“Is that Aaron?”
“Yep.”
“Who is he with?”
“I don’t know. But she works at one of those soapy massage parlours.”
“What’s a soapy massage?”
“Exactly as it sounds.”
“Oh.” I feel sick. “So he basically left here and went to some chick for a happy ending?”
“What do you care? If it means he’s out of your life, isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes, but what if that wasn’t the first time he’d done it?”
“Oh, Chloe, you can’t be thinking like that. It’s probably best you just forget about him and move on.”
“I hope he allows it to be that way,” I sigh.
I really hope he does.
TWENTY-EIGHT
On our way to the perfumery, I can’t stop thinking about the photo. I’m still shocked by how easily Aaron went from begging me to go home with him, to getting a “massage” at a questionable parlour. I mean, if it was the first time he’s done something like that and it was a way for him to disconnect from me, then great! I’m all for it. But if it was a sign of past behaviour, then I’m very, very glad we always used condoms when we were together.
Daniel looks like he’s been waiting for us when we arrive, because he immediately jumps up.
“How are you both today?” he asks anxiously.
“We’re fine. Sorry to worry you,” I say. I really want to reach out and tuck myself into those strong arms of his, but I resist. Despite everything that’s happened, he still might not appreciate me being physically affectionate in front of everyone.
“No, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“I think we should forget everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours and focus on what’s in front of us,” Rosie says.
“Good idea,” I agree.
“And I’m going to make your day by giving you some money, Daniel,” Rosie says, smiling.
He laughs. “OK.”
Rosie hands him her credit card. “Please charge me for everything involved in the development of my fragrance. I’d like to make sure I’m completely paid up.”
“You can settle it in instalments,” he offers. “That’s what a lot of my clients do.”
“No, it’s fine. I have the money, so I might as well give it to you now.”
“Thank you, Rosie. I really appreciate it.”
He goes over to the credit card machine and swipes her card. “I’ll just print up your invoice.”
“Has Maynard’s perfumery affected the profitability of your business?” I ask.
Daniel shakes his head. “I don’t think so, although landing Blue Fox would have put us in a really good position for the next six months. I think we’re fine, though, at least for the time being.”
“Yeah, and I guess you can always work your magic like you did with Chloe and me if things get really tough,” Rosie says, offhand. “People would pay a fortune for that stuff.”
I feel my eyes widen. Oh my God. What did she just say?
I quickly look between Rosie and Daniel. Rosie sees my expression and realises what she said. She looks horrified.
“I didn’t mean…” I can see that she actually didn’t mean to imply anything, but both our reactions have given it away.
Daniel frowns, his face hardening.
“Chloe told you?”
“No, I just meant that you…you’re such an amazing perfumer,” she stammers.
I close my eyes slowly. Shit.
“Chloe?” I can hear the disappointment in his voice.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“She didn’t mean to say anything, I swear,” Rosie says. “I made her tell me. I can be very persuasive. And I’d never tell anyone else.”
Daniel says nothing. I sneak a glance at him. He’s just looking at me sadly.
“I think I should go,” I say quietly and head to the door.
But just as I reach it, he finally speaks. “Chloe…”
“It’s best I leave,” I whisper.
When I’m out on the street, I burst into tears.
***
I hear footsteps behind me. “Chloe!”
“Leave me alone.”
Rosie catches up to me. I had hoped Daniel would be the one chasing, telling me it was OK, but his absence confirms that I have well and truly fucked up.
“Oh my God, Chloe. I am so sorry. You know I didn’t mean to do that, don’t you?”
“I don’t know, Rosie.” I do know, but I’m so mad at myself that I can’t seem to behave rationally.
“I swear I didn’t!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Daniel hates me now.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He can’t be mad because of one tiny slip-up.”
“It wasn’t a tiny slip up, though! It’s something he doesn’t tell anybody!”
She’s quiet for a minute. I keep walking purposefully towards our building.
“What do you want me to do?” she finally says.
“Nothing. I’m going to get my stuff and go check into a hotel.”
“No! Please don’t! Let me help you make it better.”
“We can’t.”
“I swear we can. Please just come back to my place. We’ll figure something out.” She hands me her key. “Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll go get some stuff and then I’ll join you.”
I reluctantly take the key. “Fine.”
She hurries off, and I trudge back to the building.
I have made such a mess of things.
***
When Rosie returns to her apartment, she is carrying a shopping bag full of junk food in one hand, and ingredients for cocktails in the other.
“I’m not sure this is going to make me feel better,” I say doubtfully.
“It’s a start. And we’ll figure out how to get Daniel to forgive you. You know how in the movies, the person who does something silly always performs some grand gesture? Well, we’ll brainstorm our own grand gestures.”
“Grand gestures only work in the movies,” I say dismally. “When they happen in real life, the person always ends up looking creepy.” Rosie looks sceptical, so I keep going. “And even in some movies, when you actually think about them, they’re still creepy. Like in Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan is so obsessed with Tom Hanks that she’s basically cheating on her boyfriend, and she actually ditches Bill Pullman in the hope that Tom might show up! That’s horrible. Poor Bill Pullman.”
