They soon landed and the rest of the day was pretty hectic. They arrived to the Swissotel in Shanghai and Mia was pretty impressed. It was a 5 star luxury hotel, thank you very much. They had been having a nice breakfast in one of the private dining rooms of the hotel when they announced their rooms wouldn't be ready for another two hours. It was merely 10am. Rather than wait around, they decided to go ahead with their planned city tour of Shanghai.
Shanghai was truly something. Modern high-rise buildings, gigantic retail stores, and super tall skyscrapers. It reminded her of the depictions Ridley Scott had created in Blade Runner. It was like South Beach on steroids.
They made a stop at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. Inside was an impressive city model made to scale that showed the old Shanghai streets from the 1930's to its present day planning and construction. It even had future technology renderings of the city that looked like pure fantasy. So far, Mia hardly felt like she was in China.
They proceeded to do a tour through Shanghai's historic district to visit the Yuyuan Garden, the largest of Shanghai's ancient gardens. They walked through crowded streets and local food shops.
Now this was more like it. She spent the afternoon taking amazing pictures but after sweating in the sun for a few hours, she felt like she could really use a shower. She looked around and could tell most people felt the same way. Someone finally convinced the tour guide it was time to go back to the hotel.
They checked back into the hotel at 5pm and she was happy to find out she would be sharing a room with Victoria. She hadn't spoken much to her since that time they went out to Gabana, so it would be nice to spend some time with her and catch up.
The first thing Mia did when entering her room was head to the shower. She couldn't believe she had been wearing the same clothes for two days since she had left her apartment in Madrid.
When she stepped into the stall and the cool water finally hit her back, she couldn't help think to herself, "Never underestimate the power of a good shower." She shook her head remembering who had told her that quote once upon a time. She thought of Leo and that surreal night they had spent together, despite all the insanity from the club. The way he had held her, cared for her like there was nothing more important in the world. She leaned her forehead against the shower door and sighed. Things couldn't be more different now.
Later that night they had a presentation on Business in China over dinner at a conference room in the hotel. Mia was so exhausted she could barely keep up. She kept on picturing the fluffy bed of her hotel room and couldn't wait to fall into a deep sleep in it.
Once they finished dinner, Mariela ran up to Mia with a huge smile on her face.
"Mia, get ready. We're going out!"
"Now?"
"Of course! It's still my birthday, remember?"
"I don't know, Mariela. I'm really exhausted and we have a really early start tomorrow."
"Nonsense. You have to come. We're going to this place Bar Rouge, they say it's amazing and the views are breathtaking. It'll be so much fun!"
Bar Rouge? Wasn't that the place Leo had mentioned?"Okay, why not. You only live once right?"
"Exacto!" Mariela shrieked in excitement.
They arrived at Bar Rouge and the place was indeed amazing. It had an indoor bar that circled around the club. Bartenders were preparing exotic drinks and Mia even saw the bar lighting up on fire.
It also had a terrace with another outside bar and lounge chairs. As she walked outside, she took in the view. It was spectacular seeing Shanghai's skyscrapers lit up at night. They immediately started taking hundreds of pictures in front of it. Pretending they were holding the towers, jumping up and down, holding different GQ poses.
As she laughed and chatted the night away, Mia thought about how lucky she was to be there. This trip to Shanghai with her classmates was truly a once in a lifetime experience. An experience she should be making the most out of, savoring each moment, and stretching it out to its fullest.
Although it wouldn't be possible without having Leo in it. But he had rejected her. He didn't want her anymore, he had made that very clear. She would have to put it behind her and move on. She decided it was time to start living her life again.
The next days passed all too quickly. The visit to the Shanghai Expo had been really fun. Mia had felt like she was in Orlando. They had gotten special treatment at the Spanish Pavilion, and Mia had joined a group of people who were interested in visiting the Latin America section. The Expo was a sea of people, the lines to enter the pavilions were ridiculously long and she had never seen so many people together in one place. But they had managed to enter the pavilions from Latin America without getting in line since they were from those countries.
The funniest part had been all the Chinese people who had stopped them to ask if they could take pictures with them. Mia's group had gone into the Cuban pavilion to get some Mojito's, when they had been practically cornered into a wall and picture after picture was taken of them. It had felt like they were celebrities being pursued by the paparazzi.
Another day they had lectures at a business school in Shanghai. That had been a killer day. While it had definitely been interesting, they had straight lectures from 8am until 5pm and had only taken a quick lunch break. Everyone had dozed off at some point, even the director of the program. Most of the pictures that day had been of people falling asleep!
