“Oh, no. At least I don’t think so.” For a second, I have a vision of Rosie tied up in her apartment with Kannika holding her hostage. But that would be extremely unlikely. I know there’s no love lost between Kannika and Rosie, but I think Kannika’s problem is mostly with me.
I tell Daniel about the damaged ambergris order, but not that I suspect Kannika of doing it.
“You know, I’ve never once had an order arrive so badly mangled that the canisters actually burst open. I’m going to have a word with the supplier tomorrow. That’s unacceptable.”
“Well…” Damn it. I don’t want to look like a snitch, but it doesn’t seem fair that the supplier should be blamed.
“What?”
“I think there’s a small chance a staff member might have been responsible,” I say as gently as possible.
His eyes widen. “What makes you say that? Do you know who?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“But Chloe, if someone is deliberately sabotaging materials, I need to know.”
“I’m not sure. I just have a feeling.”
He runs his hands through his hair, exasperated. “I wish you’d tell me why you think that.”
“It doesn’t matter. I have it all sorted out. There’s a supplier in the US, so I’m just waiting until eleven when I can phone them and organise a replacement.”
He still looks unsettled. “So that’s why you’re still here?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then. I suppose you’ll need someone to keep you company and slap your face if you start to doze off.”
I laugh. “Slap my face?”
“Isn’t that what they do in the movies?”
“I don’t know. Do they?”
“I’m not sure, now that you mention it.”
“It’s only until 11pm. I’m sure I can manage to stay awake that long.” And then I remember my reservations about him. My tone goes flat. “Anyway, you’ve had a long day. You should go home and relax.”
He senses the change in mood immediately and comes over to stand in front of me. “What’s going on? Have I said or done something to upset you?”
My face heats up. How do you accuse someone of being a player without it being awkward? I stare at the floor.
“Chloe?” he prods. “Tell me what I’ve done. Please.”
I finally make eye contact. “Do you seduce women in the lab?”
His eyes bulge. “Excuse me?”
“Do you lure women into your lab and…do stuff with them?”
He looks at me as if I’m speaking an alien language. “No! Of course not! Why on earth would you think that?”
“Because Gan said he’s never seen you with a girlfriend, and there were rumours that you like to play the field.”
He laughs humourlessly. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. I mean, no I haven’t had a girlfriend for a while, but playing the field…did Gan tell you that?”
“No, no. Please don’t be mad at Gan. It wasn’t him.”
“Then who? God, I leave the place for a few days and I return to find sabotaged packages and attacks on my credibility…” He stops for a minute. “Hang on, is this because of that night when we were both here alone and…”
I feel like my face might actually catch on fire. I mumble a “sort of”.
“Chloe, I deeply, deeply apologise if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way. I have the utmost respect for you and your relationship with your boyfriend. I would never…”
“Aaron and I broke up,” I blurt out. I’m not sure why, but I don’t want Daniel feeling any worse than he already seems to.
“Oh. Right.” He looks caught off guard. “Are you OK with that?”
“Yes. I think it had been a while coming, but I didn’t realise until the other day.”
“Well…” He looks a bit lost for words.
I need to change the subject. “Look, it’s fine. Let’s forget this whole conversation. I’m just going to go and wait in the apartment.” I stand up, ready to leave.
“No, please. Let me keep you company. I’ll take you to a place I go when I need to let off a little steam.”
I raise my eyebrows in question. “What kind of place?”
“You’ll see.”
He must see the reluctance on my face and interprets it as something else.
“I promise your virtue is safe. We’ll be out in public with other people around.”
“Oh, that’s not what I…” I can’t even finish the sentence. I feel terrible that I have handled things so badly.
He tilts his head towards the back door. “As long as you don’t mind riding with me on the bike again. I haven’t unloaded the van yet and it’s a mess.”
I feel like I’m white water rafting towards a huge waterfall with no way to stop the forward momentum.
And I decide I’m just going to go with it.
“OK. Let’s do it.”
Whatever will be, will be.
***
We ride away from the city on Daniel’s bike. Because we’re not near the tourist areas and it’s quite late, the roads aren’t very busy. Daniel goes faster than he did the last time I was with him, but tonight I embrace it. I press tightly to his back, enjoying the solid warmth of his body in contrast to the wind whipping past on the sides. I also feel any remaining suspicion about his character dissolve away. It didn’t take much. I’d always felt like Kannika might be lying, but the combination of Daniel’s long-term single status confirmed by Gan and that internet article, and having just found out my boyfriend had betrayed me so badly had me questioning everything.
And now he thinks I’m mad at him, the poor guy.
Soon, we arrive at what looks like a small village of brightly coloured buildings.
At first, I think Daniel has brought me to some sort of funky university campus, but then I see the sign.
Karaoke Town.
I laugh in surprise.
“Karaoke?”
“Yep. I hope you can sing.”
“Uh, no. I cannot.”
“I’m sure you could if you tried.”
