3
THE SPA DAY
That night, after the stranger left, I couldn’t sleep, seeing the disappointment that flashed on his face as he left the hotel room without my name. His surprising reaction pulled at my heartstrings, guilt consumed me and I overthought if it would have been a big deal to give him my name. The niggle caused me to quickly pack up my things, check out early and sit in the airport most of the night waiting for my morning flight. I needed to put as much distance as I could between myself and the events of the night. I had to leave before I was tempted to track him down and give him my identity and contact details.
No, it’s just a one-night stand Gi. That was the deal.
I told myself, I had sworn that I was going to have a killer night and have something to regret, well maybe this was it. The regret wasn’t the mindblowing night of passion I had experienced, it was the mystery of the unknown stranger.
The wait for the plane and the flight itself felt like it took forever, especially when I was tired and coming down from a high. Even my usual coffee didn't give me the caffeine buzz I wanted so badly. When I arrived home, welcomed by the familiar environment, I retreated to my bed to catch a few hours’ of sleep before I had to endure the afternoon at the spa with Brie.
The spa was in the middle of nowhere; an hour's drive from the city. I embraced the fresh cooling autumnal air as I stepped into the luxurious, old fashioned, white stoned manor house where Brie was waiting in the reception area, a trashy gossip magazine in her hand. She tucked it back into her luxury designer Kate Spade handbag before she rose to her feet to greet me.
I had made the mistake of allowing Brie to choose the destination, one that was going to make a dent in my bank account. But anything to keep her from picking a fight. She gave me a hug, taking me by surprise at her sign of affection. I hugged her back of course, taking in the rare moment and treasuring it until the next one would come. After we exchanged a pleasant hello, I checked us in and we were given a tour of the facility, with a complimentary glass of champagne.
It was beautiful, the spa was modern, whites paired with golds and blues giving a coastal feel to the place. There was a tennis court, a golf course in the distance and an outside pool with sand and beach chairs. There was also a Michelin restaurant attached to the venue, which was where we would be dining for lunch. I grumbled internally. That’s my savings out the window for this month. We were led back to the reception area to book our treatments for the day and then we began, with Brie taking charge.
According to Brie, the party was a 'disaster'. She complained all day at the spa, making it hard to relax but as I’d promised to make it up to her, I couldn’t back out now. In Brie's world the smallest thing became the biggest disaster. She would freak out, get angry and hold grudges for days if things didn't go her way.
The cake wasn’t the flavour she wanted and the decorations looked so tacky that she’d had a meltdown at the door, refusing to go in until James finally convinced her to enter.
She also noticed an old nemesis had turned up as she was dating a mutual friend. From the way Brie described her day it seemed like there wasn’t anything good about the party. Which would explain the embrace she gave me today, she clearly needed it.
Despite her moaning, I was enjoying the spa. We grabbed lunch, which was the best food I had ever eaten in my life, before we went for the one thing I had been looking forward to all day; Masks and Bubbles.
We let the mud masks settle as we sat in the jacuzzi sipping cocktails, I kept the drinks coming and it was something Brie had picked up.
“Did you pick up an alcoholic trait in Barcelona?” she teased, a little more abrupt than playful. Her mood changed more than the weather.
“Something like that.” I smiled, taking the straw in my mouth and sipping the sugary concoction. “These are amazing.” I pointed to them coming across a little excited, just a little tipsy.
“Okay. So how was your trip?” she asked, taking me by surprise. Another out of character trait for her; she never asked me anything about myself or my day unless she wanted to place judgement or meddle. Maybe it was the cocktails finally loosening up that tight-ass personality to make her a little more human.
“Yeah, it was good.” I couldn’t hide the smirk on my lips as I took another sip of my cocktail trying to hide the reason for my smile, not wanting to blush to give myself away. I didn’t want to disclose the reason for my glowing self as I knew I couldn’t trust Brie; she would use this to my destruction.
“Good? Just good! Well, you had a better night than me if it was good!” And there she was, back in her self-absorbed bubble beginning to rant again.
I could finally ignore her after the amount of cocktails I had consumed. I closed my eyes leaning back against the stack of sea blue towels that served as a pillow, as I sipped more of my drink, playing the trip back in my mind as if I was watching a movie. I no longer counted down the moments until I could go home and avoid Brie’s whining; I was in pure bliss with my drink and my memories.
Returning to work on Monday gave me a wakeup call. I loved my job and I couldn’t imagine life without it. After the brush of luxury I had encountered in Barcelona, I suddenly craved that lifestyle, that feeling of empowerment. It was an eye opener, that there was another side of life if only I worked hard enough, worked more and made myself into a girl boss.
I decided to re-evaluate my life. I wanted my own business; my own marketing company. That was going to be my 5-year goal. I would work closely with Angelina using her as a mentor to give me the most chance of success. Networking and making sure I attended more work or clients events to build a solid base. I already had the marketing skills but I could enhance them.
I decided that maybe reading an extra book a month purely on marketing concepts and attending more seminars would be the way to go. But I knew I needed to control the anxiety that could pop out at any second, spiralling my vision out of control. I wanted to feel powerful, sexy and like the kind of woman I felt on my short trip. I didn’t need a man to give me everything, I could do this myself and prove my sister wrong, that I could be successful and have any man I wanted, not needed.
The rest of the week consisted of the same old low-key meetings with more marketing drafts, even the client I was due to meet in Barcelona contacted our firm apologising incessantly. He sent gifts to the office; luxury gifts to make up for his absence. He sent me a personal hamper with luxurious wines from his brand; red, white and rosé, accompanied by chocolates and a voucher for a weekend away for two in his private villa that he rented out beside acres of vineyards. He even reimbursed the company for all my expenses. The client decided to go ahead and sign the contract with us anyway, video calling a meeting with Jennifer to fine tune the details, he was so impressed with our dedication.
This was a big deal for our company, making us able to expand and grow. Being thrown into an obsessive work mode wasn’t a bad thing as it kept me satisfied. However, in the quiet moments of my day I would find myself in my own world thinking about the stranger, thinking about his cockiness, his hands, his lips, his chuckle and I wondered if this was something that would eventually pass. Aside from that, life just resumed.