New beginning

Emile and Abbey reached their first destination, Mauritius around midday. Having no plan was the best plan. The two best friends decided to chill at the world class hotel they booked into on the first day before getting into touristy mode and booked themselves into an indulgent beauty saloon for a relaxing massage after a sumptuous feast.

The next five days were jam-packed with activities starting a luxurious catamaran cruise of the northern islands. Abbey’s camera lens snapped away at the breath-taking views while Emile immersed herself in the experience. This was her first time travelling away from home, away from comfort zone; She had always lived a protected life with her grandfather and cousins where university was the furthest, she travelled away from home.

 Every experience was new and invigorating, opening a whole new world, whether it was admiring the vibrant colors of the ocean or the magnificent mountain views or snorkeling at one of the beaches, diving with Emperor Angelfish, Moorish Idol or the green turtle. She didn’t forget to add designs to her pocketbook from the never ending inspirations of the visual feast.

Next, they decided to book themselves on a two-day picturesque South Tour Of Mauritius but were unable to get the booking due to high demand. They booked the trip for the next day and decided to take it easy strolling the streets to enjoy the local intricacies. Once the day was sorted, they planned to have breakfast at the hotel before heading out and decided to meet at the restaurant.

Emerging out of the elevator, Emile was stunned to see a familiar figure checking out at the reception desk. She walked forward excited to see a familiar face in a foreign land.

“Christopher, it that you?” Emile blurted out in excitement as the figure turned around and hurried to his side.

Christopher’s face blushed with embarrassment, as his eyes darted like a thief caught at the scene of crime but soon covered it up with a cough as he turned to face Emile.

“What a surprise?” Abbey’s shriek came from the side before Christopher had a chance to fully recover his shock of being caught by the two.

“Hi there, you two.” Christopher smiled sheepishly.

“What a coincidence, running into you here?” Abbey smirked as she lifted her eyebrows meaningfully.

“Yeah… what a coincidence considering the odds.” Christopher smirked cheekily, not forgetting to throw a secret glance at Emile.

Christopher’s affection for Emile was no secret at university. Everyone except Emile knew about it. The only reason Emile didn’t know was because she had eyes only for Daniel and Christopher was one of those super nice seniors in her view. She only realized it in her final year when Christopher mustered the courage to confess.

He kept in touch with the duo with hopes that Emile would consider him even after he was rejected till Emile got married. After her marriage he decided to bless her happiness and disappeared into the shadows of her life. Although he never interacted with her after her marriage, every pulse in her life was under his radar. Many a times he had to fight the impulse to kill Daniel and kidnap her from her own nightmare. But this was his secret, one that only his best friend Adrian knew.

“Really cool….” Emile smiled happily as she asked, “Are here on work or vacation?”

“Actually no… I lied.” Christopher pursed his lips as he decided he would come clean.

“Huh?”

“I heard you got divorced and ran away from home.” Christopher rubbed his nose awkwardly and continued “I was too anxious and didn’t check the itinerary closely and came to see if you are alright.”

Abbey had an ‘I knew it’ smirk while Emile was still in a state of confused shock.

“Don’t get me wrong.” Christopher hurried to explain himself “I didn’t think of taking advantage of your situation. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I figured you were when I saw Abbey was here to give you company and hence decided to go back before getting caught.” Christopher shrugged “A plan that failed with a bang.”

Abbey burst out laughing looking at Christopher’s vexed face while Emile’s face also brightened with a smile.

“No one’s blaming you.” Abbey spoke through intermittent bouts of laughter “Why are you in a rush to defend yourself?”

Christopher scratched the back of his head with an awkward smirk; This was not part of the plan. He was meant to be gone before anyone knew he was here. Forget about anyone knowing, he was caught red-handed by the person he least wanted to know.

“It’s cool.” Emile shrugged trying to ease the awkwardness.

“Are you still leaving?” Abbey raised her eyebrows “If you still have holidays and don’t need to be anywhere else, you can join us considering your stealth mode was an epic failure.”

Christopher laughed awkwardly as he turned to look at Emile. There was nothing he wanted to do more than being with her but only on the premises that she was comfortable.

“Sure… the more the merrier.” Emile laughed lightly although she didn’t forget to give an angry glare towards Abbey who conveniently ignored her.

Abbey had always wanted to matchmaker Emile with Christopher who she thought was more suitable for Emile. Whether it was in terms of looks or social status, both Daniel and Christopher were evenly matched. What tipped Abbey’s scales towards Christopher was his single-minded affection for Emile which anyone could see. What made her even more impressed was the fact that not only did Christopher give his blessings after Emile got married, but he also never changed his mind nor the extent of his affection. Why would she miss an opportunity that fate bestowed?

“Alright then.” Christopher agreed happily and returned to the front desk to proceed with re-checking himself into the hotel. They planned to meet at the entrance once he settled down and went to get breakfast.

Although Emile felt a little awkward in the beginning, the bustle of the streets and Christopher’s mannerism of not giving her any pressure soon eased her awkwardness. The ladies had a fantastic time of going crazy and Christopher became the designated porter.

“What are we doing for dinner?” Abbey asked happily as they decided to put an end to Christopher’s misery.

“Anything that doesn’t need me to walk another inch.” Emile grumbled although there was a satisfied expression on her face.

“How about barbeque?” Christopher asked as he thought about the place, he had dinner yesterday. The small street-side stall was recommended by the hotel concierge and had lived up to the hype.

“Anything will do.” Abbey made an exaggerated expression as she rubbed her tummy “I am starving; I could eat a lion.”

Emile nodded in agreement; She wanted to experience the local cuisine and what better way than street-side stalls?

Luckily for the three, the dinner rush hadn’t started, and they quickly found a quiet corner and ordered to their heart’s content.

“Luck is on our side.” Christopher laughed as he told the ladies how he didn’t manage to get a spot to sit when he came yesterday and had to head back to his hotel room with the takeaway container.

“This is delish…” Abbey mouthed as she ate her first bite.

“Ummm…” Emile agreed as she concentrated on eating. Both Emile and Abbey were absolute foodies, and nothing could divert their attention once there was food. Even so, Abbey didn’t forget to remind Christopher to book the tour for tomorrow if he wanted to join them.