Chapter 6 - An Ocean Away

Having nothing else left to do, not knowing where her life was going from here on out, Lika chose to fulfill her aunt's wish.

Staring at her internet banking user interface, Lika had never felt so small. For the first time in a very long time, she felt clueless. The girl with a backup plan, whose backup plan has a backup plan, she remembered Chris Kingsley joked about her once. A small, heartbroken smile appeared on her face at the memory. Now, that girl with the plan was no longer here. Now, she felt dumb and clueless.

Lika entered her pin number and the screen flashed, notifying success fund transfer. Checking another bank account she opened specifically for her trip to Indonesia, Lika nodded in satisfaction. She had transferred all her money to the new account successfully. Now all that was left to do was drop her car to Emily Pearson's house.

An hour later, Lika entered Emily's house, her friend back in college. The sounds of Emily's two kids running around the house filled the atmosphere.

"Kids! Behave! We have company!" yelled Emily back towards the second floor of her house before turning to Lika, "Sorry about that. My husband fed them sugar this afternoon and now my kids are buzzing and driving everyone insane. Care for a London Fog? Brian just bought this amazing Earl Grey tea–"

"–I'm not staying long. My flight's in three hours," Lika forced out her voice, hoping to sound normal, "Thank you so much for taking the car. Please feel free to use it whenever you need it. I just filled the tank for you."

Her redhead friend had a grin on her face. "You are the best, Lika," she said as she took the key from her. "So where does your hunk of a boss taking you now?"

"I'm going alone this time," swallowed Lika.

"Oh okay..." Emily mumbled, noticing something off about her friend. She continued, "So how long are you going to be away? I can pick you up when you return," offered her. She was happy to if that was what Lika needed.

Give and take.

After all, Lika having Emily take care of her car everytime she was out of town helped Emily travel with more ease with her children. It was so much less hassle than having to take public transportation as the redhead didn't have her own car.

Lika shook her head. "I don't know. This time I might be going awhile."

"What about your Aunt Mercy? Want me to pay her a visit?" offered Emily kindly.

The impassive facade that Lika put up quickly crumbled at the mention of her beloved aunt's name. In a split second, her expression changed and Lika broke to tears, shocking Emily.

"Oh dear. Lika!" Emily pulled the woman into a tight embrace. Her own heart broke at seeing her sudden mental breakdown. "When?" she queried softly, knowing that Lika's Aunt Mercy was gone. The signs were there.

Anguished sobs wracked Lika's shoulders. "I don't know," Lika supplied between her sobs, "A week."

"I'm very sorry, Lika."

Lika nodded and pulled away from her friend's embrace.

"Why are you going alone? You shouldn't. Where's Henry?" asked Emily, knowing that Henry would never let Lika be alone in difficult times.

Lika was unable to answer.

"Oh no. What did he do?"

"Nothing. It's me," Lika explained, "Someone messed up his fiancée's meal and caused her severe allergic reaction. All evidence points to me," Lika broke into another fit of cry, "I'm not working for him anymore."

"What?" Emily practically spat, her voice raised an octave, "That's ridiculous, you could never–"

"He didn't want to listen to me. Didn't return my calls," Lika sniffled, before shaking herself, "Look, my taxi is here. I gotta go."

The mother of two returned her embrace with still a bewildered and concerned look on her expression. "Lika, wait–"

"Please Em. I need this. If I stay any minute longer I will just continue to cry and not have the strength to leave at all," croaked Lika through her pained tears.

Emily's tight hold on Lika's arm loosened, her facial expression sad at seeing the brokenness in Lika's eyes. "Lika..." she trailed, looking morose upon seeing the small woman grabbed the handle of her baggage.

"Take care, Em."

With that Lika turned away to the driveway and opened the door to the taxi as the driver helped load her baggage to the trunk. She raised her hand in farewell to her friend.

Emily watched the black taxi sped away. Seeing Lika off was something that Emily was used to over the years due to the nature of her work. But this time felt different.

This time, it felt like good bye.

***

Everything from waiting at the airport to board the plane, taking commercial flights, and being generally Henry-less felt more like a fall from grace with every minutes that passed.

