I’m not normally afraid of heights, but being up this high makes me feel a little dizzy. The night air is warm with a gentle breeze blowing past, so I try to relax, but the idea of being swept away by a large gust of wind keeps me slightly on edge. It doesn’t help when we are seated at a table mere inches from certain death—separated only by a waist-high railing and a few low-lying bushes.
Kannika makes a big show of putting everyone in a particular spot. Naturally, she is at one end of the table right beside Daniel, while she sticks me at the other. I don’t mind, because I get to sit next to Gan and he’s the birthday boy. Personally, I think it’s a bit strange that he doesn’t get to choose who sits where, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
A waiter brings around menus and I gulp when I see the prices. I can’t afford this! Plus, I don’t even know what some of these things are! Turbot is a kind of fish, right? But what’s pluma?
“What are you having?” I ask Gan.
He looks equally confused by the selection on offer.
“Uh, maybe the lobster? I feel bad though, because Daniel said he’d pay for everything, but I didn’t realise it would be this expensive.”
Daniel is paying for everything? Jeez, he must think I’m a gold digger, tagging along just to enjoy the free food.
A waiter looks expectantly at me. “What would you like to eat, madame?”
I panic and scan the rest of the menu.
“Uh, just some steamed rice and the French fries, please.” I can afford a couple of sides, at least.
“Very well.” He turns expectantly to Gan. “And you, monsieur?”
Gan hesitates. I can see he’s torn between ordering the lobster and doing the same thing as me.
“If you order the lobster, we can share it and I’ll make sure I pay for at least some of it,” I whisper. “I’ll sneak over when Daniel isn’t looking.”
He still looks reluctant. “Are you sure?”
“Of course. It’s your birthday. Make the most of it.”
He finally grins. “OK. As long as you do share with me.”
“Done.”
I listen as the others all order slow cooked wagyu beef and wild blue fin tuna without batting an eyelid. Kannika orders a starter and a main. And the starter is foie gras. I wonder if she knows how they make it, and if she cares.
I deliberately ignore her, but because she’s sitting next to Daniel, I don’t get to talk to him, or even make eye contact with him for most of the meal.
Still, Gan and Roong are adorable, and I really enjoy talking to them. I end up insisting that he share his lobster with her, rather than me. He gives me a stern look, but I won’t be swayed. I get the feeling he doesn’t get to do stuff like this much, if ever.
Not that I do either, but I’ve been shouted the odd corporate lunch here and there back home in Brisbane, so it’s not as big a deal.
When everyone starts ordering dessert, I sneak away under the guise of needing to use the bathroom, but I stop by the bar and ask to pay for my food and Gan’s lobster. The waiter obliges, and agrees not to reveal my identity if Daniel should enquire about the difference.
I then continue onto the bathroom to make it look authentic. I don’t need to use the facilities, but I splash some water on my face and touch up my lipstick anyway.
Just as I’m heading back out, Kannika pushes the door open and seems surprised to see me there. She’s clutching a mobile phone in one hand.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Um, do you actually want details of my bathroom habits?”
“Don’t be stupid.” She looks me up and down. When I don’t react the way she apparently wants me to, she sighs, exasperated. “Are you just going to stand there all night?”
“Uh, no. But you’re the one who started talking to me.”
She joins me at the basin and makes a big show of re-doing her hair.
“Well, you can go now.”
“How very generous of you to release me from your presence.”
She eyes me in the bathroom mirror. “You think you’re better than me, don’t you?”
“Kannika, I don’t even know you.”
“You think just because Daniel has taken you on as his special cause, that you’re more important.”
“I don’t think that at all. He’s been very kind to me, as have all the staff. Well, except you. I’m not sure what you think I’ve done…”
“Forget it. Just watch yourself,” she says.
I walk away without saying anything else. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be a warning about watching out for her specifically, or for something else I’m unaware of. Either way, I’m not going to give Kannika any more of my time. She clearly has aggression issues, and I suspect I’m just the unlucky person she’s decided to take them out on.
