‘Ah!’ Jacob slapped the back of the driver’s seat affectionately. ‘Spoken like a true salesman.’
Olivia felt her neck prickle with a heat that had nothing to do with the morning sun.
‘It’s just, there’s lots to see and not much time. I want to make sure we get it all done.’
The explanation sounded feeble and uptight even to Olivia. She didn’t want to be difficult, but at the same time they had a plan to stick to. A plan that he’dsaidhe wanted to be a part of. Except now, two minutes in, he was already veering off course.
‘Oh, comeon, we deserve the best! Don’t we?’ Jacob pleaded. ‘We only have one day together, after all …’
Whether it was his sobering reminder of how little time they had together or the annoyingly endearing look on Jacob’s face, before she knew it, Olivia found herself saying a reluctant yes.
‘You heard the woman!’ Jacob cried, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. ‘Take us to the best dosa in town! And then …’ He nestled in close, lowering his voice and fixing Olivia with a serious expression. ‘We’ll head straight to the palace, OK?’ His hand was now on her arm, sending a ripple of electricity down her spine. ‘You won’t miss a thing on your list. I promise.’
‘Sure,’ she mumbled, unable to concentrate on anything other than his touch. ‘Whatever you say.’
Olivia
As Olivia had predicted, the ‘quick detour’ had taken over an hour to complete. The traffic didn’t help, but neither did Jacob offering to buy the tuk-tuk driver food, and then going back in for second helpings. By the time they arrived at the Monsoon Palace it was already lunchtime, almost three hours behind schedule. Not even its magnificence could soothe Olivia’s edgy and now – ironically, after rejecting any offer of food herself at the cafe – hungry disposition.
‘Woah, you can see everything from up here.’ Jacob gasped, moving closer to the edge of the cliff. ‘Cool, huh?’
‘Please don’t do that.’
He shuffled an inch further forward. ‘Do what?’
‘That!’ she shouted, sounding scarily like her mother. ‘You’re too close to the edge, it’s making me nervous.’
‘Sorry, but it just looks so awesome. You’re missing out.’ He peered over.
‘I can see perfectly fine from here, thank you very much.’
And she wasn’t lying. The palace was set atop an enormous hill, with unbroken views of the city. Thousands of buildingsand countless trees shrunk to tiny dots, clustered together in a patchwork quilt of green and grey; mountains rose and fell like the tide, undulating in waves across the landscape. It was truly breathtaking, and with the sun tucked neatly behind a blanket of clouds and a cool breeze on her face, Olivia felt that, if she had all the time in the world, she could sit here for hours, simply watching the world unfold around her. It was something she and Leah would often do together, whether in their local coffee shop or lying out in the park: they would simply sit and let the world pass them by. Leah often made up the stories of passing strangers’ lives, weaving intricate and often dramatic details together to form complex and impressively realistic fantasies.
The thought of her sister made her breath catch in her throat. Everything had been so full-on in the past few days that, although Leah was never far from her mind, the anguish and longing for her sister had lessened. The volume had been turned down on her grief, so that instead of being a cymbal crashing inside her skull twenty-four hours a day, it played like a soft snare in the background; present and continuous, but not so overwhelming.
‘Are yousureyou don’t want to have a little look?’ Jacob teased, beckoning her over to join him.
‘I couldn’t be surer.’
‘Fine.’ He hurried over to sit next to her, lifting his face to the sky and letting out a long, slow sigh. ‘I have to say, this was a great idea. Sometimes it can get a bit seen-one-palace-seen-them-all, you know?’
‘Maybe, but then again, it’s all still relatively new for me. I’m not a worn and weary old-timer like you are.’
‘Oi!’ He elbowed her gently. ‘Worn and weary? I don’t look a day over twenty-three.’
‘Well, your delusional personality isn’t a day over twelve.’
This time Jacob stood up, affronted.
‘Excuse me, Miss Jackson, I will not be insulted in such a manner.’
‘I’m sorry. Of course, you are mature and wise, yet incredibly youthful and handsome.’ She smirked. ‘Better?’
‘Yes.’ He pouted, coming to sit back down once more. ‘A bit.’
‘Good. Now, are you done here? Because we should probably be heading to the next place.’
‘Lead on, fair lady, I am ready for the next adventure.’ He gave a little salute. ‘Where to?’
