side of the world. I was hurting from my last relationship, but you changed all that...now I'm going to hurt for you, for want of seeing you. I wish things were different.”
Henry hugged Jenny close and whispered into her ear, “it's OK, I'll see you soon.” Amid the emotions she was feeling, Jenny didn't question what he meant, or whether he was just saying that to console her, but it helped to lift her heart a little bit. “I really did mean what I said earlier,” he continued, “I really am falling for you.”
Jenny nodded through her tears. “Don't be too upset,” Henry went on, wiping away her tears. “Enjoy the rest of your trip with Sarah...make the most of paradise while you're here.”
They hugged one final time before Henry looked at his watch, “I have to go, Mark will be going spare. I'll Facebook you soon, to see how you're getting on.” He kissed her again and stroked her cheek with his thumb, “take care of yourself, Jenny.”
With that he turned from her longing grasp and walked away towards the waiting taxi. He climbed in and shut the door, issuing the driver his orders. As the car pulled off, Jenny could see Henry's white smile glistening at her through the window and then, suddenly, he was gone.
She stood there alone, her emotions numb. Her face was solemn, tears gently cascading down her rosy cheeks, and her mind spinning. She watched on as Henry's car gradually disappeared down the road, fading slowly into the background as the yellow sun continued to spark into life, dowsing the coastline with a warm hue. Emotionally and physically exhausted, Jenny slowly turned away, wiped her eyes, and set her course back to her room.
Prologue
The next few days went slowly for Jenny. Sarah could clearly see that she was a little down and did her best to cheer her up. It couldn't escape Jenny that she'd come on this trip down about one man, and was leaving down about another, both for completely different reasons.
She waited in anticipation for Henry to message her, to hear something of him. Did he touch down OK in Singapore? What was he getting up to? Was he excited about his impending trip to Australia? Jenny couldn't prevent him from dominating her thoughts, and she began to get the feeling that the nature of his trip – constantly seeing exciting new places and meeting new people – would mean that he'd soon forget about her. At night she dreamed about their time together, and she woke each morning yearning for his touch on her skin. It was hard, carrying on in Bali without him, and eventually her desire to return home grew stronger – to return to a world she didn't share with him, one in which she'd find it easier to forget.
With their departure date growing ever closer, Jenny and Sarah spent more and more time in their hotel, laying out by the pool, eating at the restaurant, and watching movies in the private cinema. It wasn't until their last morning there that Jenny opened her Facebook page to see a new message. She opened it eagerly to see Henry's profile picture – one of him snorkeling on a reef in Thailand – staring back at her. She opened up the message, and slowly digested his words:
Jenny my darling,
Sorry it's taken me a while to message you: things have been fairly manic on my end over the last few days. How are you? Have you and Sarah been enjoying your last few days in Bali....I hope you've been making the most of it?
I'm leaving for Australia this evening, and won't have access to the Internet for a couple of weeks while I'm in the outback. I'll message you as soon as I can again to tell you what's been happening. The last few days have been completely different from Bali: it's like being in a different world here, all bright lights and tall buildings. In truth, I wish I was back there with you still. I miss you.
Something has changed for us though, and I wanted to ask: are you going to be in New York in 4 months time? We've adjusted our flights and have added New York to our trip, and will be there until we fly back to London. Maybe we could schedule a second date for then? :)
Thinking of you,
Henry
xxx
Jenny sat back from the computer and smiled, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. After letting the words settle in her mind, she slowly leaned back forward and started typing her reply:
Henry,
I miss you too, it's been hard here without you.
I will be in New York in 4 months....I can't wait for our second date :)
….
More by L.A.Shorter
A BIG Thank You!
I would like to start by thanking you for buying this book and getting this far! I truly hope that you enjoyed this story about the budding romance between Jenny and Henry.
If you did, I would love it if you'd leave me a review of the book, I'd be most grateful :) Please feel free to share it with friends and family who might enjoy it as well.
What's Next?
The story of Jenny and Henry is just getting started! This is the first stage of their epic romance, one that will take them across continents, meeting many people along the way, including lovers, old and new.
The next books in the series can be found by clicking the links below:
Summer of Love (Book 2)
Across the Pond (Book 3) Coming soon!
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Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) Page 11