I head back to our table, and Daniel ushers me over.
“Sit with me for a bit,” he says, patting Kannika’s empty seat.
Oops. She is not going to like that. But I don’t answer to her. “Thanks.” I sit down and try to forget my supposed new nemesis.
“How are you enjoying yourself?” he asks.
“Oh, it’s lovely. This restaurant is amazing!”
“Was your food OK? What did you order?”
“Uh, I had a potato and rice dish,” I improvise. “It was great.”
“I didn’t see any potato and rice dish on the menu,” he says, frowning.
“Oh, it was on a separate vegetarian list.”
“You’re vegetarian?” He sounds surprised. As he should, considering our Pad Thai the other day had chicken in it.
“Uh, no, but I try to go meat-free every Wednesday.”
He looks amused. “Isn’t it meat-free Monday? And couldn’t you have made an exception for tonight?”
“I forgot on Monday because of the whole head injury thing, so I thought I’d make up for it today.” Wow. The lies are just flowing out of me tonight.
“Of course. How is your head?” He leans in to inspect my forehead, and gently touches the almost-healed cut. I involuntarily shiver.
“It’s fine. I barely even had a headache afterwards.”
“That’s good.”
Kannika arrives back at the table. Her face is thunderous when she sees where I’m sitting, but she can’t make a scene, so she reluctantly sits down in my old seat and starts a noticeably forced conversation with Gan.
A waiter arrives at the table and places a gigantic platter of chocolate desserts in front of Daniel.
I laugh. “I take it you’re still hungry?”
He smiles agreeably. “I actually ordered this to share with everyone.” He picks up a spoon and scoops up a mouthful of chocolate soufflé.
His eyes roll back in his head. “Oh my God, this is heaven. Chloe, you have to try some.”
He scoops up another piece and holds it out to me. I hesitate for a millisecond before opening my mouth and allowing Daniel to feed me.
He’s right. It is possibly the single best thing I have ever tasted. And the fact that an exceptionally good-looking man happens to be the one feeding me has nothing to do with it.
OK. Maybe it does a tiny bit.
He hands me another spoon and gestures to the platter. “Help yourself. Hey, did you know that taste is actually eighty percent smell? The only things you can taste without your nose are sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Oh, and umami, which is a kind of savoury flavour, but I’ll bore you with the explanation of that another time.”
“You do not bore me at all, Daniel. I love how you know all this weird stuff.”
“It’s not weird,” he says, pretending to be put out. “It’s science.”
I want to tease him some more, but I can feel Kannika’s laser-beam gaze boring into my skull. I really don’t know what her problem is. I assume she thinks I’m going to hit on Daniel or something.
Oh, of course! Kannika is in love with Daniel and thinks I’m a threat! I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me
before. It all makes sense, and now I can just ignore her childishness.
“Thank you so much for letting me come along,” I say to Daniel.
“Thank Gan. He’s the one who chose the guests.”
“Yeah, but still…” I don’t want to be crass and point out he’s funding the evening, so I stay quiet.
Gan pipes up. “Hey, Daniel! After this, can we go dancing?”
“We can do whatever you like, Gan. It’s your birthday.”
“Great. In that case, I want to go to the biggest dance club we can find.”
“Done.”
We all continue to eat dessert and drink coffee. Everyone seems to be in high spirits, except for Kannika.
Maybe she won’t want to go dancing afterwards.
A girl can dream, can’t she?
TWELVE
It’s finally Thursday and the consulate is open again, so I head over as soon as it opens at nine. I’m glad I have a genuine excuse to not go into the perfumery this morning, so I can avoid Kannika for a few more hours.
Things went a bit downhill after dinner last night.
First, Kannika decided that she did want to come along to the dance club, and she kept hovering around me like an annoying fly, even when I wasn’t anywhere near Daniel. And just because I know why she hates me now doesn’t make her actions any less annoying.
