Page 36 of Hot to Go

‘What’s the time?’ I ask Max.

‘It’s just after lunch. Are you hungry?’

I feel something in the pit of my stomach but it’s not hunger. It’s panic that I will have missed Aurelie. She would have gone to the beach and I wouldn’t have been there. She’ll think I’m a flake, an idiot, that I just used her for sex. Have I missed this chance? Because I got involved in an accident with a mechanical bull? Max can see the confusion in my eyes.

‘Are you alright? Are you having a fit or something?’ he asks.

‘The French girl. I was supposed to meet her…’

‘Well, not now,’ Max says. ‘Oh man. Sorry about that.’

I look up at the ceiling thinking about all that hope, all that potential, all that spark is just gone. It can’t be, can it? I had plans. I had researched a beach with sea caves and put down a deposit for kayaks. I don’t have anything to go on. Oh God, we didn’t swap numbers, socials, anything. A rare thing in today’s age but I think we both liked how relaxed and mysterious the whole thing was. Or maybe she didn’t want me to know? God, she has a boyfriend, doesn’t she? Or maybe it was only ever supposed to be this holiday fling situation where we didn’t get too close. We did get close though. Yesterday, that was as close you can get to another human being.

‘Do you have a phone, Max?’ I ask him.

‘Yeah, do you want to call her?’

‘No, I can’t.’ My head is starting to hurt. I see a cup of water on my bedside table and reach for it.

Max reaches forward. ‘Hold up there, let me.’ He reaches forward and puts a straw into my mouth.

‘Get on Facebook and search for Aurelies who live in Nice,’ I tell him, my voice raspy and dry.

I see Max’s fingers slide over the screen. ‘Charlie, there are hundreds of them. Do you want me to go through them?’

‘No.’ I try and think about everything she ever told me. Meg, Emma, Beth, Grace and Lucy. Did I get a last name? I don’t think I did. I don’t even know what she did for work. I know her favourite colour is yellow, this was her first time in Mallorca, that when she was little on holiday, she buried her dad’s car keys in the sand and they couldn’t get home. All the important stuff then. But then I think I can remember the name of the villa. There might be a pin in the map still. I close my eyes. ‘Where is my phone?’

‘I don’t quite know. Your belongings were in a plastic bag.’

Remember the name, Charlie. Come on. I close my eyes and think about the sign next to the wall. Dream. Sueños.

‘Villa Sueños in Santa Posa. Can you Google it? Is there a number for whoever rents it out? A management company?’

Max scrolls through his phone, side-eyeing me to ensure I haven’t completely lost my mind. ‘Yep, I think I have one. Do you want me to…’

‘Yeah,’ I say immediately, not really knowing what I’m going to say. Max dials the number and a person picks up after three ring tones.

‘¡Hola! Palmera Property Management, this is Rosa speaking. Can I help?’

‘Hola. Me llamo Charlie Shaw. Hace poco visité una villa que ustedes cuidan en Santa Posa y esperaba ponerme en contacto con las personas que lo alquilan. Me dejé algo allí.’ My Spanish is hurried but I just want to get in touch with Aurelie and all her cousins, make sure they know I wanted to be there, I wanted to meet Aurelie and see her again. I am not that guy.

‘¿Cómo se llama la villa?’ she asks me.

‘Villa Sueños. Era una familia Francesca.’

Max looks at me confused. ‘I’ve told her to get a message to the French party who rented the place.’

The lady hears me mumbling in English. ‘Señor, your nameis not Spanish. Can I ask about your connection to the house?’ Rosa implores.

‘I was a guest. I was only there the once.’

She pauses. Is she laughing? ‘And can I ask what you left at the villa?’

‘My… shirt.’

She pauses again. ‘Well, Señor Shaw. If you give me a telephone number then maybe I can pass something on.’

My phone is not here. Shit. I look at Max and repeat the digits of his telephone number. As I do I realise, the jig is up. Aurelie will see the UK codes and realise I’m not Spanish. I could extend the lie but then maybe now is the perfect time to just be myself. She may run a mile when she knows, but at least I would have tried. At least I wouldn’t have lost her forever.

---