They also had company visits to Coca-Cola and Li & Fung, which were really great. They actually had to present a case study on Li & Fung on the last day of the trip, so everyone had made sure to ask a bunch of questions to their tour guide there. The presentation would count towards a big chunk of their final grade.
Mia's group had prepared most of their presentation already, even before they had arrived to Shanghai. They had decided it would make them better prepared and give them more time to enjoy Shanghai without doing so much work during the week.
She had been relieved until their professor had announced only three people from each group would be allowed to present since it would be a 15 minute presentation. Mia hoped it wouldn't have to be her, but it was basically a 50-50 chance since there were seven people in her group. Who knew? Maybe she could get out of it somehow.
*****
Mia was having dinner with Victoria at the hotel buffet. They had received vouchers to use every night, so they were certainly not going to let them go to waste. She had served herself a hefty dose of steamed pork buns she just couldn't get enough of. Every time she went to have dim sum in New York's Chinatown, it was all she ever ordered. The hour wait at Golden Unicorn was always well worth it.
"Can you believe the trip is almost over? We practically only have two more days left!" Victoria commented.
"I know right? I feel like we just got here. It passed by way too quickly," Mia responded.
"Well let's do something about it. Let's go out tonight! Enjoy it while we can. Hay que aprovechar."
"I think that's a great idea," Mia said.
"What is?"
Mia turned around to see Omar approach them with a group of people. They had just finished having dinner and were on their way out.
"Oh, we were thinking of going out to some place fun tonight," Mia responded.
"We were just saying the same thing. I heard there's this Irish bar a few blocks down from the hotel that has live music. We should go check it out," Omar suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Meet you in 20 at the lobby?" Victoria asked enthusiastically.
Omar checked his watch. "Okay, so we'll meet at 10pm. I'll tell others to come, too. Spread the word around."
Mia and Victoria practically ran back to their hotel room to change. Victoria made a few quick phone calls to other rooms while Mia stared at her suitcase deciding what to wear. She picked up a few outfits before deciding on a provocative number. Short black shorts to show off her legs, a purple tank embedded with jewels across the neckline, and some killer heels. This should do the trick, she thought.
In the back of her mind, she thought Omar might tell Leo to come out with them so she wanted to look her absolute best, just in case. A girl can dream right? He hadn't paid her any attention the entire trip and the silent treatment was beginning to hurt her ego. Maybe if she dressed sexy enough he would notice her.
As they entered the bar, Mia noticed three things. One, there was an awesome Filipino band singing on stage. Only in Shanghai, she thought. They were covering Lady Gaga's Bad Romanceand the lead singer had some serious pipes.
Second, they were showing a live French Open match on TV and Roger Federer was playing. Mia couldn't believe she had forgotten all about it this year. Usually she followed the grand slams religiously.
Third, and more importantly, there was a pool table in the back! Mia absolutely loved playing pool. She had practically spent every other weekend playing with her friends in high school. It wasn't as if she was the best pool player, but she could defend herself quite well. One of her best friends, Roberto, had taught her a few good tricks.
Mia turned to Omar and Victoria. "So are we going to shoot some pool or what?"
"You play?" Omar asked.
"Of course. Get ready to lose to a girl."
"Oh it's on," he replied.
*****
Leo walked into O'Malley's bar. Omar had left him a message saying a bunch of people had decided to go out and he should meet up with them. As soon as he walked in, his gaze distinctly shot over to Mia as if she had been calling him. She was bent over a pool table, preparing to make a shot with extreme concentration. He noticed a group of guys surrounding her, waiting in anticipation.
What was going on? Mia took the shot and it landed in the far right pocket of the table. A cheer erupted and she lifted up her hands and gave her butt a cute little wiggle. She turned around and gave high-fives to people around her.
"Mia, you did it!" Omar picked her up and twirled her around. "Okay guys, time to pay up." He went around the table collecting bills of Yuan from a few very disappointed men.
Leo couldn't believe it. He couldn't take his eyes off of Mia. Hot damn! She looked so incredibly sexy. What's more, she was glowing being in the center of attention. She had been smiling non-stop, talking to strangers, even high-fiving them as if they were old friends. He could sense a change within her, she had an extra bounce in her step and a certain energy radiating from her. She was becoming a woman in his eyes.
How did this happen? Had he done this? Unleashed something in her? Whatever the case, she seemed happy. She was happy...without him. Even if he hated to admit it, maybe she was better off without him.
Oh God, she's better off without me, he realized. Leo felt like he was being buried alive.
*****
Mia walked over to the bar with Omar.
"So how much did we get?" Mia asked.
