Hangover

Halia walked over to the sofa and ran her hand through the gap at the back. As Emerson predicted, there really was an earring. In fact, it was the one he had won at the auction. How did this get wedged here so carelessly?

Halia quickly wrapped it in some tissue and placed it in her handbag. She then messaged Emerson back to tell him she had found it and arranged to meet him the next day so she could return it.

Thus, the next morning, Halia woke up, popped on a t-shirt and jeans and headed out of the hotel to meet Emerson at a popular Hong Kong style cafe just down the road for breakfast.

The cafe was busy when she arrived and there was a long queue outside, but luckily, Emerson had arrived early and was already seated inside.

Halia quickly squeezed in past the busy waiters and waitresses and seated herself on a tiny table opposite Emerson.

Emerson revealed a huge grin. "Good morning," he said.

Before Halia got the chance to even look at the menu, a waitress placed a glass of hot tea in front of her and asked impatiently, "What would you like?"

Halia was a little taken aback.

"Is there anything you don't eat?" Emerson asked gently.

"No," Halia replied.

"I'll order a few things and we can share," he offered.

Halia quickly nodded her head.

After the waitress took their order and left, Emerson looked at Halia apologetically and chuckled, "I'm sorry, Hong Kong service can be a bit rough, especially when they're busy. But, their food is really good. I eat here almost every week."

Halia was a little surprised, "Don't you live in Macau?"

"No, I just own a casino in Macau, but I'm still a Hong Kong citizen. However, I do go there every few days to check on the place," he explained.

"Have you been to Hong Kong before?" he asked.

"No, this is my first time," Halia replied.

At that moment, a plate of French toast, a bowl of macaroni soup and a bowl of instant noodles arrived, followed by two cups of milk tea and two empty bowls so they could share.

"How long are you in Hong Kong for? Do you have any plans?" Emerson asked as he handed Halia one of the empty bowls.

"I'll be here for another 5 days. Natalie was supposed to show me around today, but she had a major hangover from drinking too much at the ball," Halia said as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, I've got the next few days off from work. Do you want me to show you around?" Emerson offered.

Halia took a bite of French toast and smiled. The bread was soft, buttery and eggy; there was peanut butter in the middle, and drizzled lightly on top was some condensed milk. Halia froze for a second when she tasted the peanut butter. That was right, Sara was allergic to nuts! But, Halia quickly glanced at the bracelet hanging on her wrist and reminded herself that she was not Sara. She knew she was perfectly fine, so she quickly took another bite and suppressed the feelings of fear

Ever since Halia rejected Sean the previous night, she felt like she had finally regained control of her body. She could now sense when Sara's emotions were building and knew how to suppress it before she lost control. This trip was definitely much needed. For the first time in almost two months, she felt relaxed and free.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed.

"Hong Kong has a lot of Western influence from when it was ruled by the British. Cafes like this are perfect examples of how they've taken those influences and made it their own. Let me, at least, show you around today since you have no plans. Nothing is better than exploring with a local," Emerson offered again.

Halia smiled and tried some of the macaroni soup. She had to admit, she loved food and Emerson was making an extremely tempting offer. So, she nodded her head.

Emerson took a bite of French toast and smiled.

...

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Natalie finally managed to climb out of bed with a groan. Her head was aching and she felt nauseous; the results of a hangover. She wandered into the bathroom, brushed her teeth and had a shower, hoping it would make her feel better, but she still felt awful. So, she decided to make some coffee.

As she wandered out to the kitchen, she heard a phone ring. The ringtone didn't sound like her own, but it was definitely coming from inside the suite. Natalie quickly followed the sound and realized Halia had left her phone on the coffee table. Probably, it was because she was just popping downstairs for a quick breakfast, so she didn't take it with her.

The caller ID showed that it was a call from Sean, so Natalie picked it up.

"Hey Sean, Halia's popped down for some breakfast and she left her phone here," Natalie said in a tired voice.

"Oh, thanks for letting me know. You didn't go with her?" he asked.

"I have a major hangover," Natalie replied with a groan.

Sean sighed.

"I know a great hangover cure. Do you want to give it a try?" he asked.

Natalie held her breath in surprise.

"Sure," she replied.

"I'll come get you in half an hour, give me your phone number and I'll call you directly," he said.

Natalie quickly gave the man her number and hung up. She then placed her hand on her chest as she took some deep breaths to calm down. Why was her heart beating so fast?