Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) by L.A. Shorter Read Free Book Online Page A

who'd
always want to make others feel good about themselves. This cryptic
to and fro with Henry wasn't natural to her, and didn't sit well in
her stomach.

    “ What's
all that about with Lord Henners over there?” Sarah asked jovially
as they walked into their latest hotel room.

    “ God
I don't know Sarah, it's all messed up.” She thought about
bypassing the issue, about ignoring and letting it slide, but she
couldn't. Sarah was her best friend, and they shared everything with
each other. She took a deep breath: “I...saw him kissing Emily last
night....that's....that's why I took so long in the bathroom...I was
a bit upset, you know.”

    Sarah
expression showed shock, as if that's what Jenny wanted, but also an
element of her own confusion: “Awww hun, what a dick! But....aren't
you guys just, you know, friends? Has something happened between you
two?”

    Jenny
forgot that she hadn't told her about their kiss on the volcano....or
even about the little looks and touches, the small conversations and
general feeling she'd got around him. In fact, she hadn't really told
Sarah much at all about how she felt....probably because she felt
kind of silly having those feelings in the first place.

    “ OK,
we have kissed, yeah....on the volcano a few days ago.”

    “ Really!
You mean...wait....ON the volcano? That was, like, stupid-o-clock in
the morning? How'd that happen?” Sarah seemed keen to get a few
details before she could offer any sort of advice on the matter.

    “ Well....”
Jenny started telling Sarah about the sunrise, how Henry whispered in
her ear, how he gave her the most amazing kiss of her young life, how
they smiled and looked at each, how they bonded on the way down the
mountain, how they played in the pool and she fell asleep on his
shoulder. They all seemed like little things, but added up they meant
a lot. “Am I being stupid here? I guess he can do what he wants,
right?”

    “ Yeah,
sure, he can do what he wants, everyone can do what they want. And
what he wants is apparently to be a complete dick! Of course you're
not being stupid here, not at all. If I was in your position, I'd be
feeling the exact same way. He knows you like him, that much is
obvious, so to lead you on and do those things....and then kiss that
stuck up little Aussie chick in your face like that....that's
bullshit. I'm sorry Jen, but it is...it's bullshit.”

    “ Well,
to be fair he didn't do it in my face. I only stumbled upon them...it
wasn't like he was, 'hey, Jenny, look at me', you know.”

    “ No,
no Jen, don't do that. You always go do that....start making excuses
for the other person. Look, no matter what way you swing it, it's not
on. I don't know Jen, you're too nice I guess, you let people get
away with things...you gotta, you know, stand up for yourself a bit
more.”

    Jenny
looked at Sarah. She knew she was right, but the way it was coming
out was upsetting her a little bit. “So you're saying I'm a
pushover....like I let Trent get away with cheating on me all those
times and that's why he did it. Like, if I was stronger my boyfriends
wouldn't be such dicks to me all the time?”

    Sarah
had a hard time denying that, but she chose her words carefully. “No
babe, that's not what I'm saying. You've just met some real shits so
far, that's all. All boys are like this when they're young, they just
don't give a shit. Look, you've only known Henry for about a
week....he's probably just like all the rest of them, why would he be
any different. Think about it, he's on a gap year, traveling around
the world, single...or maybe not, we don't know....what do you think
he's going to be getting up to?”

    Jenny
fell silent. She hadn't really thought about it like that. “I
dunno, obviously I never thought anything serious would happen, how
could it. I just thought maybe...maybe he'd like me more....maybe
he'd wanna....”

    She
trailed off and sat down on the bed, a few light tears gliding down
her cheeks. “Aw