Not So Hot Girls Summer

3-Bali

We arrived at our villa located in Gili Air almost twenty-four hours after leaving English soil. Thankfully, the sixteen-hour flight was a night flight, and having slept half the journey, I avoided the feeling of pure misery on arrival. Instead, now twelve hours after that, I felt quite relieved that I was beginning to feel naturally tired once again as time headed towards 10pm, reducing the prospects of jetlag. I had to give it to Mads and Frankie, the journey here was not quite as chaotic as expected. Despite the delay with luggage and desperate search for our transfer to Gili, everything they had organised ran incredibly smooth- surprising as the majority of the preparation had been completed whilst they were drunk. But the first and hardest hurdle had been overcome and we had made it.
''This isn't another property of your sugar daddy's is it Mads?'' I joked, as the minibus pulled up in front of the quaint villa.
''I wish,'' she replied in a voice of both sarcasm and exhaustion.
Just like the apartment, the villa had an immediate sense of magnificence before we even walked through the door. A large, glass canopied entrance peered out from the abundance of palm trees that were dressed in bulbed lights, dangling precariously between branches to illuminate the stoned pathway. Apart from the bulbs of yellow that draped from the trees and the small dull light that barely pierced through the window shutters, the surroundings were otherwise dark and silent. Even the girls didn't have the energy to break the calmness, probably as they had spent it all on the plane having chatted endlessly through the night whilst necking bottles of prosecco. The villa itself appeared to be constructed entirely from what looked like reclaimed wood, with 2 matching deck chairs perched next to the door, facing the wild vegetation that surrounded it and whilst the size of the villa didn't initially appear to be large, it held a large presence. I could see that I wasn't the only one staring at the building as the minibus came to a holt, with multiple pairs of eyes remaining fixated out of the window as the driver continued to climb out of the front.
James and Mike were the first to unfix their gaze, proceeding to assist the driver with unloading the luggage, whilst the rest of the group eventually vacated the minibus and continued up the pathway to investigate. The wooden doors swung open to a wide hallway area, finished in a light grey marble flooring that led to a large room that was dimly lit at the back of the villa. A fully equipped kitchen sat neatly in the corner of the room whilst two small sofas occupied a larger living area. Unlike the city, there were no TV's in sight, with the sofas positioned to face the glass doors that led to a garden area. Caleb proceeded directly through this area, showing little interest in its amenities, much like Frankie had in London, and continued to open the large glass doors. As he stepped outside, a light flashed on, illuminating a large patio area surrounding a swimming pool that stretched almost the entire width of the villa. To the left of pool stood a large white stone wall with cacti and grey barked trees growing against it. Beneath one of the canopying trees, was a king sized black futon that rested on top of the slates which edged into the pool, creating a small island area for those who wanted to laze peacefully in the heat whilst dangling their feet into the gently rippling water. It was another contemporary touch that added to the element of luxury.
On the other side of the pool was a small cabin with a hammock stretched across its front. Although doorless, a fully made double bed was inside, protected from view of the villa, but in full view of the pool. It made an ideal place to escape if required.
More to my surprise, whilst I thought we were located in the middle of vegetation, it appeared we were in fact at the edge of the island, set back only metres from a sandy shoreline where the waves could be heard gently lapping against it. Inside I screamed, excited at the thought of sunrise, where the colours would reflect against the blues of the ocean, creating a concoction of deep oranges and reds that would swirl like the northern lights above where we slept. It was a thought of pure tranquillity. However, as it was currently dark, and nearing impossible to see anything beyond the pool, we ventured back inside to claim the bedrooms, waiting until morning to explore the natural beauty of the island that lay metres away from us.
It was quickly decided that 'the couples' would have the king rooms whilst on the other side of the villa James and Josh had already claimed the twin room. I wasn't fussy where I slept, I just needed a bed, one that was ideally inside away from mosquitoes. Fortunately, much to my pleasure, a fourth room was found, hidden beside the bathroom, which was ideal as I always needed the toilet throughout the night, but inside sat only a double. A double that was nowhere near the size of the girl's king beds, yet I still had to share with someone, and the only person left not to claim anywhere was Jordan.
He walked in behind me.
''Cosy,'' he joked, clearly attempting to break the awkwardness as usual.
I looked at him wide eyed.
''I can sleep on the sofa if you like? It really doesn't bother me,'' he politely suggested.
I couldn't expect him to sleep on a sofa for two weeks; a sofa that was about two feet too small for him to lay across (as much as I wanted him to so he wouldn't see me ugly sleeping).
''That's ok, we can build a pillow barrier or something,'' I stuttered.
He smiled and left the room before returning firstly with his suitcase, and then mine.
''Thank you.''
''Left or right side?'' he asked.
''Right please.''
''Of course, toilet side is yours,'' he replied as if he knew the fragility of my bladder.
He left the room again and I continued to arrange the items from my suitcase. Five minutes later, in his place entered Mads, looking far more alive and awake than twenty minutes previously.
''We're heading to a bar Ame. Going to try and stay awake as long as possible to shake off the jet lag. Fancy it?''
''But it's already 10pm? Surely you wouldn't be jet lagged if you slept now. ''
''Well, we're pretty awake now, and we're on HOLIDAY,'' she shouted. ''Who needs an excuse?''
''Not you, I know that. I'm going to stay here just for tonight- but you guys have fun.''
''Of course! See you in the morning,'' she replied, and off she went without hesitation.
The front door could be heard closing five minutes later and I was left alone. I had no idea what bar they were heading to, nor any idea where the villa was. All I did know was that I had been in a foreign country for no longer than six hours, and was now alone, in a villa, in the middle of no-where.