“You’ll be sorry you asked.”
We walk along a short boardwalk to an office where Daniel collects our microphones and hands over his credit card.
“You can’t pay for me!” I protest.
“Uh, I think I just did.”
He starts to walk off, so I run after him to catch up. We pass several other occupied groups, all looking like they’re having a great time in their little glass boxes. Our room is down the end and lit brightly. I guess Daniel has a point about it being quite public. The only solid wall is the one at the back.
Inside is a couch, a daybed and a coffee table. A large screen is mounted on one wall, and a smaller screen is suspended on a bendy pole near the couch so songs can be selected.
Daniel goes straight over to the smaller screen and starts scrolling through the music directory.
Before I know what’s happening, he’s belting out We are the Champions by Queen. I watch, awestruck. He can really sing.
At the end, I clap enthusiastically. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“I’m a terrible cook. And I can’t dance.”
“Ah. So that’s why you left the club early the other night.”
“Uh, yeah, something like that,” he says vaguely.
“So how did you get into perfume?” I’m hoping I can distract him for a while so he doesn’t force me to sing.
He reclines back on the daybed and puts his hands behind his head. “I visited France when I was a teenager and went on a perfumery tour with my mother. We attended a short workshop where we could make our own fragrance, and something just clicked.”
“You said you lived there as well?”
“Yes, much later, when I was twenty-three.”
“And you mentioned that you weren’t close to your dad. What did he think of your career choice?”
He grimaces. “He was not a fan. He pers
uaded me to study law instead, which I did for a while, until I realised my heart wasn’t in it.”
“What does he think these days?”
“He won’t admit it, but I think he’s proud of what I do. I’m pretty sure his main concern with me being a perfumer is that he thought it meant I was gay.”
I stifle a laugh.
He seems confused by my reaction to this.
“What?”
“I made a similar comment to Rosie after we found out you hadn’t had a girlfriend in a while.”
He shakes his head. “Jeez. So you were gossiping about me with Rosie too?”
“Sorry. I promise it wasn’t something we talked about for a long time. We were more impressed by the fragrance you made for her. Especially after she told me how perfectly you captured a precious moment in her past.”
He seems to tense up. “Yeah. I’m glad she liked it.”
“It’s just so strange that you got the exact elements right,” I continue. “I mean, how…”
A waiter arrives to take our order. Daniel seems glad of the interruption and orders a jug of iced water. After checking with me, he also asks for a couple of bowls of noodles.
When he’s gone, he goes to the directory.
“OK, now it’s your turn to sing.”
I groan. “Please, no.”
“How about we ease you into it with a bit of a duet?” He types in a song.
As the opening strains play through the speakers, I shove him playfully. “No fair!”
It’s The Time of My Life. From my favourite movie of all time.
“How did you know?” I ask.
He responds by singing to me in a deep tone, melodramatically waving his arms around.
When the female part starts, I sing the first few lines without even thinking. I know I sound terrible. Mia has often told me I can’t hold a tune. But for some reason, it doesn’t matter. I’m having fun.
By the time the last notes fade away, I have a big grin on my face.
“The endorphins from singing will stop you from feeling tired,” Daniel advises. “You want another turn?”
“Maybe soon.”
“Alright, well we don’t have to just sing. This place has movies too. What about something like Night of the Living Dead?”
“I’m not very good with horror movies.”
“That’s the point. You won’t want to fall asleep.”
I inhale deeply. “Alright. Do it.”
“Do you like the classics or the new stuff?”
“I’m not sure.”
“In that case, how about some eighties shock?”
“If you say so.”
Daniel looks up a title on the directory and then dims the lights. He encourages me to take the couch directly in front of the screen, while he stays on the daybed on the side wall.
A grainy scene of a car driving up a track comes on, while some creepy music plays. I’m already freaked out. I am a total chicken when it comes to scary movies.
Daniel sips a glass of water and studies the screen intently.
At least I’m not tired. Not that I should be. I wouldn’t even normally go to bed for another two or three hours.
I settle in and try to lose myself in the world of creepy cabins in the middle of nowhere and ancient demons that want to possess human bodies.
TWENTY-THREE
When the movie is over, I check the time and see it’s just after eleven. Daniel knows what he’s talking about. I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again. And I didn’t even have him to cling to during the scary bits. Damn his chivalry!
“I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone!”
“I know,” Daniel says, smiling. “It helps when you’ve got good company.”
His words make me feel all warm and gooey, and a tiny bit flustered.
“I’ll just call the supplier, and then I guess we can head back,” I say, trying to hide my awkwardness.
I’m not sure, but I think I see a tiny trace of disappointment flash across his face, before it quickly disappears again.
“Sure. Do you want me to talk to them for you?” he asks.
“Oh. Do you think they’d respond better to you because of your background?”
“I don’t know. It probably wouldn’t hurt.”
“Well, then maybe. I was just going to ask for a login so I can order the ambergris online.”
