Nadia was going to get her money back — one way or another. She ground her teeth as she padded up the tacky wooden steps to Paddy's. Hopefully, she could do it without cracking the shits or getting Khai's parents involved.

Almost every surface of Paddy's was made of wood and nearly every space filled. Twenty-somethings — interspersed by the odd thirty, forty, or fifty-something — crowded the bar and tables; framed pictures, posters and newspaper clippings covered the walls; nicknacks perched on ledges and alcoves, surrounded by cigarette smoke.

From the corner of her eye, she noted a small tick in Thomas' jaw and the wriggle of his nose. Another lollipop stick protruded from his mouth, pineapple this time. Nadia doubted it would do much for his cravings, but the stubborn man refused to buy an e-cigarette. His loss, she supposed.

She scanned the room and felt an unexpected stab of ice in her chest. Khai had come. That was good. Right? Her nape prickled. Perhaps Thomas was right, she should just contact his mum. And yet, with a certainty anchored deep in her guts, she knew that calling his mother would be upsetting. Best to avoid it if at all possible.

At least she and Khai would have their closure. The last few days had been the slow, drawn-out pull of a band-aid. Time to rip the bugger off.

Khai's hands gesticulated as he talked to Genevieve. The Swiss woman's red lips pursed in a serene smile as she listened to, no doubt, a tall tale of his intrepid exploits.

Against her will, Nadia's mouth twitched. In a way, she missed his enthusiasm. It had been endearing, to begin with.

Someone bumped into her and beer sloshed over her jeans. Nadia let out a cry of surprise as she tried to brush it off. She looked up and saw Savannah with two oversized beers.

"Sorry," Savannah said, lips strained at a strange angle.

"Um, all good."

Thomas tapped her on the shoulder, hand mimicking a drinking motion. She nodded her thanks and turned back.

"Uh, Savannah ..." She moved closer to be heard over the sound of Oasis and hesitated. Better out than in. "This might sound dodgy, but... Well, the thing is, I bought the Inca Trail pass you used. It wasn't cheap, and I want my money."

Savannah's chin dropped, her mouth hanging open a few seconds, then it shut on an audible snap of teeth. Her hazel eyes narrowed at Nadia.

"Look, Nadia, it sucks that things aren't working out for you, and I'm really sorry about what happened on the trek. But you ran off, and Khai didn't know where you were or who you were with. I paid for that ticket. You should go and speak to him. Leave me out of this." With a flick of her black ponytail, she turned on her heels and headed back to the table before Nadia could say anything

Mole, she thought, clenching her fists and breathing deep. She scoffed as she watched Savannah shove herself between Khai and Genevieve. For a second, she enjoyed the self-righteous satisfaction, then guilt cooled her gloating as she remembered how it had been. Genevieve, meanwhile, turned her attention to Jude with a bright smile.

Even across the room, Nadia made out the dark furrows across Khai's forehead; they deepened as Savannah whispered into his ear.

Her stomach plummeted. She squeezed her eyes and felt the hot sensation of nails digging into the skin of her palms. When she opened them, Thomas was standing in front of her.

"Are you quite alright, Nadia?"

She shook herself. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine."

A dark-blonde eyebrow quirked. She squared her shoulders and held her chin high, anticipating a challenge. Instead, he nodded and handed over an imperial pint of beer.

"Cheers." She sculled deep, telling herself it was to prevent any spillage.

"Shall we?"

"Sure."

Nadia trailed Thomas through the obstacle course of people, tables and puddles, to the other side of the long, narrow room.

"Hey, hey, Tommo!" said Rob.

Thomas shook Rob's hand, moved on to Trent, James and Miguel. "Ladies," he said, turning to the women in turns.

Rob came up to Nadia in a drunken swagger and an "'ey!" Laughing, she gave him a peck on the cheek and a half-hug. She took a minute to move around the table, settling for a nod to Khai and a sharp-toothed smile for Savannah.

Most of their troupe had made it — Jan had food poisoning, and the newlyweds had flown out earlier in the day — and were already pissed as farts by the look of things. Empty shot glasses and mugs cluttered the centre of the tabletop and spilled drinks left white streaks on the wood.

Nadia clunked down her glass next to Thomas. He wrapped his arm around her and shuffled them to the left so a resigned-looking waitress could shimmy in and clear the table.

The conversation picked up from where it had left off: the standard backpacker topics of bowel movement and future destinations.

"We're going trekking in the Amazon," said Khai, patting Savannah on the upper arm. His eyes held Nadia's for a moment, then darted away. "We'll catch the bus to Pucallpa, then a boat to Iquitos." He breathed out a whoosh of air. "It'll be tough." He sighed again, louder this time, and continued. "Though it's much easier to fly, I'm a traveller; I need to do it right."

As he spoke, Savannah studied the floorboards intently, and Nadia felt herself cringing. This she did not miss. Thomas pulled Nadia against him and kissed the crown of her head. She let herself melt into him.

"We're going to make our way to La Paz," said Jude.

James raised his pint. "Finally, time for some cheap beers, 'ey." He winked at Sara then Genevieve. "We could do with some company, ladies."

Genevieve blushed as Jude wound his arm around her, and Khai scowled into his mug.

"Where are you guys off too?" Rob asked Nadia.

Nadia blinked, caught unawares. She bit down on her lip and tugged on her hair as if she might yank out a straight answer. Ten sets of eyes regarded her, and she froze. "Umm ..."

