“Alex, shut up.” Freja shoved him, almost knocking him off his chair.
He pointed at her, “You drink, girls drink. It’s the rules.”
As Freja drank she subtly placed her thumb on the table, and Michael and Anna quickly followed suit. “Now you drink!” she ordered. “Karma.”
***
The city took on a beautiful glow in the fading light as the colors of the vibrant buildings intensified. Each table had a ceramic candle holder, and Aleksander lit the candle inside. “Romantic.” He winked at Michael.
“So forward. We’ve only just met.” Michael joked as he picked up another card. “Jack. What is Jack again?”
“Make up a rule.”
“No cursing.” Michael chose this rule as he knew he was useless at sticking to it.
“We are going to Cholula in the morning if you want to come. It’s early, though. You can book at front desk,” Aleksander offered.
“For sure. Thanks for the invite.” Michael had that feeling he would always get after a few drinks. It started with a warm feeling in his chest, which spread throughout his body into a tingling sensation that travelled down his limbs as the tension melted out of him. Colors looked that bit more vibrant and the surrounding air seemed alive with possibility. A goofy grin spread across his face, and he didn’t care.
The rest of the game was a blur until Michael drew the last king. The waterfall card. He looked at the large glass in the center covered in smudged fingerprints, filled with warm beer, tequila, and wine. He tentatively picked it up and screwed up his face as he brought the glass to his lips, trying to ignore the sickly smell of the liquid inside.
***
The first thing that hit him was the pain. An unholy trinity of shooting, throbbing and stabbing pain attacked his head from all angles. Heat radiated from his forehead as if it were on fire. Bright light felt like it was searing through his eyelids and despite his best efforts, he could not will himself back to sleep. It hurt to swallow as his throat was so dry and he sunk his head into the pillow. It was so hot, yet he was covered in a blanket. Fragments of his dream came back to him. He had been lost in the desert, dying of thirst, and an oasis appeared in the distance—lush green plants, and rippling water. As he hurried towards it, his feet sank into the sand. It seemed to get further and further away as he waded through the burning sand. It didn’t take a genius to work out why he’d had that dream.
As he shifted in the bed, he felt the solid heat of another body next to his. He forced his eyes open a crack to see he was in a dorm room, not his own private room. It was only then that he also realized he had no clothes on. He could see his T-shirt strewn over one of the steps of the bunk bed ladder and groaned as he leaned to pick it up. The body next to him stirred.
“Hi,” said a squeaky, timid voice. A face he did not recognize.
“Morning,” he replied, trying to play it cool. “So… last night.”
“It was fun. Everyone loved your song.” She giggled.
“My song?” he asked. Hoping the fog would lift, and he could recollect anything after drinking the glass of assorted alcohol. He had that sinking feeling that he had done something awful, or humiliating, but had no idea what it was.
“Michael. There you are.” Aleksander appeared in the doorway. His voice was annoyingly chirpy. “I’ve been looking all over for you. You’re going to miss the bus.” He moved around with the energy of a toddler after a sugar binge, and Michael was the exhausted parent begging for just 10 more minutes sleep.
Even though he felt like he was seconds from death, Michael would rather get some fresh air then deal with awkward goodbyes with the stranger he had woken up with. “Shit,” he mumbled to himself as he felt around the bed for his boxer shorts.
Aleksander was milling outside the dorm room on the upstairs landing with the others, when Michael emerged.
“We thought you’d abandoned us,” said Freja. “How are you feeling this morning?” Freja wore a bohemian flowery dress, flip-flops and various bangles, and hair neatly braided to the side. All of them looked dewy and fresh faced.
“I think you know the answer to that,” he croaked.
“Here. I have another one in my bag.” Anna passed him a bottle of water. It must have been poured straight from the water cooler because it had beads of condensation dripping down the side.
“You are literally an angel. I don’t know how to thank you.” Michael grabbed the bottle, unscrewed the lid and downed half of the water in a second. It was possibly the best drink he had ever had in his entire life.
“We seriously need to go now.” Freja headed down the stairs, her flip-flops slapping against the hard floor and echoing in the stairwell. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, several people were congregated in the reception area, and Michael tiptoed around the obstacle course of backpacks that littered the floor, trying not to move too suddenly. Even the slightest movement made it feel like his brain was rattling around in his skull.
“Nice of you to join us.” The tour guide greeted them. “Okay guys. Time to go.” He ushered the group outside.
Chapter Four
After three days in Puebla, Michael moved on to the equally beautiful city of Oaxaca. By that time, he had met many Aleksanders, Annas, and Frejas. In the few days he had spent in Mexico so far, many people had come and gone. It didn’t take long for them to become interchangeable, for their faces to all blend into one. The first goodbye was emotional, and each subsequent goodbye was less heartfelt, and more a formality. He spent his days
