Jade by Olivia Rigal Page A

like Chanlina and believed in magic…
    And then magic occurs, and Oliver is right by me in the water. I was so absorbed in my thoughts I did not see him swim in. Any noise he may have made was been covered up by the gushing sound of the waterfall. He’s really good at that, appearing next to me without a noise.
    He’s wrapping his arms around my waist from behind, and kisses this soft spot he’s found on my neck. 
    I turn around to face him.
    “Hello, stranger,” I say playfully reaching for him.
    “Do you let all strangers kiss you like that?”
    “Not usually, but you kind of remind me of a guy I met a couple of weeks ago. I fell asleep in his bed one night, and then the next day he was gone.”
    “Oh, I know that guy. He’s got a daughter in boarding school. He went to pick up the kid up at the bus stop and when he came back to introduce the two of you, you were out. He waited a bit, but then an emergency came up and he had to run.”
    “Nothing bad, I hope?” I ask.
    He frowns as he answers, “Nothing that couldn’t be fixed.” 
    “I’m glad,” I say, and put my lips to his forehead to smooth out he wrinkles.
    He smiles, and the lines vanish.
    “When I left, I put a note on my pillow.”
    “You did?”
    “Yes, I was telling you to make yourself at home in my room, and that I would return as soon as I could.”
    “Never saw it. I’m sorry.”
    “Me too. I had this fantasy about coming back early in the morning, and curling up next to you.” 
    “Mmmm that would have been nice,” I say, nuzzling into his neck and wrapping my legs around his waist to keep afloat.
     “I had promised Chanlina a few days away,” he tells me. “Would you like to come with us?”
    “No can do. I have my work, and I think that Chanlina needs some alone time with you.”
    “You’re not answering my question,” he says. 
    I cock my head sideways, as if I don’t understand what he’s saying but I know he’s right. I may have given him reasons as to why I should not be tagging along, but I did not answer his question.
    He asks again. “Would like to come with us?”
    Oliver looks so serious that I know my answer will be decisive of the road that our relationship will take. I think carefully about my answer.
    “Yes, I would be happy to go with you two.”
    “But…”
    “No buts,” I lie.
    “You’re sure?”
    “Does it really matter?” I bite back, because I feel cornered and I don’t like it. He looks surprised.
    “The truth is that I’m not sure how I feel about your coming equipped with a ready-made family, but I understand that it’s a package deal.”
    “Fair enough,” he says seriously.
    “Are there anymore of your family members that I should be aware of?” I ask.
     “Not that I can think off at the top of my head,” he answers. 
    “Okay. So you’re in luck, because I like your daughter,” I say, softening my tone. “So, yes, I would like to come with you.”
    “So, it’s a done deal.” He grins and it’s my turn to be surprised. “Yes, I asked Agatha, and she said that whatever you had to do could wait until Monday,” he kisses me lightly, and continues. “I also asked Chanlina. She hesitated for half a second, and then said that if she couldn’t have my undivided attention, then there was no one else she would rather share me with.”
    “That’s sweet.”
    “Yes, you’ve managed to conquer the both of us,” he says, and that makes me smile.
     
    ❦

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    WE LAND IN BANGKOK A few hours later. A limo is waiting for us at the airport, and it takes us to a nice hotel on Silom Road. It boasts a huge hallway with a large Shiva sculpture. Most of the staff is Indian; a pleasant lady in a traditional Indian sarong shows us to our room. It’s a large bedroom, about twenty times the size of our base camp cells. There are two queen-sized beds. 
    Chanlina is ecstatic. She jumps on the bed by the window and says “Dibs!”
    “No