The perfume of love (rain-bi)

chapter 22

later that day, joon's other guests flew in. with a dozen more people on board, suddenly Ocean Wanderer seemed crowded with animated Americans.

at dinner that night jenna sat between lee yong and a Californian called Kent who had come to play golf with joon and, when they reached Fiji, to take underwater photographs.

she had some conversation with him before he became engrossed in talking to his other neighbour. During the time when yong's attention was similarly engaged, she was left temporarily without anyone to talk to. it gave her an opportunity to glance at the other diners, including the Captain.

As he had been at Pineapple Hill, jihoon was seated between two American women, one about his own age and one in her sixties. both were extremely vivacious, chatting almost non-stop to him and to each other, across him, so that he needed only to interpolate a word here and there.

when he made a brief smiling comment on something said by the younger one, whom jenna hadn't yet met, it turned a knife in her heart. last night he had smiled at her like that.

At that very moment jihoon glanced idly down the table, his impassive grey gaze passing from face to face until it reached hers and found her looking at him.

It was the first look they had exchanged since that terrible moment ashore when his eyes had been hot with desire but his voice had been icy with scorn.

jenna wanted to look away, but she found she couldn't. she was transfixed. she could neither blink nor breath. every function seemed to be suspended except for the beating of her heart and a rush of blood to her face which spread a deep burning blush from her cheeks to her forehead and neck.

"have you heard the latest news about the earth tremor, jenna?" yong asked her.

his voice seemed to break the spell. it was a relief to turn to his kind, pleasant face instead of being forced to meet the hard, hostile stare fixed on her from the end of the table.

"No... no, i haven't" she answered

there was no way of disguising the painful flush which had suffused her face. yong couldn't fail to see it. but perhaps he hadn't registered what, or rather who, had caused it.

"according to a local news bulletin which i heard while i was changing for dinner, it was the strongest earthquake Hawaii has had for eight years" he told her.

"there was no damage on Maui, but over on the Big Island there was quite extensive damage. fortunately the quake hasn't triggered a volcanic eruption. nor was there any danger of a tsunami, a tidal wave. that only happens when the centre is under the sea."

to keep lee yong talking and give herself time to recover her self-possession, she said, "there's a volcano on Maui, isn't there?"

"yes, it's called Haleakala, which means House of the sun. going up to see the sun the rise over the rim of the crater is one of the island's main tourist attractions.... for those who don't mind getting out of bed around 4am" he waited until the next course had been served before explaining, "it's a long drive from here to the summit, but you get some fine views coming down the mountain by daylight. if you'd like to go up, I'd be glad to take you."

"I'd like to go very much, but if you've been there before, do you really want to see it again?"

"it's several years since i was last up there. I'd like to repeat the experience. after dinner I'll ask around and find out how many of the others are interested. we may need to rent a small tour bus. the problem will be to supply all those who come with warm clothes. at over ten thousand feet it's bitterly cold before sunrise, and most people don't come to Maui with sweaters and gloves in their baggage."

"that's no problem for me" said jenna.

"i started my journey to Maui dressed for a cold snap. i can wrap up like an Eskimo."

"Good. believe me, you'll need to. in the balmy climate at sea level, people forget what it's like to feel perished. it's no fun waiting for sunrise with chattering teeth and bare legs covered with goosebumps."

they remained in convetsation until the end of the meal. soon after leaving the table, jenna slipped away to her cabin. she felt sure her absence wouldn't be noticed, and she wasn't in the mood to make small talk to crowd of strangers, however pleasant they might be.