Holiday Delights: Volume One - The Escape Read Free Page B

already. Alex pointed to
one of the top bunks.
    “ I’ve reserved that one
for you, and that one’s mine,” she said, pointing to the other top
bunk just across. “Top bunks are a pain to go up and down, but it
they do have more privacy.”
    Kelsey way slightly apprehensive, but she
supposed that it wasn’t too bad, considering how cheap it was and
by her calculations, her remaining budget for this part of the trip
would last her until she got to her next destination. She put her
backpack in the locker provided for her, climbed up the ladder to
her bunk, laid down and quickly fell into a deep slumber.
    *****
     
    The noise of people going in and out of the
dorm woke up Kelsey. For a moment, she was disoriented and forgot
where she was, but she slowly started to remember. She stretched
out, sat up and swung her legs down over the bunk.
    “ Yeow!!” she heard a male
voice yelp as her feet collided with something solid.
    Kelsey quickly slid down to the floor.
    “ Oh my God, I’m so
sorry-“
    “ Do you make hitting other
people a habit?” A pair of familiar blue eyes stared back up at
her. It was the same guy she hit with her bag in the plane in New
York.
    “ OH- it’s you!” she
exclaimed. “Oh no! I’m so sorry, here—uh” she tried to grab his
head to massage it, but he swatted her hands away. “Look, I’m so
sorry, I’m just new to this.”
    “ Oh really? I couldn’t
tell,” he said sarcastically as he rubbed the back of his
head.
    “ Listen here, you-” Kelsey
was about to give him a piece of her mind when she heard Alex call
her.
    “ Kelsey! You’re up! Good,
it’s time to go!” her best friend bounded over to them.
    “ Oh, you’ve met
Ben!”
    “ In a manner of speaking,”
Kelsey bit her lip.
    “ Yes, Alex, I’m familiar
with your friend,” the man said wryly. “We’ve bumped into each
other before, but have never been introduced.”
    The man stood up, and Kelsey realized he was
at least 6’2” and had a lean physique. He was wearing a fitting
white shirt and shorts. She couldn’t help but admire his broad
shoulders and chest, tapering down to a slim waist.
    “ Oh, then, Kelsey Truman,
this is Ben Knight, a fellow traveler from London,” Alex motioned
to the young man. “Ben, this is Kelsey, the friend I’ve been
telling you about!”
    “ Pleased to meet you,
Ben,” Kelsey held her hand out, which Ben shook with a strong grip,
but said nothing.
    Kelsey shrugged. I guess he’s the strong
silent type, she thought.
    “ Well then,” said Alex,
sensing some weird vibes between the two, “everyone is waiting for
us! Get dressed so we can get dinner and then we’re hitting up the
hottest club in Bangkok!”
    *****
     
    Kelsey quickly got dressed in her nicest
outfit – a strapless yellow and black dress, gold chunky necklace
and strappy sandals. She followed Alex out to the common room where
everyone was waiting. Dinner was uneventful, just at one of the
many Thai restaurants along Khao San Road. The were a big,
international group, about 12 people from the hostel and everyone,
aside from Kelsey, Alex, and Ben, all looked so young, maybe early
20s. Kelsey ignored Ben, just as he ignored her. Afterwards, they
got some drinks at a couple of bars, then grabbed some taxis to
Club Aviva at the Royal Sheraton Orchid Hotel by the Chao Praya
River.
    As they walked to the club, Alex and Kelsey
fell behind the group.
    “ So….you know Ben?!? Spill
the beans!”
    “ What? Oh!” Kelsey said.
“It’s nothing, he was on the flight to Hanoi, and I smacked him
good with my bag!” Kelsey giggled. “I guess you could say I made an
impression and now he probably thinks I’m some klutzy lunatic who
hits strange men on purpose.”
    “ But, he’s hot, isn’t he?”
Alex asked.
    Kelsey thought for a moment. “Well…I guess,
but I mean…it’s not like he’d go for someone like me!”
    Alex stopped walking and stepped in from of
her friend. “Kelsey! Don’t say that!”
    Kelsey had