Boarding Gate 143

Chapter 3

December – Hong Kong

The Hong Kong International Airport was a monstrosity. But in a good way. When I stepped out of the arrival gate, a series of walkalators greeted me, and as I rode along, I was greeted by advertisement after advertisement of luxury goods such as watches, handbags, and the like. I followed the directional arrows, I'd get lost if I didn't, and took the escalator down to the train platform.

Goodness. How big was this airport if I needed to ride a train to get to immigration? The ride was quick though, less than a minute, and when the doors opened, and I stepped out, it was another escalator ride up, and finally, the row of immigration desks was in sight. When that was done, I walked over to one of the conveyor belts and waited for my check-in luggage.

"Fancy seeing you here," a familiar voice said from behind my ear.

I instantly turned around and was greeted by the one and only Zach Clayton who sported a wide grin. 

"It's been what?! Two months?" he exclaimed in surprise, as he leaned on the handle of his trolley which was stacked with one large baggage on the bottom and a smaller one of the same design on top. "How have you been?"

"Ah same old. I've been travelling around the US, but none in Europe recently, so I haven't called. Now, I'm in Asia for both business and pleasure." I took a minute to get closer to the conveyor belt since I could see my luggage from a distance.

"Tell me which one's yours," he said, and when I pointed to a rectangular, metal-coated piece of baggage, he effortlessly pulled it off the belt with one hand.

"Thanks," I said, letting him place my luggage on his trolley. "And you? What brings you to this side of the world?"

It, this, was weird and normal at the same time, weird that we had only met twice in our lives but normal at how seamless conversation was between us. There was no awkward silence or forced talk, and from an outsider's perspective, we probably looked like good friends who just hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"Same. I'm in Hong Kong to meet with some investors," he began, pushing the trolley towards the Arrival Gates. "But since my partner and I plan to expand the business here in Asia, I'll be meeting him in the Philippines, and then we're headed to Malaysia, and lastly Thailand."

"When will you be in Thailand?" I asked, my glee evident. "I'll be travelling there with a few friends this Christmas." When his eyes lit up, that was answer enough. "Then we can meet up!"

"Definitely!"

When we reached the train line that was going to take us to the city proper, Zach turned to me, looking like he wanted to say something but was unsure if he was going to speak.

"What's up?" I asked, entering the train first with one luggage while Zach handled the rest.

We took the two empty seats nearest the doors, and watched as other travelers entered the train and settled into their own seats.

"Any plans later tonight?" he asked, running a hand through his dark brown hair. As expected, unruly strands stuck up in multiple directions. That added to his handsomely boyish look. Most of his facial features, such as his jawline and nose, were hard and model-esque; however, his eyes and smile were a different story. They were softer and welcoming.

"None so far," I said, checking the time – 8 AM. "My friend wants to take me out, but we set that for tomorrow. So, I'm free tonight. What's up?"

"Do you want to grab dinner later?" he asked, eyes never leaving my own. Damn. This guy could hold down a stare. "I think we have to take our meetings outside of airports."