Mile High (Up in the Air #2)(46)

I looked to my group for help. “What first?” I asked them. I figured someone there had to have a preference.

Judith didn’t hesitate. “The deluxe package how it’s listed should be perfect. Massage first, I think.”

The hostess nodded, looking relieved. “Yes, right this way.” She led us into another waiting area. It was even more posh than the first one, with stone walls and opaque glass throughout. There was a tea bar, but before we could serve ourselves, the hostess introduced us to our own personalized attendants.

Mine was a delicately petite asian girl named Mina.

She seemed anxious and nervous as she asked me what I would like to drink. “I can get you literally anything, Ms. Karlsson. Please don’t hesitate to ask.”

It was an intimidating request. I would rather have just had a menu. “Tea, please.”

She named off ten different teas that the spa boasted. “I’ll take the youthberry oolong infused with lemongrass. Plain, thank you,” I told her.

She seemed relieved, as though she’d been worried I would request something more complicated. She brought a tea service tray to the table in front of me, and prepared my tea as though it were a ritual. I thought it was charming. I told her so.

She looked up, beaming at me. “I trained in Japan, when I was little. You should see my mother. Her tea service puts mine to shame.”

She finally poured the impressively prepared cup of tea, then left briefly, returning with trays of food.

There was fruit, vegetables, tiny sandwiches, hors d’oeuvres, and cheese and crackers. She brought tray after tray, and I took little samples from each.

All of my friends were getting the same treatment in comfortable seats around the stone lined room. It was almost like being inside of a luxurious cave, I mused.

I heard Judith telling the room at large that the cucumber sandwiches were divine. I ate the one I had grabbed. It was pretty tasty, I had to admit. And the tea was to die for, smooth without a hint of bitter.

Mina brought a tray of tiny muffins, truffles, and fruit tarts. I took one of the fruit tarts, thanking her. I ate lightly, sampling more than eating. I had a nervous stomach, since I didn’t know what to expect from the spa day, and surprises made me nervous. I was even bad at relaxing at a spa. The thought was somewhat disheartening.

After we had snacked and drank, we were escorted into a large massage room. It was another modern cavelike design, with frosted glass obscuring us from each other for the massage. We could talk, but we didn’t have to all get naked together. I was relieved.

Mina explained to me how I should prepare for the massage, then left me to it. I undressed, putting my clothes into the large locker provided in my massage nook. It felt wrong to take my jewelry off in public, and leave it in a locker, but I did it, not knowing exactly what we were in store for. I got quickly under the white sheet in only my thong, as Mina had instructed, lying on my stomach.

I saw white shoes approaching me from the hole in the table my face fit into.

“Ms. Karlsson, I’m Jen, I’ll be massaging you today,” a very soothing voice told me.

Jen went through all of the techniques she offered, and I requested the deep tissue. She set to work immediately. She was good. I’d never had a massage like that before, never had a professional of any kind, and it felt divine. Everyone must have been having a similar experience, because shortly after the service began, no one said a word, not even Marnie or Judith, who were notorious for never being able to shut up. There were some appreciative groans heard throughout the hour, but that was all.

We all wore matching plush terrycloth robes as we followed our respective spa attendants to the next service. We used separate rooms for that one. The facial also lasted an hour, and my face felt clean and fresh when it was finished.

All of the girls met up in a modern, stone-walled room that housed a collection of pools designed to look like a modern twist on a natural hot-spring. Stephan and Javier had to go to a separate pool, since the pools were not co-ed, though we were the only occupants of this one.

We soaked for a long time, and I mostly listened to the chatter with a half-smile.

“How cute are Javier and Stephan together?” Judith was asking the room.

I silently agreed. It wasn’t just that they were good-looking. The way they looked at each other, even casually, was good for my soul. I wanted so badly for them to work, I was almost afraid to hope for it.

“Do you approve, Bianca? Does Javier get your stamp of approval?” Marnie was asking me, snapping me out of my musings.

I wondered why everyone thought that I was Stephan’s keeper. The idea was bizarre to me. I would never tell him who to date. From my point of view, I always just wanted his dates to like me, and not mind me being around a lot, since that was usually how it went. “To be honest, anyone that Stephan wants gets my stamp of approval. I just want him to be happy.”

For some reason, that got soft ‘ahs’ all around. Then the topic moved to how cute Stephan and I were.

“You guys are related somehow, right?” Brenda asked. She was the one in the group that had known us the shortest amount of time. “Stephan told me you were family.”

I smiled. “Not by blood, but in every way that counts. He’s like a brother, and my best friend. If that’s not family, I don’t have a clue what is.”

Another round of ‘ahs’ made me smile. The talk soon turned to James, of course.