“I’ll see if I can organise it more quickly,” he says.
I hand him my phone with the number of the supplier already typed into the keypad. He clicks send and holds it up to his ear.
After a few seconds, I see his face register a voice on the other end.
“Ah, yes, hi. My name’s Daniel Richards and I…”
He stops talking and listens for a moment.
“Oh, yes. That’s me.”
Silence for a bit longer.
“That’s very flattering. Thank you. Actually, the reason for my call is that I’m after some ambergris base and your website says you stock it?”
I can see him carefully listening.
“OK, great. I think we’re after…” He looks at me for a second and I quickly refer to the notes Rosie and I were working with.
“Three hundred grams,” I mouth.
“Three hundred grams,” he repeats.
After a second, he nods. “Sure.” He looks at me. “They’re just checking their stock.”
We wait for another couple of minutes and then Daniel frowns.
“Oh, right,” he says to the voice at the other end. “So what do you advise?”
He listens for another minute, and also points to the note I’m holding while miming the universal sign for writing. I slide the paper over to him and rummage around in my handbag for a pen. I find one and hand it to him. He scribbles down something and then rests the pen on the coffee table. “OK. Thanks for your help. We’ll do that.”
He hangs up.
“So?” I ask.
“They said they only have fifty grams left, but they’re expecting another shipment sometime today. They’ll put the fifty gram bottle aside for us, but we’ll have to keep an eye on their website for the new batch to be entered in so we can order it.” He holds up the piece of paper. “This is the login. But they did say they’d had a few calls about ambergris recently and advised us to keep checking every hour to ensure we don’t miss out.”
I sigh. “So, basically, I have to stay awake all night?”
“It looks like it. Although, I obviously won’t be leaving you on your own. I feel partially responsible if one of my staff ruined your original batch.”
“You can’t feel bad for something that someone else did.”
“I can, and I do.” He massages the back of his neck in agitation. “What aren’t you telling me, Chloe? Who ruined your delivery?”
“Look, I’m not totally sure, but if I tell you who I think it is, will you promise not to get mad at them, at least until there’s proof?”
“OK. I promise.”
“I think it was Kannika.”
He nods grimly. “That makes sense.”
“It does?”
“Yes. And I take it she’s the one who told you I was a player?”
“It was.”
He shakes his head, frustrated. “I thought we were past all that.”
“Past what?”
He looks embarrassed. “Last year, Kannika made it clear that she was, er, interested in me. I didn’t see her that way, so I tried to let her down gently, telling her I didn’t think it was a good idea to date someone I employed in case things didn’t work out. She said she wanted to take the risk, but I was firm. She persisted for a while longer, but one day she just stopped and I assumed she’d finally gotten over it and moved on. But maybe she sees you as a threat…” He trails off. I think he’s realised that he’s implying we do actually have a relationship.
“I kind of thought that too,” I admit. “Not that I assumed you felt like…oh God.” I turn away
. I’ve never been good at talking about my feelings face-to-face. I think that’s why I thrived on a relationship with a man who I mostly only talked to via a computer.
Daniel, being the gentleman he is, changes the subject. “Listen, if we’re going to stay up all night, I think we’re going to need some of the tricks of the trade I learnt when I was studying law. Back in the day, I was known as the All-Nighter King.”
I laugh. “OK then, King All-Nighter. Tell me your secrets.”
He points to the iced water, which has been topped up several times already. “Cold water is better than energy drinks or coffee to keep you awake. Caffeine’s effects are usually short-lived.”
“I assume alcohol is out, too?” Not that I need to lower my inhibitions around this man. I’m already in serious danger of throwing myself at him.
“Yep. You probably already know it’s a depressant.”
“I do.”
And then, because we’re talking about the need to stay awake, I yawn.
“No yawning! Try laughing instead.”
“But I don’t want to laugh.”
“Pretend you’re trying to laugh really hard.”
I look at him like he’s delusional.
“Er, no thank you.”
He starts forcing out a fake belly laugh. I just stare at him. He keeps doing it.
I find myself smiling at how silly he looks, but I can’t bring myself to laugh.
He stops for a second. “Do you know that even forced laughter is good for you? Your body can’t tell the difference, so it responds the same way as if you were genuinely chuckling, which triggers endorphins and makes you feel good. So you won’t want to go to sleep.”
I look at him sceptically.
“At least start with a smile. The same principle applies.”
I force the corners of my mouth slightly up, and then feel so silly that I laugh self-consciously.
“There you go. It’s a start.”
He starts fake laughing again, making a tee-hee noise that evolves into something that sounds like Ernie from Sesame Street.
In the end, I can’t help it. I start laughing too. For real.
“Good!”
I quickly check the supplier’s website on my phone, just in case they’ve already received the order and by some miracle have entered it in.
No such luck. I look at my watch. We potentially have until 5pm US time to wait. That’s more than seven hours.
Perfume Therapy Page 18