Rosie laughs. “I always liked Bill Pullman. Although I do love Tom Hanks more.”
I ignore her because I’m on a roll. “And then most of the other grand gestures involve the person doing something really embarrassing in public. Like Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You. Or John Cusack in Say Anything.”
“I don’t think anyone was watching John Cusack in Say Anything,” Rosie points out. “But I see what you’re getting at. No grand gestures, then. But, you know, I think Daniel would forgive you, even if you just went and talked to him. He’s a pretty decent guy.”
“I know he is. But what’s the point? Maybe it’s better if we leave it like this. It won’t be so painful when I go home.”
“Pfft. You have a warped way of thinking, babe.”
She goes over to the kitchen and mixes up a couple of mojitos. I open a packet of shrimp flavoured potato chips from the junk food bag. They are surprisingly tasty.
“I think we should get really drunk and then go out,” Rosie declares.
“Huh? No! I should be at the perfumery helping Daniel. But instead I’ve let him down. I can’t just pretend nothing’s wrong. I deserve to be punished, and that means sitting here being miserable until I go home.”
She stares at me. “Do you realise how silly you sound? Daniel will get over it. In the meantime, you need to enjoy your last few hours in Bangkok.” She shoves the mojito in my face. “Drink up.”
I gingerly take the glass from her and sip it.
“I used to work as a bartender in college,” she reveals.
“Oh, cool.”
I take another sip. It’s very strong. I bet she made it that way on purpose.
After a few minutes, I start to relax again. I don’t want to think about how easy it could be to follow in my mum’s footsteps.
“So what time’s your flight tomorrow?” Rosie asks. “Do you need to check in online?”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Probably.” I open up my laptop. “Can I use your wifi?”
“Sure.”
She types in the password and then slides the laptop back over to me.
I start tapping away, but after a minute, the connection cuts out.
“I don’t think your internet is working properly,” I tell her.
“That’s weird. Let me have a look.”
I give her back the laptop and she types away.
“Any luck?” I ask.
“Um…not yet. It’s acting strange. Give me a minute.”
I stare out the window, sipping my drink. I feel marginally better, but there is still a horrible feeling of guilt sitting in my stomach.
After a minute, Rosie closes the lid on my laptop.
“All taken care of.”
“Wait, what?”
“I sorted it out. Finished your check-in for you.”
“Oh. Uh, thanks, I guess. Did you pick my seat?”
“Yep. As close to the front as possible in a window seat.”
I feel a bit unsettled at not having done this myself.
“What if I wanted an aisle?”
“Nobody wants an aisle.”
“Some people do. If they have long legs. Or if they want to have easy access to the bathroom or exits in an emergency.”
She laughs. “Well, you’re not tall, you don’t seem to have any bladder issues, and I don’t take you as the type to be scared of flying.”
“It doesn’t matter. I could have done it myself.”
“I know. But I thought seeing I was already sorting out the internet and I only had to click a few keys, it was easier if I did it.”
“You’re quite a unique person, you know that, don’t you?”
“I do.” She gulps down half of her cocktail in one mouthful. “And now if you insist on us staying in for the rest of the day, I need a lot more to drink.”
***
Two hours later, that’s exactly what we’ve done. I can’t remember the last time I consumed so much alcohol. Rosie and I have also eaten all the food she brought back, and now she’s painting my toenails fluoro pink.
“Stop moving!” she shrieks. “I’m getting the polish all over your toes!”
“I’m not moving!” I protest. “You are because you’re drunk!”
She cackles. “I totally am.”
I look down at my toes in despair. “They’re so messy. Do you have any polish remover?”
She shakes her head with an exaggerated motion. “Uh-uh, sorry.”
“Maybe they have something at the lab?” I suggest.
“No! We can’t go to the lab in this state! Daniel will freak out.”
“Oh, Daniel,” I moan. I then look at Rosie seriously. “I think I love him, you know.”
“I know. And I’m pretty sure he loves you too. Which is why he will forgive you for telling me about his magic.”
“You really think he loves me?”
“I do.”
I sigh. “But I have to go home tomorrow. I might not have time to see him again.”
Rosie giggles.
“What?”
“I did something.”
I try to glare at her, but just wind up feeling dizzy. “What did you do?”
“I might have changed your flight home to Sunday.”
“What? How?”
“Before, when I checked you in. I changed the day. Don’t worry, I covered the cost.”
“But…but…Rosie! You can’t do that!”
“I can. And I did.”
I find myself not knowing what to say.
“This is where you say ‘thank you, Rosie’,” she prompts.
“Thank you?” I’m trying to fight through my drunken stupor to figure out what this all means. Will I still be home in time to go to work on Monday? What am I supposed to do for the next couple of days? How am I going to get Daniel to forgive me?
“You don’t sound very grateful,” Rosie says, pouting.
