Gael's Suite

When Gael invited Angela for a drink, she thought that they were going to the resort's bar. Who would have thought that they would end up in the room next to hers?

There were a few selections of alcohol on a console table—wine, vodka, rum, brandy, and whiskey—oh and there were cans of beers in the fridge too. She didn't notice them last night when she stayed over, so she got curious and asked him when they arrived in his suite. It turned out that the resort's owner, Mr. Cho, sent all of these in the morning. Was that man planning to drown his friend in alcohol?

They sat in armchairs facing the balcony, watching the heavy rain pouring from the sky through the tall glass window. There was a small coffee table between them with a bottle of whiskey on top of it. Angela had been nursing a can of beer in her hands. She was going to choose the wine but she was reminded of the beer that Gael had earlier at lunch and that made her want to have some.

Her can was nearly empty when she came to a realization—she had thought that when he invited her to drink, they would at least be talking but he had been quiet since they sat on the chair, which was almost an hour ago. She began to think that she shouldn't be there. He had been acting strange since that phone call. Now, he was just staring at nothing in particular.

Finally not able to take how silent he was, she carefully asked, "Are you okay?"

Gael turned his head to her and raised his brow in confusion. "Yeah, why?"

Realizing what she meant, he immediately felt awful. Had he spaced out? Running his hand through his hair, he took a sip of his drink and was apologetic as he looked at her and responded, "Have I made you feel that way? My bad… I got lost thinking about something."

"Do you… wanna talk about it?" Angela gripped the beer can and turned her body slightly towards him.

Gael didn't want to talk about it, so he made a small smile and shook his head. "It's okay… Don't worry about it." Setting his glass down on the table, he glanced at her and continued, "I think it's my turn to ask you questions… So Angela… What was the best vacation you ever took and why?"

Hearing him asking questions again, she felt played. Weren't she just trying to see if he was okay? Why was he turning the tables and asking this stuff about her now? She clicked her tongue and groaned. "Ugh… Are we back to questions again?" She finished her beer and faced the window again. Despite her complaint, she was already considering the answer to his question in her head.

"You said you were out with your friends a lot in the past. Don't tell me there's not a single trip that you really liked?" He cocked a brow in question and waited for her answer. She looked like she was thinking so seriously this time. The strands of her hair fell down when she lowered her head and he felt the urge to tuck it behind her ear.

"You're asking for the 'best' but I can't think of anything worthy. Except for one actually… but it was so long ago…" Angela brought her knees up, hugged her legs, and rested her chin on her knees. Feeling the gush of familiar emotions within her, she took a deep breath and started, "I don't recall how old I was. I guess I was too young to remember because my mom was still there at that time. We have this lake house that was a three-hour ride from Mayne and we used to go there every summer.

"My brother and I would fight all the time because I wanted to sleep in his room but he'd always send me out and lock the door. We would swim and ride a small boat on the lake and my dad would sing songs with my mom although he wasn't really a good singer…" She chuckled despite the small prick that she felt in her heart. Then, she took a sip of her beer only to realize that she had already finished it earlier, so she smiled and put the can on the table.

Gael could see the smile on her lips and he thought that it was a clear contrast to the longing look in her eyes. He didn't dare to ask her because a part of him somewhat already knew that she was thinking about her mother. He knew he was—the numb and empty feeling in his chest was all too familiar.

"What about you?" she asked him.

"Easy. The Netherlands when I turned eighteen." He downed the rest of his whiskey before pouring another shot.

She waited for him to give his reason but he didn't say anything else after that. "Do... I want to know why?" The sly grin on his face before taking a swig of his drink and glancing at her made her toes curl.

"I don't think you do," he said, then he got up and went to grab another can of beer for her. There was no way he could tell her what he and some family members did there.

Just as he came back and handed the beer to her, she shifted in her seat as an idea came to mind. She had finished a can already and she could feel the alcohol working its magic but she was looking for something else. "I need more. This isn't doing it for me."

"Do you want a different drink? What do you want? I'll get it for you."

Angela eyed the cold beer, then she looked at the collection of alcohol on the console table. Her eyes sparkled at the thought of different combinations that she had in her head. With her feet getting tingly, she said, "Actually… I think we need to borrow more glasses."

"What for?"

She got on her feet and curved the corners of her mouth as she told him almost excitedly, "You said you wanted to get to know me and you invited me for drinks. I know just the way to put those two together."

Gael watched as she picked up the telephone and asked for two regular glasses and two shot glasses to be sent over to his suite. He swallowed, suddenly wondering if he made a mistake. Should he stop her?

Nah.