Then, about fifteen minutes after we arrived, Daniel apologised to Gan and went home! We hadn’t even gotten to the dancefloor yet, having just arrived and set ourselves up in a corner. He didn’t give a proper reason either, just saying he had to leave and that he’d see us the next day at work. Despite my best efforts to not be disappointed, I was. More than I probably should have been, if I’m honest.
I reasoned that Kannika might leave me alone after that, but she didn’t. So I ended up bailing after another half hour too, and heading back to the apartment. Gan was wrapped up in dancing with Roong and barely even noticed me saying goodbye, so I didn’t feel too bad about that.
All in all, it was a confusing and unsatisfying evening, and I find myself wondering if Mia’s evening in Pattaya was any better. I hope she’s doing OK. I should probably be the bigger person and message her to see how she’s going, but part of me is still mad at the way she disappeared and left me in the lurch. You should never abandon family like that.
There is quite a line at the consulate. I’m assuming a lot of people have lost passports and encountered some pretty interesting situations over Songkran. After an hour, I am finally able to speak to someone who advises me to fill out a bunch of forms. It’s going to take at least three business days for a replacement passport to be organised, which will keep me in Bangkok through to next Tuesday.
But at least I’ll be able to fly home on my original departure date, and thanks to Daniel, I don’t have to worry about accommodation costs. Plus, food is a lot cheaper outside of the tourist areas.
My replacement cards should show up at the perfumery soon, too. Then I can at least pay my way—even if Daniel hasn’t asked me to.
I dawdle back to the apartment. I wonder if I can get away with not going in to the perfumery at all today. I could text Daniel and say I’m not feeling well, but I know that’s not really fair. I owe him more than that.
Back in my room, I stand out on the balcony again and look at the view. I want it to tell me some witty barbs to use on Kannika later if she provokes me, but it’s a view and can’t speak.
And then there’s a knock on the door.
I almost don’t respond, thinking that my brain imagined it. But when there’s a second rap, I quickly go over to answer.
“Oh, thank God you’re not Thai!” A woman with wild black hair and equally wild black eyes is standing in front of me. She has an American accent that makes her sound like an actress or fancy newsreader. “I locked myself out of my apartment. Can I please use your phone?”
I can’t help but smile. I wonder if I looked this dishevelled when I stumbled across Daniel’s perfumery the other night. I probably looked worse.
“Sure. Are you OK?”
She takes this as a cue to come in and follows me into the main living area.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just feeling stupid because I literally have nothing but the clothes on my back right now. Hey, nice place.”
“Thanks. I take it you’re also staying on this floor?”
“Yeah, but my apartment isn’t as nicely decorated as yours. I like how it’s all minimalist and industrial, yet somehow still cosy.”
“I thought the same thing when I first arrived!”
“Ha. Great minds think alike.”
I hand her my phone.
“Thank you! You are a goddamn lifesaver!” She quickly dials someone. I try not to look like I’m listening in, but it’s a bit hard when she’s standing right beside me.
“Hey, Joey? I locked myself out. Yes, again. Can you send someone over to unlock the door for me? Thanks, bye.”
She hands the phone back and then props my front door open. “I hope you don’t mind, but I want to see when the locksmith arrives.” She then flops down on my couch and rests an ankle on her opposite knee. “Do you mind if I hang here for a few minutes?”
“Uh, that’s fine. Actually, you’ll be a good excuse.”
“For what?”
“Oh, just putting off seeing someone I don’t want to deal with.”
“Ooh. A guy?”
I laugh. “No. Some woman who seems to hate me for no reason. Well, not no reason. But a stupid one.”
“Oh. That sucks. You seem pretty nice to me. Maybe she’s just a bitch.”
“Maybe.”
“What’s your name?”
“Chloe. You?”