"Enough to pay for our drinks for the rest of the night. That was so amazing Mia, you should have seen the look on those guys faces! It was priceless. Who would've known you could play like that? I didn't even believe it," Omar confessed.
"Well you know what they say, never judge a book by its cover," Mia replied.
Omar ordered some drinks and handed the remaining cash over to Mia.
"This is the last call. Bar is closing in ten minutes," the bartender warned when he returned.
"Oh no, really? Is there another place we could go to around here?" Mia asked.
"There's this club called Manhattan a few streets down. Closes late, if you catch my drift," he replied.
Manhattan? Of all the names... "What do you think?" Mia asked Omar excitedly.
"I'll round up the troops."
Mia was in awe. Since when did she call the shots? She was having such a great night, she didn't want it to end. She was on such a high, the party just had to continue.
They walked into Manhattan with the warmest reception she'd ever received at a club. A manager had been at the door, and immediately escorted their group over to a stage at the back of the club. It felt nice getting the special treatment just for being a foreigner.
The DJ was playing some rocking music and the club was on fire. Mia took in her surroundings. She immediately noticed there were a lot of men in the club. Older men in business suits. Hardly any women.
That's odd, Mia thought. She took a closer look at the women and the few that were around were very young and wearing extremely skimpy outfits. That's when she saw one of them grinding against one of the older suits.
Wait a minute. Are we in a strip club?
Mia couldn't help but laugh and whispered her discovery to Victoria. She stared at her in disbelief for a moment, and then looked around the club. She turned back at Mia and shrugged.
"The show must go on, right?" Victoria said.
At that moment, Jay Z's Empire State of Mind started playing and they started dancing provocatively, getting down on the dance floor...way down. The suits started cheering and the manager soon showed up with a tray of shots to offer them.
"We might as well get paid for our services," Mia said jokingly. She continued swaying to the beat, and she soon found herself in the middle of their group, everyone dancing around together in a circle. Life was good.
*****
God, why does she have to look so appealing even when she's drunk? Leo thought to himself.
Someone else must have been sharing his same thoughts because a guy soon approached to dance with her.
Shit, who is that? Charles? Leo couldn't see clearly from his vantage point across the club. Mia simply kept dancing, not seeming to notice her suitor until he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close suggestively towards the length of his body.
What the fuck? Who the hell does this prick think he is? Anger boiled up inside Leo and he secretly cursed under his breath. He had promised himself he would keep a safe distance from her. After all, it was what she wanted right? But Leo knew sooner or later he would be faced in this type of situation.
I mean look at her. Who wouldn't want to approach her at a club, dance with her, explore their eager hands against her body? And there was nothing he could do about it. Or could he?
Jealously took over him, and suddenly couldn't think of anything he wanted more but to be the one dancing with Mia, pressing her oh so close to him, feeling her breath on his neck while he caressed her hair. Exactly like he had done before.
That should be me, dammit. No one should be allowed to touch her like that, only me. I'm the one that's supposed to be with her, not that wanker, he thought grimly. He had never felt the urge to want and protect someone by equal measure.
Before he could stop himself, he charged towards Mia on the dance floor. Not even pausing to take a look at the prick, he placed himself in front of her, cutting the dirty bastard off behind him.
"Excuse me," he managed to say before pressing his mouth against Mia's lips and desperately trying to kiss her and somehow win her back.
Mia almost immediately pushed him out of the way. "Leo!" she yelled at him.
"Hey man, I was kind of in the middle of something there."
Leo turned around to look at the offender. It had been Charles alright. He knew exactly what he meant by those words. "You stay out of this," he barked back at him. "And keep your damn paws off of her. Don't make me say it twice or you'll regret the day you were born," he threatened.
He turned back to look at Mia who had her arms crossed at him, heavy disapproval marked all over her face. Okay, now he was officially losing it. He shouldn't have said that in front of her.
"Sweetness, I'm sorry. I deserved that, but please let me explain."
"Don't you dare call me that! You're too late, leave me alone," she managed to say between slurred sentences.
Oh, fuck no. Did she really want to be with Charles? All hell broke loose inside him at that thought.
"Look, buddy. She doesn't want to be with you, alright? She doesn't want you," Charles snapped at him.
His words stung deeply and he felt an intense pain resurface inside his chest.
She doesn't want you.
No, it couldn't be possible. Mia was his. Not knowing how to handle the pain, the rejection, the reality, he did the only thing he knew would make his situation a bit more bearable.
He took a swing at Charles and instantly regretted it when he saw him knocked out on the floor. Holy shit, why do I keep on doing this? Oh yeah, because you've completely lost your freaking mind!
