by Raina Ash
“This is a dramatic change from the depictions in the Casablanca movie,” Allison said.
“Defo,” Noah said, toting one of her bags behind him. “People don’t realize how modern Morocco is. That’s the beauty - modern life mixed with traditional nomads wanderin’ the desert. Ten outta ten.” He handed her a room key card. “I checked ya in before. Go lay off a bit and we’ll have a meet at the restaurant around six. Just ‘round the corner there.” He grinned.
She smiled back and touched his arm. “Until dinner.”
The room was a large suite similar to the ones she’d stayed at in New York. There was a king-sized bed, a side room with a desk and couch, and a beautiful bathroom with a generous shower. All the counters were marble, and the furniture was a slick chestnut brown. She walked to the window to check out her view from the eighth floor. Her room faced the side of the street with the small shops, and she could see a train line in the distance. Beyond that, many miles away, was a large building with domed roofs and a large tower resting against the ocean. The bit of water she saw was a brilliant deep, deep blue. She was content taking in the view of a new environment with fresh architecture. It was a nice change.
She put clothes away and then took a shower. There was plenty of time to primp and make herself gorgeous for dinner. If Noah was flirting when she looked tired and messy from the long flight, she would knock his socks off when he saw her all cleaned up and put-together. She slipped on a pair of lacy panties and a push-up bra. Then she shimmied her way into a long black dress. Summer warned her not to dress sexy or show too much skin because of Moroccan culture, so her black dress was long with a modest neckline. It hugged her body enough to show off her curves. She applied simple makeup with a hint of a smokey eye and curled her hair so it fell in loose waves down her shoulders.
She looked herself over in the mirror. Not bad for being a bit out of practice.
A little after six, she headed down to the hotel restaurant. The waitress led her to a crowded table near the back. She started to explain that it was the wrong table until she spotted Noah sitting next to a young blonde woman. He had mentioned meeting for dinner, not meeting with the whole tour group for dinner. She sighed at the assumption she’d made. Oh, well. One mistake was okay. She would recover.
“There’s Allie,” Noah said. “Wow, let’s have an eyeful of ya. You’re sure a beauty.”
“Uh, thank you,” Allison said, feeling way overdress at seeing everyone else wearing jeans and t-shirts.
Noah pointed to an empty seat at the end of the table, and she sat down next to a man with dark brown hair who wore glasses.
“Lemme introduce the gang,” Noah said. “Here’s our whole group for the next few days, so everyone get acquainted. To my left is Natasha, to my right Nancy.” He pointed to two young blonde women. “They’re besties from the UK laying off from University, out tah see the world. Across from me is Todd and Margaret, celebrating eight mostly happy years of marriage.” He winked at the couple. “Next to you, Allie, is Paul. He’s from America like you and works with computers.”
“More or less,” Paul said, stabbing some of his food and shoving it in his mouth.
“Right,” Noah said. “And everyone, here’s Allie. She’s on her first international trip braving the Sahara, seekin’ adventure.”
Allison gave a slight smile. “Nice to meet everyone.” She glanced longingly at one of the blonde girls, tempted to ask if she could switch places to cuddle up next to Noah. She made a mental note to approach him after dinner to see if he wanted to go for a stroll.
Noah motioned at the table, which was full of various plates of food. “Pick some eats and enjoy.”
The waitress brought Allison a clean plate so she could serve herself scoops of the delicious entrées. She sampled a bit of everything and decided on eating couscous and veggies with lamb. The flavors were heavy with the taste of cinnamon and mint. She enjoyed each bite and then spooned something onto her plate that looked like cooked dates.
Noah, the blonde girls, and the couple were engaged in a passionate discussion about water safety around the world and toxins damaging fish populations. Not a subject Allison thought much about, but she knew facts about most everything.
“It’s simply disgusting,” Margaret said. “These businesses dump their trash in the ocean and don’t even care.”
Allison sipped her wine. “Did you know 3.2 million children under the age of five in developing nations die each year because of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation?”