“Sorry. I am. It’s just…” Oh, this is all too hard. “I think I need to lie down, or I’m going to puke,” I tell her.
“OK. We’ll talk more in the morning. You just relax.”
I gently lay back on the floor and close my eyes.
My head is already spinning.
TWENTY-NINE
I wake up the next morning with the worst hangover of my life. Rosie is next to me on my mattress on the living room floor. We must have been too drunk to move.
I roll onto the carpet and crawl over to the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the fridge. I gulp it down, ignoring the throbbing pain in my head.
I try to remember everything that happened the day before. Ugh…Daniel hates me. And while I know Rosie is just trying to help, I’ve realised that I need to sort everything out on my own. At least thanks to Rosie’s meddling, I have another couple of days to do that before going back to Australia. If I was heading home today, I’d probably get sucked back into my regular routine before I had a chance to get some clarity.
I’m sure Rosie meant for me to spend my remaining time with her—or with Daniel, if I was somehow able to convince him to listen to me—but I’m going to decide what happens now. And that requires some alone time.
I quietly pack up my suitcase and write a short note for Rosie, asking her to return the mattress to Daniel’s apartment when she gets a chance. I thank her for everything she’s done and promise I’ll be in touch. I just don’t know if it will be in person or online.
I collect the rest of my stuff from my apartment and then sneak out. I start walking down the street, away from the perfumery. It’s pretty early and for once, annoyingly, there don’t seem to be many cabs driving past. So I keep walking, dragging my bags behind me. I’m already sweating profusely.
“Chloe!”
I freeze. Damn.
I slowly turn towards the voice and come face to face with Kitty. She’s standing in front of a building, pulling a blue concertina gate across the front door.
“Hey,” I say, pretending that I always head out in the mornings with all my luggage.
“Where are you going?” she asks, clearly confused by the bags.
“I’m, uh, going to a hotel. My ex-boyfriend has shown up in Bangkok and I don’t want to see him.”
Her face creases with concern.
“Oh. But you can’t pay for hotel. Come and stay with me!” She starts pulling the gate open again.
I smile at the sweet woman standing in front of me. “That’s OK. I don’t want to put you out.”
And I need some time on my own, I beg silently.
“No, no. You won’t. Please.” She grips my arm and picks up one of my smaller bags.
“I…I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I say.
She stops and stares at me as if offended. “Why not?”
Wow. She can be a feisty little thing when determined.
I decide to be straight with her. “Because I don’t want Daniel knowing where I am.”
She frowns. “Did he hurt you?”
“No! Nothing like that. If anything, I hurt him. I think it would be best for all concerned if I just left. But thank you for your offer.”
She doesn’t let go of my bag.
“I’ve decided. You still come to my house. No one will know you’re there.”
I contemplate making more of a fuss, but I don’t have the energy. Besides, Kitty is harmless. At least, I think she is. Today she’s wearing a pink baby-doll dress and has he
r hair pushed back with a furry headband, so she certainly doesn’t look threatening.
“Do you promise not to tell anyone at the perfumery I’m at your place?”
“I promise,” she assures me.
I don’t have any way of knowing how good she is at keeping her word, but I’ve always liked Kitty, so I give in and follow her to the door. Besides, the idea of trudging around in the humidity and then not knowing where to ask a cab driver to take me isn’t a particularly appealing notion.
Kitty unlocks the door behind the gate and pulls it open, revealing a sparsely furnished living area with cracked patterned tiles on the ground.
“Were you just on your way to the perfumery?” I ask. If she says yes, then I might get my alone time after all.
“Yes, but it’s OK. I would have been early. I show you around first.”
“I like your place,” I tell her. Admittedly, it’s a bit run-down, but it’s very clean. And staying somewhere basic is exactly what I need. No distractions and lots of time to think.
“Thanks,” she says. “I know it’s not fancy, but it’s cheap. One of my sisters lives here too, but she’s away at the moment. You can have her room.” She points to a doorway down a narrow hall. I take my suitcase over and look inside. It has a mattress on the floor with a cute patchwork blanket and pillow. A small fan sits in the corner and a bare light bulb hangs from the ceiling. There are no windows.
“You are very kind to let me stay here,” I say.
Kitty puts my other bag beside my suitcase. “Daniel thinks very highly of you. And I think you are good person, so I want to help.”
I wonder how she felt after finding out about Phroi and Kannika.
“Did you hear about Maynard?” I ask her.
She wrinkles her nose.
“Yes. He is terrible, terrible man.”
“Did you suspect that Phroi or Kannika were working with him?”
“No, but I did think Kannika was doing something bad. She was always so sneaky and mean. It’s not fair on Daniel. He is such good boss. I feel for him.”
She continues the brief tour by showing me the bathroom. It contains a squat toilet, and I’m reminded of my night out on Khaosan Road. It makes me wonder how differently things would’ve turned out if I’d found that toilet sooner. I’m definitely glad I met Daniel and Rosie, but I’m afraid I have caused them both too much drama.
Perfume Therapy Page 23