"Leo! What the hell are you doing?" Mia yelled at him, looking at Charles lying hopelessly on the floor. She looked like she wanted to help him, but decided against it. He found that oddly reassuring.
What the hell am I doing? "We're leaving...now," he commanded.
"We?" she asked incredulous.
"We need to talk." He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the club as security approached him.
"No need, I'm kicking myself out," he told one of the bouncers as he exited the door.
"Where are we going? The last thing I want is to talk to you! You didn't want this, remember?" Mia screamed at him as he flagged down a taxi.
Baby, if you only knew. "Mia please, you're making a scene."
"I'd say! I'm not the one that just punched a guy in the face," she said wobbly.
"Look, you can't even walk straight. I'm taking you back to the hotel." Leo used the protector card on her to get her to agree. It was the only thing he had left.
He pulled Mia into the cab with him and gave the driver a card with the address to the hotel. She scooted all the way towards the other side of the car and rested her head against the seat, looking outside the window. The distance she placed between them nearly killed him.
Had it really been a month since he'd been even this remotely close to her? Besides the airport and plane ride to Shanghai that is, but that had barely counted in his eyes. Their proximity hadn't been her choice.
"So you're just going to ignore me?" Leo protested.
Mia crossed her arms without turning to look at him. "Ese es el plan."
"Fine."
He thought the door to that conversation had been effectively shut, when she started speaking to him again a few minutes after.
"I was having a great time at the club until you decided to show up and ruin it for me. Now you're kidnapping me against my will. If you think I'm going to acquiesce to this, you've got a long thing coming."
"I am not kidnapping you. I'm saving you from that tosser back there."
"Tosser? You're the lunatic kidnapper!" she yelled.
"And you're a drunken mess right now! Did you want to end up warming someone else's bed tonight? You should be thanking me, Mia."
"I am not drunk! I can fend for myself," she said offended.
"Is that so?" He made his way towards her side, bridging the gap between them. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tightly against him, trapping her between his body and the car door. "What if this wasn't me right now? Men usually aren't as...kind to women in your condition." He grabbed her by the neck and leaned into her face. "Try to fight me off, I dare you," he whispered into her ear.
Her breath hitched and to his surprise, she didn't make any attempt against him. Instead his brown-eyed beauty got sad and she looked away from him. "Are you done? You've made your point. You can stop now," she said hurtfully.
He instantly released her, feeling like the biggest piece of shit on the planet. That did not go as planned. He hadn't been so kind to her either. He was a grade A arrogant bastard. Why did he have to be so fucking jealous? The thought of her in another man's arms had his mind spinning out of control and he had gone all macho possessive on her. He moved back to his side and thought he should have never crossed that line between them in the first place. Maybe it was better this way.
They passed the rest of the cab ride in complete silence. There were so many things he wanted to say but he just didn't have the heart to tell her. Every time he opened his mouth lately, it just seemed to make things worse. When they arrived at the hotel, Leo paid the driver and was about to get out of the car when he noticed Mia was fast asleep.
With a sigh, he scooped her up and carried her all the way back to her hotel room after checking her key card from her purse. The feeling was all too familiar and he couldn't help but think of everything that had happened during the last few months.
Leo placed Mia on what he determined was her bed and sat staring at the angelic creature before him. He took off her shoes and wrapped some covers around her. Was this all his fault? Had he truly been the cause of all her pain? He tried to imagine a life without her, his own life before they met, but couldn't accept it. It felt like part of his world was fading away.
He took out his phone to look at the picture Max had taken of them at the airport. Max had sent it to him just before he left Madrid and now he couldn't stop looking at it. The illusion he saw in it, of everything represented in that single moment of time, was torturing him.
He realized then he had never told her how he truly felt about her. It just ended so abruptly, just when he was starting to believe this could really happen to him. It was as if their relationship was never consummated, emotionally and even physically. He still woke up every morning aching for her desperately. There was still so much feeling left inside him, of everything he wanted to do with her. Maybe if he had just told her, none of this would have happened. How could he be so stupid?
No, they had to be together. This whole trip was nothing like he had planned. It was only a few months ago they had spent the night talking about all they would do once they got here. He had wanted to use the opportunity to wine and dine her, show her his favorite places around the city, make her feel special, just like she deserved.
But none of that had happened, and instead there he was, sitting in the hotel room staring at the girl of his dreams, contemplating what could have been, knowing he could never have any of that. He couldn't have her. And it was his entire fault. He had managed to completely sever the only real and caring relationship he had ever had.
She doesn't want you.
The words echoed in his mind over and over like a spreading, infectious virus as he silently, tearfully left her room.