“Ugh, tragic,” Margaret said, shaking her head.
Paul laughed under his breath. Only Allison heard him as the rest of the group continued their conversation.
“Is pollution funny?” Allison said.
“It sounded like you’re reading from a textbook, that’s all,” he responded. “I agree that water pollution is a big problem. I wouldn’t laugh at that.”
“I’m sharing my knowledge.”
“You mean fun facts. Knowledge is something gained from experience.”
What a jerk, Allison thought, glaring at the smug look on Paul’s face. “Are you accumulating your knowledge by traveling alone and being rude to women you just met?”
He took one last bite of food and sat back in his chair. “I’m not being rude. I don’t sugarcoat things. And yes, I am here alone. It’s something I’m accustomed to, and it results in no arguments or disagreements with anyone. Aren’t you by yourself as well?”
Allison watched Margaret grab her husband’s hand, resting her head on his shoulder. Todd kissed her forehead. The two blonde women were laughing with Noah over who-knows-what. Allison tried to remember the comfort of being touched affectionately in public. Or the butterflies in her stomach when a man gave her the attention Noah was giving to the college students - teasing, smiling, expressing interest in everything that crossed the young women’s plump, youthful lips.
Allison looked down at her empty plate. “Only momentarily. My best friend is flying in next week. And Noah and I have been hanging out.”
Paul stifled another laugh. “By ‘hanging out’ do you mean watching him flirt with two younger girls over there? I’ve heard his type is blonde, usually over-excited ones.”
“There’s no way you’d know that,” Allison said, ripping a piece of bread and mashing it between her teeth. “And young college girls know nothing of the charms of a confident older woman. I’m also not that old and not looking for anything serious. I’m playing the field right now.”
Paul shook his head. “You don’t seem like the type for one-night stands. Regardless, thanks for the dinner conversation. It was a lot more fun than talking about world crises.” He stood and excused himself. The others waved and told him goodnight.
Allison crossed her arms. He didn’t give her any chance to defend herself, not that she needed to. She had her reasons for being there and it wasn’t any of his damn business. She wouldn’t let her trip get ruined by some judgy stranger.
Exhaustion started to set in and she yawned. She pushed herself to keep engaging as much as possible. It took forever, but the married couple and the two blondes finally left. Allison and Noah were alone at the table amongst several empty wine glasses.
She moved to the chair next to him. “Since you know this area,” she said, “is there anywhere fun to go at night? Do they have night spots here or is it discouraged?”
Noah ran a hand through his thick dirty-blonde hair. “Oh, ya can always find some night fun, even here. I know a place, but I’m bloody stuffed. Best to lay off and get ready for tomorra.”
“How about a quick stroll to walk off this delicious meal?” She leaned forward, letting part of her dress slip off her shoulder.
Noah smiled. “It is a beaut outside. Thanks for the offer, sheila, but I should pass.” He gave her a wink and then left the table.
Allison released a large sigh, the one she reserved for days when she had to call a client to tell them bad news. Instead
of going to her room (which was the sensible thing to do), she found the hotel bar and enjoyed a few too many classic cocktails. She headed upstairs around ten.
“Tomorrow,” she mumbled to herself as she climbed into bed, still wearing her black dress. “Tomorrow I’ll play it cool. More flirting. More engaging conversation. What would Summer do?”
She fumbled with the comforter trying to adjust it to her liking. She moved her hand around in search of Mocha. Then she remembered she was alone, thousands of miles from home and her kitty. She curled up on her side. The image of Noah flirting with hotter, younger blondes ran through her mind as she drifted into a restless, drunken sleep.
Chapter Three
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO
The only other international trip Allison took was also thanks to Summer. Allison was in her junior year of college. It was mid-March, and she was looking forward to seven whole days of uninterrupted reading time, i.e. spring break. Her roommate was off with her boyfriend, and Allison had the entire dorm room to herself. On the table next to her bed sat eight thriller books stacked neatly on top of each other, one for each day of the week. She could read each book in about four hours, leaving her plenty of time to start on end of semester projects.
