Beyond Gorgeous

Chapter Three

Myanmar

Scottie circa 2015

"We are going to get laid tonight," Chloe whispered in my ear but the thing is she thought it was a whisper but it wasn't. We were heading down a bar called HTI. The place was tucked away from the main restaurant street in the middle of Bagan in Myanmar. When I said head down, I actually meant that Chloe used me as a cane as we stumbled towards the bar. She already had way too much mojitos in the last place and their mojitos reeked. I couldn't finish the first one I had.

I huddled her closer to me and replied with a weak "sure" to her statement. A few backpackers who were smoking along the streets looked over us with lascivious smiles, looks like they heard Chloe's announcement loud and clear. "But maybe next time try not to announce it in the middle of street with drunk and horny foreigners lurking in every corner of a foreign country."

She giggled and covered her mouth, acting shock. "I'm drunk." She noted and I nodded. "But we are heading over another bar." She cooed as she spotted the HTI entrance. "Aww, you're such a good friend." She hugged me around the neck to the point of strangling me.

"Jesus, Chlo." I tried to step out of her hold and I walked us inside of what looked like a cross of classic Burmese and Tiki-inspired cottages. I found a square table with comfy couches and I sat her there. "Chlo, will you be okay here? I'm going to the bar and order something to drink and to eat.

She mumbled. "Uhm yeah, mojito please."

I walked away from her and whispered to myself. "Yeah, no way."

I reached the bar made out of bamboos which makes it very Asian and in contrast, the bottles are a wide-array of both local and imported liquor. Promising, I thought to myself. Wanting a refreshing drink, because it felt like we came at the driest season in Myanmar, I called the bartender.

He was slim and very tall and is having the time of his life chatting a beautiful and 'gifted' customer. I understand that they are hitting it off and by God, I know how hard it is to hit it off with someone, so I waited. I tapped my fingers on the counter and hummed with the Justin Timberlake's "Drink You Away" playing mid-volume over the speakers. I looked over the bartender and the girl was blushing over something he whispered and she whispered something back, causing the wind knocked out of him. He looked at her and his eyes were blazing. I sighed, this might take awhile. I just wanted water for my friend and iced-cold mojito for me. The bartender is lucky that I rarely get into a bad mood and the guy sitting two stools from me is slowly indulging on the amber liquid on his rocks glass. I tapped my fingers in time with the music and it was that time when I felt something hot blaring straight towards me.

I turned back to the scotch-on-the-rocks guy and he was intently assessing at me. I caught his eye and he smiled. I acknowledged him and went back to my waiting. After a solid five mintes, I turned back at him and he was still looking at me with his unwavering gaze and he's not shy about it in the slightest.

I smiled back and when back to tapping.

Tap, tap, tap.

I tried to distract myself but I still felt it. He's still staring. I tried not to feel conscious about this but I can feel every single one of the hair on my arms rose. This is weird right? I asked myself.

Tap, tap, tap.

Ignore, ignore, ignore.

I can't, can't, can't. Damn it.

I just can't, I took another glance to his direction and I immediately shivered. He. Was. Goddamn. Hot. I immediately looked away because looking at him felt like a falling into the grasp of Satan – it's a sin. I wanted to go back to our table but I knew I would look like an utter loser.