Seeing Blind |NH|

Chapter Fifty Three

The next day, as we were all getting ready for what we thought would be a trek into the jungle, my friend Eoghan came in and announced that all the tours were booked up. Disappointed, we all slumped down into chairs to figure out what to do next.

"Wow, you guys are depressing," Esta said walking into the room from our adjoining room. Without stopping, she continued to the door to the hallway as she said, "But, no worries, I'm here to save the day. Put your swim suits on, we are going to go to Halong Bay. Looks amazing. So cheer up and let's get rolling. I'll be in the lobby."

We all looked at each other as she walked out of the room.

"I like her," Eoghan said, getting up and grabbing his bag to find his swim trunks. "You should really do something about snatching her up, Niall, before I decide to." He winked at me to let me know he was joking as he ran into the bathroom.

"I'm working on it," I mumbled as I stood up and went to go change before we all met Esta in the lobby.

When we got down there, she quickly stood up.  "Wow, what took you guys so long?"

"Sorry, we can't all look as good as you when we wake up," my cousin Deo said.

She laughed, "Whatever.  Let's go, the bus is about to leave.  And I was about to leave without you."

"You weren't going to wait for us?" I asked as we all piled into the little bus.

"And miss this because you were moving too slow?  Uhh...yes." She said, sitting down and scooting over so I could sit next to her.

The bus was quite cramped and rather rickety but it somehow managed to make its way the 90 miles from Hanoi to where we'd get on a boat out to the bay. Along the way, Esta decided we'd skip Halong and do Bai Tu Long bay because apparently Halong is too touristy and crowded.

"Because the other won't be?" Marty asked, skeptical.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be but maybe a little less so.  I don't know.  Still supposed to be beautiful.  Is that okay?  If not, we can do the other, it really makes no difference," she said, looking nervous.

I rested my hand on her arm to calm her down, "Esta...it's fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes, he was just being a smartass."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure.  And if they want to go out and do their own thing, they can.  And you and I can do our own thing, if need be.  Okay?  It's fine, I promise."

She nodded, but still looked nervous that maybe she had really upset or pissed off someone. Fucking Jace.

Once we got there, we got our tickets for the boat ride and climbed aboard.  We would be riding through Halong Bay on our way to Bai Tu Long Bay, so we still got to see it.  And she was right, crowded was an understatement.   

As we rode along, though, the view went from outstanding to downright stunning. Once we actually arrived in the bay of our destination, we saw several more boats but it definitely didn't seem nearly as crowded. 

Everyone on the boats was allowed to swim and go kayaking and explore. Different groups went different directions.

"So what do we want to do?" I asked.

"I'm down for just jumping in," Deo said, removing his t-shirt and stuffing it into his bag.

"I second that notion," Esta said from behind me.

"Whoa!" Marty said as he stated past me.

I turned around to see her removing her own clothing to reveal the yellow polka dot bikini she was wearing.  My mouth dropped open for a second.  It had been awhile since I had seen her in a bathing suit.  I don't even recall noticing the first time around but, then again, now I notice everything.