Saturday morning, she made herself some instant coffee, secured her hair in a loose bun, and snuggled up next to the window. She cracked the spine of the first book, Watch Out!, by a much-talked-about new indie author. The first sentence read: The silhouette of tree branches gave way to a somber evening sky as Mike Marshall investigated the sudden loud THWACK he had heard in the backyard.
Someone knocked on the door and Allison flinched.
“Hey, I know you’re in there doing something boring,” the muffled voice said through the door.
Allison sighed and flung the door open. “Why do you tease me so much?”
Summer skipped into the room, boho-braided hair flowing behind her. She had discovered the joy of peasant blouses and it was all she wore. “Because I love you,” she said. “Give me a hug. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
The two women hugged. “It’s nice to see you,” Allison said, "but I’m surprised. Weren’t you supposed to be in Canada with Jason?”
Summer plopped down on the bed. “We officially called it off. It was all amicable. We grew apart. He’s not into travel as much as he used to be.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry.” Allison glanced at the thriller novel resting on the bedside table. She looked back at her friend. “Do we need a girl day? Shopping, movies, pizza?”
“Well,” Summer said, reaching into the back pocket of her jeans and presenting two tickets. “Yes. In Mexico. The flight leaves in five hours.”
“What?” Allison examined the tickets. They were real. “Thanks, but I can’t pack up and go on a trip. I need to de-stress and take a break from school with some solitude. Then I need to work on a project that’s due in a few months.”
“How many people do you know who read and do schoolwork on spring break?”
Allison thought about it. “Four.”
Summer rolled her eyes and let out a groan. “Anyway, that’s not what you’re supposed to do. You de-stress by getting drunk and banging some hot dude you’ll never see again.”
“I agree that’s what you do, but that’s not me.”
“It could be. Don’t you want to travel? That’s what people our age do. So let’s go.” Summer hopped up from the bed and grabbed Allison’s backpack that was hanging on the door. She opened the closet and started selecting clothes and throwing them on the bed. “Something comfy for the plane. Jeans because jeans are good for everything. A cute dress, which you don’t have, so this one’s fine.”
Allison grabbed a pair of jeans off her pillow. “Come on. Stop. Put this back.”
Summer spun around and her face became serious. “Please. I need this. I know we fell out of love, but I’ll miss Jason. And you’re my bestie. Please? You’re single, too, so we can both mingle. Pretty please?”
Allison looked longingly at her book. Summer was always there for her and rarely asked for anything. Allison couldn’t bail on her friend even though she hated sudden changes in plans. She picked up the book and put it in the backpack. “Okay. I’ll go. But I’m still reading.”
Summer grinned and turned back toward the closet. “You don’t even own a bikini, do you? We’ve got time. I have a Victoria Secrets gift card, so I’ll hook you up.”
✽✽✽
The first two days of Allison’s Spring Break Adventure were a lot of fun. She and Summer rented a car to cruise along the coast and explore. They snorkeled the first day and then hit a shopping district to enjoy some amazing Mexican dishes. They dance the night away at a club. The second day, they hiked and hung around at hotel bars (with more club hopping in the evening). After two full days of girl time, Summer decided it was time to check out available men on the beach.
“You haven’t dated since high school,” Summer said as they ate breakfast on their patio. “Why is that?”
“They’re all immature,” Allison said, sucking on an orange slice. “In high school, it didn’t matter because I was immature myself, but now I don’t know. I guess something changed in me and I want more security. Guys are less willing to give that.”
“No, you can find a committed guy with some patience. Start looking, though, and stop hiding out in your room. Hooking up on this trip will get back in the game. It’s two people using each other for sex. You’re both consenting adults, so it’s okay.”
Allison shrugged. She experimented with hookups before college, but they always felt empty. Her problem was that she dated too much in high school and had grown weary of starting over so many times. “I think I got out all my wild tendencies as a teenager. I want to focus on finishing school and starting a career. I’ll worry about dating later.”
They hit the beach shortly after breakfast to chat up hot guys and sunbathe. Actually, Summer did most of the chatting while Allison read a book. She watched Summer play volleyball with a group of college studs, and then Summer moved to the water to splash around while a guy teased her about nip slips.
“You don’t want that to happen,” he said. “Dude, let me check your top. You don’t want to be flashing everyone, do you? Or maybe you do.”
Summer giggled while the guy pretended to untie her bikini top. Allison rolled her eyes. Guys that called women “dudes” had no maturity. She didn’t understand the appeal. They were hot, so maybe they were good lovers and that balanced out all the “dudes.”
A volleyball landed next to Allison and she jumped.
“Hey, sorry,” a guy called out, running to grab the ball. “My bad. It didn’t hit you, did it?”
Allison dusted sand off her arms. “No.” She squinted up at him. His abs were the first thing she noticed, then his broad muscular pecs and strong shoulders. He had sunscreen on because his bare chest was glistening in the light. His pearly white smile and baby-blue eyes were mesmerizing. “No worries. I’m okay.”
“Good. Hey, I’m Brad.” He held out his hand for Allison to shake. “We need another player. Wanna join?”
Allison shook his hand and glanced at Summer, who was watching the whole interaction.
“Yeah, she can play,” Summer yelled.
Allison frowned at her friend. There was no way she could hear what Brad was saying, so she was guessing.
“Okay,” Allison said. “Why not?” She’d show Summer that, yes, she knew how to have fun. She’d been laying too long in the sun, anyway.
The other players were mostly guys with one woman on each team. Brad told her to join his side, and the game resumed. She fell in the sand a lot but got one good hit that resulted in a point. Brad grabbed her by the waist and spun her around.
“Hey, awesome work,” he said.
Allison couldn’t help but feel encouraged by his attention, and she put more effort into playing, hoping to score another point. She wasn’t able to get any more hits, though,
and the other team won.
Brad still congratulated her, running fingers through his curly hair. “That was dope,” he said. “How about we grab some drinks?”
Allison looked back to the ocean, but Summer was no longer there. She didn’t see her friend anywhere. “Yeah, okay,” she said. “It looks like my friend wandered off, so I’m free.”
“Awesome. Shall we?” Brad presented his elbow. Allison tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. They walked to the closest bar.
She glanced at Brad, who was happily strolling along beside her, lost in his own thoughts. People in college, young adults, differed from high schoolers. High school romances were all about fun and innocence. You knew the other person would be around, even if only until graduation. After high school, those young love feelings faded and everyone became more detached, more adventurous, more willing to leave and find someone new at the drop of a hat.
Adult relationships had way less stability. It made her uneasy, like she was constantly waiting for disaster to strike or for people she knew to pick up and leave.
They reached the bar and hopped on stools facing the water. “I love straight tequila shots,” Brad said. “How about you?”
Allison smiled, trying not to let her thoughts distract her from the moment. “Sure, let’s do it.”
They gulped down shots, jumping around to different talking points. They didn’t have much in common, so the conversation became strained after the initial “tell me about yourself” topics. Allison was drunk by then, and she kept thinking about Summer’s free love attitude. Was it such a bad thing to have a random hookup? Sure, it was empty and awkward, but it could also be a lot of fun, right? And Brad was hot. Why not enjoy his body?
“Take me back to your room,” Allison said after Brad attempted to show an interest in modern art, even though he couldn’t name any artists besides Picasso.
He grabbed her hand, and they both stumbled towards the hotel. There was a delicious smelling churro stand along the way, and Allison couldn’t resist getting one to eat. Brad flung open the door to his room, licking cinnamon and sugar off her lips. His fingers undid the tiny strings of her bikini top as he licked down her neck and filled his mouth with sections of her exposed breasts.