“Rosie.” She stands up and starts pacing around, glancing out the window every now and again.
“Did you say you’d already locked yourself out of your apartment?” I ask, trying to make conversation.
“Ha. Yeah. At least it’s daytime this time. Last time I was drunk and it was well after midnight. I know it’s a cliché, but I somehow mistook the front door for the bathroom, and then I had to go find a convenience store and use their phone and pay for one of those twenty-four hour locksmiths. Joey was not impressed I interrupted his morning meditation to ask him to organise it for me.”
“Who’s Joey?”
“He’s sort of my assistant.”
“Oh. Cool.”
“We’ve fucked a few times,” she says casually.
My eyes widen. Rosie laughs.
“We have a weird arrangement. He’s back in LA at the moment. I haven’t seen him for almost two months, but we talk most days.”
I just nod. I’m not really sure how to respond to that.
“So what’s your deal?” she asks. “You just on vacation?”
“Yeah. Although it hasn’t quite gone according to plan.” I tell her about my passport and how Mia has moved on. I leave out all the stuff about Daniel. At least for the moment.
“No offense, but your sister sounds like a brat.”
I laugh, surprised someone I’ve only known for two seconds would have the audacity to say something like that. “She’s alright. I mean, it is her twenty-first celebration and she does have her friends here too.”
“Yeah, but to just abandon you like that? Not cool, man. Not cool.”
Normally I get upset if people talk trash about my sister, but somehow coming from this kooky woman, it seems OK. Like she’s just looking out for me. Strange, seeing as we’re not even friends. I think Thailand must be having some odd effect on my brain.
“Do you want a drink? Something to eat?” I offer, going over to my kitchenette.
“What have you got?”
“Uh, iced coffee or Coke to drink. And some pastries to eat.” I hold up a couple of individually packaged buns I picked up from the 7-Eleven. I have no idea what’s inside them.
“Coke, please. And let me try one of those pastries. Why do you think it’s gree
n?”
I hand her the pastry and a can of Coke and shrug. “Dunno.” I read the packaging on mine, but the only English word is pandan. Whatever that is.
Rosie tears off the plastic and takes a huge bite out of the bun.
“Oh my God. This is amazing. You have to try it.”
I open up mine and nibble a tiny bit. It’s not bad.
Rosie stuffs the whole thing in her mouth and chews. Before she’s even fully swallowed, she pours the Coke in to wash it down.
“I’m going to have to buy some of those later.” She dusts her hands together and looks at me. “OK. So who are you avoiding again?”
“Oh, just this chick at the perfumery I’m helping out at.”
She holds up her hands. “Wait! You’re working at a perfumery?”
“Oh, yeah, sort of. Just until my passport is ready.”
“What kind of stuff do you do there?”
“Just package up samples and check inventory.”
“Can I come and see?”
“Uh, I guess.”
“I can be your moral support in case that woman tries to annoy you.”
I laugh. “I’m sure that won’t be necessary, but thank you.”
“Can we just wait until the locksmith arrives? And then you can take me there?”
“OK. It will give me a good reason to delay going in.”
“You shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for yourself if you’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I know. But I think sometimes it’s not worth it. I would rather avoid confrontation if I can.”
“But that’s the problem with people these days. I don’t mean on social media, because that’s just one big aggressive shit-storm, but in person, people are too worried about hurting everyone’s feelings. And I think that’s why they get so angry on Twitter and Facebook. They bottle up all that frustration while they’re at work or with their friends, and it has to come out somewhere.”
“That’s an interesting theory, but I’m nice to people online too.”
“It sounds like you’re too nice, Chloe. You stick with me for a while and we’ll get you sorted out.”
I know I should be a bit put out that this woman thinks I need to change my life, but there’s something about her tone that makes me wonder whether I do need to be more assertive. I mean, I know I can take on people who threaten Mia, but I don’t tend to react the same to those who threaten me.
Perfume Therapy Page 10