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“Hi,” he says, stepping up close to me and leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. It sends a tingle right through my whole body, fire concentrating in my stomach. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling my nerves fluttering like crazy. That’s probably just how he greets everyone, right? It probably doesn’t mean anything, right? And yet, my heart can’t help but register it as the first time he’s kissed me, even if it’s not on the mouth. “Um. You do, too. I mean…” I break off into nervous laughter, realizing that I’ve dug myself into a hole I don’t know how to get out of. Who tells a man that he looks lovely?
Thankfully, he only laughs back.
“What do you want to do today?” he asks. “We’ve got the whole city at our disposal. I know I said I would show you a few hidden gems, but we only need lunch and dinner for that. I know a few other good areas to explore, but only if you’re in the mood for that kind of thing.”
“I don’t know,” I confess. “I figured I would let you lead the way. Actually, after yesterday… I don’t know. It might sound silly, but I don’t really feel excited about exploring any part of Melbourne in particular. Not even the things I planned to do before.”
“That makes sense,” Sean says, a flare of compassion softening his voice. “Well, how about this. Instead of doing the whole tourist thing, why don’t I take you somewhere a bit more exclusive? Somewhere most people don’t know about? It will be quiet, and they don’t let the average person off the street in.”
I nod, feeling both guilty at forcing him to find somewhere that fits and grateful that he already knows a place. “That sounds perfect.”
When he smiles at me in return, the feeling of guilt just dissolves away. From the way he looks, I would think that it was him who wanted to go to this mysterious exclusive place all along – and not me who needed to go somewhere quieter.
“Let’s go, then,” he says, leading me towards the taxis waiting outside the hotel. “It will take less time to go by car, and I don’t particularly feel like handling the trains today either.”
“What is this place, then?” I ask as I hear Sean give the driver the name of the place we’re going – the Tempest – but no information about it at all.
“Oh, it’s a little bit of everything,” he says, settling next to me in the back seat. He has a gleam in his eyes that makes me think he might be teasing me, although I don’t know how yet. “There are some entertainment options so we can pass the time, or we can just sit at a table and talk. There’s a restaurant, too, so we can get something to eat for lunch. Actually, we can stay for the whole day if you want to, and get dinner there, too.”
“There’s so much included within one space?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. It must be a huge complex. I’m picturing something, not unlike the malls back home, a cinema next to a restaurant next to a skating rink, or whatever else realtors manage to fit in there.
“You’ll see,” Sean winks. “I promise it’s going to meet all of your expectations and more.”
But in the back of my mind, I can’t help but be a little doubtful. After all, what he describes sounds like the kind of place that would be really busy. Even if you do have to be a member to get in… ah! Maybe that’s it, maybe The Tempest is a members’ only club. I’ve heard of those, but normally I thought they were out in the countryside to include all the things he’s describing. Like a place with a tennis court and horse stables and things like that.
But even if it’s a members’ only club, I bet it’s popular. I bet there are enough people there who will make me feel like I’m not dressed well enough or not well-educated enough or any of the rest of it.
“So, tell me about home,” Sean says, distracting me from my thoughts. “Do you live with your parents still?”
And as I look around at him to answer the question, I realize one thing: it doesn’t matter if other people will be judging me. So long as I’m there with Sean, I know that I’ll feel comfortable enough. It’s like there’s an aura around him, a kind of shield that will keep me safe. Just like how he stepped in to save me when that guy confronted me in Flinders Street. I don’t have anything to worry about.
“Ah, yeah,” I say, blushing a little. It reminds me that, compared to him, I’m just a kid. “I’m supposed to start looking for a job when I get back, and that means looking for an apartment as well. I can’t really move out until I have a good income coming in.”