"We haven't decided yet," said Thomas. He swigged his drink. "Or more accurately, Nadia hasn't." His glass slid on condensation as he set it down. "I've given her free rein to choose. Anywhere she wants. She is too spoiled for choice."

"Lucky girl," said Sharon. "We're all green with envy — and happy for you."

The discussion moved on, and Nadia's mind turned inwards, considering how to approach Khai until the touch of Thomas's lips against her neck pulled her to the present.

She felt the warmth of his breath as he spoke on a low murmur. "I mean it, wherever you want."

Her heart pounded. He wasn't playing like a gentleman. She told him so, and he chuckled, said he was in name only. She found the comment odd, but let it go.

The night ticked on. Tongues were oiled with beer and rum, and early morning came. The Swiss girls left, escorted by James and Jude. Rob leaned against the wall, swaying as he explained Aussie-rules football to a perplexed Thomas. Trent and Sharon 'danced'.

Nadia picked her moment when Savannah excused herself for the bathroom. Khai's head was bobbing in time to the reggaetón, and he mouthed the words out of sync as she approached him.

"Can we talk, Khai?"

He jumped like he hadn't realised she was there. "What's up, Nad's?"

She indicated to the small balcony with the jerk of her head. "Can we talk outside?"

Khai's lip curled. "Look, Nad's, I get it's hard for you, but you have to realise that we're over. I'm with Savannah now."

"I'm not cracking on to you," she snapped. "We need to talk, and I want to say bye properly."

With a shrug, he grabbed Savannah's Guinness and followed her through a glass door and out into the biting cold. Nadia shuddered in the cramped space, squinting at Khai.

He shook his head as if pained, and spoke. "Goodbyes are so sad".

"Yeah, they sure can be." Through a gap in the curtain, she caught sight of Thomas peering out at her. She flashed a quick smile, and he gave her a thumbs up.

Khai had turned his attention to the empty streets. "I'm writing a new blog about the bittersweet parts of travel: Love, Heartbreak and Moving On."

"Oh." Nadia wasn't sure what she thought about this. He'd never mentioned her much in his work before — only two or three times. The 'we' he tended to use could have referred to anyone. She wondered what Savannah thought about the project, and asked him.

Khai frowned at her. "She's a very understanding person, Nad's."

"I noticed," she said, dryly.

Khai seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her voice. He went on, pointing out what made his blog different to others and describing his plans to self-publish a 'unique travel guide for real backpackers'. "It will have all the things they never tell you to expect."

Hoping to soften him, she let him ramble on — until the itch in her right palm became unbearable.

She shoved her hands under her armpits and interrupted him. "Khai." She needed to repeat herself a few times before he moved from the balustrade and gave her his attention.

"Huh?"

"Khai, I really want us to part ways on okay terms."

To her surprise, Khai lurched forward and took her in a choking bear hug. "Me too, Nad's!"

When he didn't let go, she patted his back and twisted out of his arms, feeling dirty. "But there are some things I need you to do."

His brown eyes darkened as he studied her with a sidelong gaze. "I'm listening."

"Well, first of all, I want you to tell people I didn't cheat on you."

"Pfft," Khai took a long swig of his beer. "I think you should have thought about that before you did."

Nadia stepped forward. "But I didn't —"

A broad hand lifted and cut her off. "I never actually said that to anyone."

My arse you didn't, she thought, but settled for saying, "So why have I been told otherwise?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps people read between the lines."

"What lines? I last posted something weeks before you dumped me." He smiled at her but didn't speak.

She let the matter drop. Back home, her friend Lisa was on to this side of things, and right now, money trumped her reputation.

"I'm just about out of cash, Khai."

"Yeah right! You have Mr Moneybags to help you. The rest of us have to make our own way."

"I'd rather help myself for the time being. I want you to give me back the money for the Inca Trail — at least what Savannah paid you for my pass".

Khai choked, and he stared back at her with a red face. "What? Did you reckon I'd go alone after you ran off with that man?"

"You sent me away, and I told you I would see you in Cusco."

He glared at for an instant, then returned his attention to the city, back stiff.

Too late she realised her mistake. No-one liked being the bad guy, least of all Khai. A car alarm sounded in the distance, and a sliver of moon popped out from the clouds.

With a heavy heart, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "You're not going to give it to me, are you?"

He stood motionless as a statue.

Her palm blazed red hot as she focused on the soft flesh of his cheek, pale in the moonlight. It could use a little colour. For a moment, she determined to do it. The man needed a good slap — or, a punch. And then memories filled her mind. Some of the fun times at the beginning of the relationship, but most of all, of his family. She couldn't face them after assaulting their son.

Rise above it, Nadia.

She let out a long breath. "I think you know what's fair, but I'll let you decide for yourself." She stopped halfway through the door. "Goodbye, Khai. Best of luck with everything."

Silence answered her.

Smoke and Thomas enveloped her as she walked inside. A gentle thumb wiped away the tear rolling down her face, and Thomas growled, "What did he do?"

"Just what you thought — made me out to be the bad guy. Please don't tell me 'I told you so.' I just want to go."

"Of course we can. I'll meet you downstairs in a couple of minutes." He kissed her on the temple.

"But what are you —"

"It won't take long. Say bye to the others if you want, and I will be right with you."

Nadia exhaled and did what he said.

A few minutes later, she huddled in the small entryway, bouncing on the balls of her feet. A curse came from above and the thump of footfalls. The descending figure shook its wrist and then rubbed its knuckles.

"You didn't?"

"I most certainly did," