It is ten at night when I reach the hotel. The company has booked a cottage for me and I can't wait to check in after a long, tiring flight.
As always, I video call Praveen, starting the tour of my room with the stunning sea view.
My room is more gorgeous in real life than the photos I'd seen on the website. French windows open out into a verandah, with bright pink bougainvillea flowing out. Lights from ships and buoys dance gracefully on the gentle waves.
"I wish you were here with me." I sigh.
I move into the room and turn my camera to the regal bathtub with elegant golden legs, perched in a glass cubicle.
"Okay, I'm going to soak myself in the bathtub for a bit and then go to bed. Missing you already. Wish you were here to pamper me." I tell Praveen.
The truth is that I feel liberated. This is after all the first time I am travelling solo after my marriage.
"Missing you too, baby."
****
As I leave my room the next morning for breakfast, I hear someone call out my name.
It is him. I immediately feel butterflies in my stomach. I can't believe it - even after all these years, he still has the same effect on me.
He looks pretty sharp in his crisp white shirt and khakis.
"How've you been? It's been so long," he asks.
"Uh, hey, I'm really good.." I'm so tongue tied, I can barely string a sentence together.
"Wow. You're really dressed up. So early in the morning? Who is getting married?"
"Shut up. I'm here for the entrepreneur conference."
"That's so cool! I'm a speaker tomorrow," he exclaims.
"How did I not know about this?" I ask.
"Uh ... because I'm just the sideshow. You're the main event clearly."
I check the time nervously - it's already quarter past nine.
"Gosh, I'm so late for breakfast. I have to run!"
"Cool. Catch you for a drink later?" he asks.
"Sounds like a plan!" I blurt out.
I have a lot of work today. My company is one of the co-sponsors of the conference. Not only do I need to network, I also have to ensure nothing goes wrong and that all our speakers have covered their talkpoints. But honestly, through all this craziness, I can't stop thinking about him. I find myself looking for him. Whenever I manage to steal a glance at him, he always seems deep in conversation. He catches me looking at him and flashes a cocky smile. My phone buzzes right away.
"Drinks on me today ;)"
He's so cheeky. He knows I'm married. He has some nerve asking me out for drinks. But I have to admit, I'm flattered. It's been a while since I've felt sexy. I love Praveen with all my heart, and he means the world to me, but we barely have any physical intimacy anymore. I've not really been taking care of myself. In fact, I have almost completely stopped investing any time or effort in how I look. I haven't shaved myself for months, my bush is like a rainforest, and I look like a yeti. So I can't really blame Praveen for the spark fizzling out.
The truth is I want to feel sexy again. After the conference winds down for the day, I head straight to the salon. A full-body wax, facial, threading, hair styling, manicure and pedicure-I really spoil myself. Aside from my wedding, this is the most I've ever spent on such self-indulgence.
After about three hours, I head back to my room to get dressed for the evening.
Black dress-red heels is always a winning combination. Thank god I carried my lacy underwear with me.
It's very crowded at the bar, but I notice him checking me out.
"I wanted your advice on my business idea." I say, placing my hand on his arm to get his attention.
I show him my product line-ups and explain the brand positioning.
"What's the model?"
"We're just planning to sell online, through our website and Instagram."
"Ok. Looks like you have everything figured. So what do you need my advice for?"
"You're such a brilliant business brain. So I wanted your help in figuring out what we should do."
"Thank you. I'm flattered, but that's so general..." he laughs.
This quickly turns into a discussion on the work he's doing. He's now the country managing director of a Fortune 500 company. The passion in his voice as he speaks about his work is turning me on.
Time flies as he tells me about how he is building up a new division at his company from scratch. It's already half past eleven at night. I have an early morning again the next day. While he's chatting with a colleague, I quietly slip away.
When I reach my room, I video call Praveen. He tells me I'm looking really hot -- this is why I love Praveen. We've been married six wonderful years now and he still treats me like a queen.
I complain about how crazy it was at the conference today. After 10 mins of everyday conversation about domestic help and household chores, we say "love you" to each other and hang up.
I'm just curled up on my bed, blankly staring at the WhatsApp he sent me earlier in the evening.
Suddenly a new message pops up. It's him again:
"Where?"
"I'm in my room, really snug. Going to bed. Goodnight!"
"Lovely seeing you today. You looked amazing :)"
That message made my heart skip a beat. I don't remember when I last felt this ecstatic.
I'm trying to distract myself by replying to work mails in between scanning through some instagram photos. I'm still a little buzzed from the three tall glasses of gin and tonic I downed.
Another message: "Still up?"
"Yes, sadly! :( What's going on?"