But most of all, he ‘got’ me in a way that only Star had before, and had arrived in my life just when I’d needed him. Both of us were adrift in this world and had washed up together on the same shore, not sure of what was coming next, and it was comforting to hold on to someone, even for a little while.
On the sixth day, I woke up of my own accord, looked at the clock and saw it was almost one in the afternoon. Ace’s usual delivery of fruit, croissants and coffee was late. I was just about to get up and find him when he opened the door with a tray in his hands. I would have relaxed, except for the look on his face.
‘Morning, CeCe. Sleep well?’
‘Yeah, from four till now, as you know,’ I said as he set the tray down.
Normally, he’d come and lie next to me, but today he didn’t. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed.
‘I’ve got some stuff to do. Fancy taking yourself off somewhere for the afternoon?’
‘Of course,’ I said brightly.
‘See you for dinner tonight at eight?’ He stood up and kissed me on the top of my head.
‘Yeah, sure.’
He left with a wave and a smile, and being a novice at this whole relationship thing, I couldn’t work out whether this was normal. Was it because he had ‘stuff to do’ and the world was finally getting back on its feet after New Year, or should I panic and pack my rucksack? In the end, not wanting to look as though I had nowhere to go and couldn’t amuse myself, I walked back down Plebs’ Path to Railay with my sketch pad. As I walked up onto the veranda of the Railay Beach Hotel, I saw the beach was less crowded than it had been at New Year. Nam was serving at the bar, so I ordered a mango shake just so she would have to make it for me. Then I sat on the bar stool, watching her with a smug look that I wasn’t proud of.
‘You need room?’ she asked me as she peeled the mango and dumped it into the blender.
‘No, I’m fine, thanks.’
‘Which hotel you stay at?’
‘The Sunrise Resort.’
Nam nodded, but I saw a glint in her eye. ‘Not seen you for a while. Nobody seen you.’
‘I’ve been busy.’
‘Jay say he seen you on Phra Nang getting onto speedboat with man.’
‘Really? I wish.’ I rolled my eyes as my heart thumped. Jay was a guy I knew in passing from last year – a friend of Jack’s. He’d helped out behind the bar sometimes, but was a full-time drifter who went wherever he could earn a crust. Someone had told me he’d once been a big-shot journalist until the drugs got him. I’d seen him sitting in here bold as brass, smoking a joint. Drugs were not something I approved of and here in Thailand, whether it was a joint or an armful of heroin, possession carried the same harsh penalty.
He’d also had a thing about Star, making a beeline for her every time we’d come in for a quiet drink. She found him as creepy as I did, so I’d made sure she was never alone with him.
‘He say he saw you,’ Nam persisted as she passed over the mango shake. ‘You got a new boyfriend?’
She said it as if I’d had an old one . . . and then it dawned on me that perhaps she thought that Jack and I had been having a thing, what with me sleeping in his room. Christ, women could be so pathetic sometimes. It was obvious to everyone that Jack was putty in her small, slim hands.
‘Nope,’ I said, then drained my glass as quickly as I could.
‘Jay say he know man you were with. Bad man. Famous.’
‘Then Jay needs a new pair of glasses, ’cos it wasn’t me.’ I counted out sixty baht with a ten baht tip and put it down on the bar as I stood up.
‘Jay in later. He tell you.’
I shook my head and rolled my eyes at her again as though I thought she was crazy, then left, trying to act casually. Instead of turning right along the beach back to the palace, I turned left, where I’d told Nam my hotel was, just in case she or Jay, or anyone else for that matter, was watching. I dumped my shoes and towel on the beach in front of the hotel I’d said I was staying at, and walked into the water for a swim and a think.
What had she meant when she’d said that Jay had called Ace a ‘bad man’? In Nam’s book, that probably meant he was a womaniser, nothing more. I knew Ace hadn’t been short of girlfriends when he’d lived in London – he was forever mentioning different women he’d shared good times with. As for him being ‘famous’, maybe he was, but I wouldn’t know because I never read newspapers or magazines, due to my dyslexia.
I waded out and lay back on the sand to let my skin dry in the sun, and I wondered whether I should tell Ace. It was obvious he was paranoid about his privacy . . . What if he was some famous celebrity? I could always ask Electra – that was the world she lived in every day. And if he was, that would make her shut up for once – the ugly D’Aplièse sister, bagging herself a famous boyfriend. It was almost worth texting to ask her just for her reaction.
But I knew that if I did tell Ace someone was on to him, it would only worry him. And besides, Jay didn’t know where he lived – or, at least, I hoped he didn’t.
Perhaps I should tell Ace . . . but I only had a few days left here before I had to make my way to Australia and I didn’t want to spoil our time together. I finally decided that once I was back inside the palace gates, I’d stay put and not come out until it was time for me to leave for the airport. And today, I just had to hope that no one was watching as I went back in.
Choosing a time just before sunset when Phra Nang Beach was beginning to empty but I could still remain inconspicuous amongst the throng, I went for another swim, then sat on my towel very near Po, who, when he saw me, immediately tried to press the keypad to let me in. I ignored him and lay down a few metres away. I’d slip inside when all eyes were turned on the sunset in front of me.
Twenty minutes later, the show began and I scurried up to the palace gates like a hunted animal.
I didn’t know what to expect when I walked up the path to my room, but at least if Ace had suddenly gone off me and asked me to move out that night, the New Year rush was over and there was plenty of room in the hotels along the beach. Opening the door to my room, I smelt a flowery scent wafting on the air.
‘I’m in here, come and join me.’
I walked into the bathroom and saw Ace lying in the huge oval bathtub, which was surrounded by numerous tea lights giving off a softly scented glow. On top of the water floated hundreds of white and pink flower petals.
‘Join me?’
I giggled.
‘What’s so funny?’
‘You look like a surrealist’s version of that famous painting of the dead Ophelia.’
‘You mean a hairier and uglier version? Cheers,’ he said with a grin. ‘And there was me trying to be romantic. Granted, the maid went over the top with the flowers, but never ask a Thai person to run your bath or you end up picking petals off yourself for days afterwards. Come on, climb in.’
So I did, and lay there with my head resting upon his chest and his arms holding me tight around my middle. It felt fantastic.
‘Sorry about earlier,’ he whispered into my ear and then gave it a soft kiss. ‘I just had some stuff to sort out on the phone.’
‘No need to apologise.’
‘I missed you,’ he whispered again. ‘Shall we eat in tonight?’