Maybe Lika had grown spoiled. There was usually no waiting whenever one was boarding a private jet. No crying infants aboard too, and she definitely won't be missing her best friend this damn much.

Granted, she was beyond hurt that Henry easily accept what was in front of his eyes and accused her right away for a crime she didn't commit. How could he? After everything that they've been through for a decade together. How could he believe that she was capable or would even consider hurting anyone that way?

People either thought she was blind or crazy for wearing sunglasses on an evening flight. During the 17-hours flight, Lika was unable to sleep. Hence, she was left alone mostly to her depressing thoughts about both her aunt and Henry. She had to make several runs to the lavatory whenever she felt like breaking down.

The low hum of the jet engine was felt on her bottom as she sat on the floor of the cramped lavatory. Lika had never felt so alone in her life before. Without her aunt, she felt like the safety veil that was covering her entire life had been snatched away, leaving her vulnerable. She knew her aunt's mind hadn't always been hers, but deep down in Lika's heart, she knew her aunt loved her. Even apart, she knew there was someone praying on her behalf. Someone missing her. Someone loving her, even when her own parents left her. Having Aunt Mercy, Lika always had a place to come home to.

Now she was alone in the world, and Lika felt like she had no strength nor means to keep going. She didn't even know if she was strong enough to get up and out from this lavatory.

A soft knock entered her ears. "Miss Denali?" called a muffled woman's voice from outside.

Another knock. "Miss Denali?"

Lika had no choice but to get up and washed her face, hoping to get herself somewhat presentable. It didn't do much.

She opened the folding door of the toilet bathroom quietly, finding a stewardess in red and blue uniform dress looking at her. "I'm sorry," Lika told her, knowing that she had hogged the lavatory all for herself for a long time.

"I'm just checking in. You've not been on your seat for a while now," explained the stewardess gently, her voice sympathetic. Noticing the downcast look and the sadness in her passenger's eyes, the stewardess added. "Are you alright, Miss Denali?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Well in that case, should you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know." Lika gave the stewardess a grateful look, "Very kind of you. I'd like water, please, um...?"

"Nancy," smiled the stewardess. "And sure. I'll bring the water to your seat right away, miss." Courteously, she make way for Lika to get back to her seat. Lika thanked her before getting back.

Despite still feeling morose, Lika's meltdown episode had come down to a halt. Instead, numbness took over her. Nancy walked over to her with a bottle of mineral water and a glass of warm milk, placing them on the tray in front of her seat.

"Oh– I didn't order the milk," Lika informed her.

"It's on the house," The kind stewardess smiled warmly at her before leaving.

Lika stared at the warm milk in front of her. It took her back to a memory she had of her aunt when she was but a child.

Little Lika slipped her small hand out of her aunt's grasp and diverted from her path. She flashed a toothy grin at a homeless man who was sitting at the side of an aisle in London.

"Do you want milk?" asked Lika, offering him a cup of warm milk with one hand, "Still warm," she persuaded him in her own childish way as if trying to sell the man something.

The homeless man returned her toothy grin with a toothy grin of his own and thanked Lika. The little girl went back to her aunt's waiting form with a bounce in her steps.

"Why do you give your drink away?" Aunt Mercy asked with a lopsided smile as she looked at the tiny child.

"I ordered chocolate, they gave me white milk," she shrugged.

"You know, we're on a tight budget. I'm not buying you another cuppa today," told her aunt with a raise of her neat brow.

"It's doesn't matter, auntie. It's just a cup of milk."

Aunt Mercy, still looking young at the moment, had a gorgeous smile on her kind face. "Right. What's a cup of milk, right?" shrugged the woman to her niece.

Little Lika nodded in agreement.

"But a stranger, moved to kindness," Aunt Mercy beamed and looked down at her niece lovingly, "Kindness. Kindness is what makes it matter."

Here, alone in the sky, it felt like her aunt was here with her. Watching her still. Warmth spread across her aching chest at the memory of her loving aunt, blanketing her. It was utterly silly that the mere sight of a glass of milk was able to conjure such feeling. Lika covered her mouth and sniffled, smothering her tears and failed.

***

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Jakarta. Please remain seated and keep your seatbelts fastened until the aircraft has come to a complete stop. On behalf of the airline and the entire crew, we hope you had an enjoyable flight, and thank you for flying British Airways. Goodbye and have a nice day."

Staring at the Indonesian airport building from her window seat, Lika was at loss. At this point forward the woman basically just copied everything what the other passengers did. Opening the overhead bin and taking out her carry on luggage. Following them inside the airport. Queuing and getting through the immigration.

"Miss Eliska Denali," read the immigration officer, his black eyes piercing as he studied her face, "Traveling alone from London?"

"Yes," confirmed Lika.

"The nature of your visit?" he asked, aloof.

It took Lika a while to think of an answer. She didn't even know what the hell she was doing here.

"Uh, pleasure," she finally decided, though her expression probably spoke the opposite.

His watchful eyes fleeted between her face, his computer screen, her passport and back to her face. When traveling with Henry, people usually don't even bother questioning her this way. The face and name Henry Kingsley was pretty much a ticket to anywhere in the world, she realized forlornly. Another reminder of her fall from grace. Lika realized she had probably made herself look suspicious by hesitating with her answer earlier.

She hoped she didn't come across looking like a terrorist.

Eventually, the man in the uniform stamped her passport, the thud of the stamp felt like a sentence. He returned her passport through the hole on the glass. "Welcome to Jakarta, Miss Denali. Enjoy your stay."

"Terima kasih (thank you)," she replied in Bahasa Indonesia–pretty much the one of the three Indonesian words she managed to learn besides tolong (please) and maaf (sorry).

The aloof man gave a nod before gesturing to the other tourist behind her. "Next."

Lika made it out of the airport, just after securing a local pre-paid SIM card for her phone. Standing just beneath the International Arrival sign, she felt like she was being in a strange dream, alone in a very different world. Where the sun shone at its highest peak and everything was vibrant and lively–a total opposite of London where things seemed to be grey and muted. The people swarming around looked nothing like her, spoke nothing like her, and that she was the big, sore thumb walking around dragging her baggage aimlessly. She wiped the sweat on her forehead, the heat of Jakarta daylight was becoming uncomfortable real soon.

"Taksi! (Taxi!)" she heard some people calling at the same time, offering a ride to people coming out of the airport. She approached one nearest to her, a man with glasses and a blue driver uniform.

Not knowing Bahasa Indonesia, Lika crossed her finger and hoped that the man understand her. "Can you take me here?" she asked, showing him her phone containing the address to a hotel she booked randomly from London.

The man nodded a confirmation with a thumbs up. "Okay missus," he said in broken English.

The hotel was not luxurious, but it wasn't horrible either. It was well maintained and clean despite how tiny her room was. There was only enough room to walk around the queen-sized bed, with a single couch at the corner and an adjoining shower room.

Lika dropped her stuff by the door as soon as she was alone, kicked off her sneakers and made straight for the bed. She didn't wake up to eat, drink or clean up until late afternoon the next day.

The smell of smoke remnants and air conditioner was the first thing that was registered to her mind upon waking. Then the violent sense of loneliness and a gaping hole in her chest. It was almost like having a hangover without actually being drunk with alcohol, but worse.

As with what happen when one took too much sleep, there was a dull pounding at the back of her head. She sat like the living dead at the empty hotel room and wept some more the moment the thought of Henry and her aunt came to mind.

***

[Author's Note: In the next chapter we'll see more Henry. If you're reading this far, you probably noticed no one has reviewed yet so I am left completely in the dark whether my first original fiction works or not XD Please, leave your comment. Let me know if I'm doing well or not or if I should continue the book. Any part of it boring or hard to follow? Let me know. I'm open to all constructive inputs. Also I want to say thank you so much for you who read this far. This truly means a lot and I love you all for following this story with me. I hope you're excited, but I also hope you can be patient since this is a slow build romance, we won't see Henry and Lika being together any time soon. Much love and stay safe wherever you are! ❤️]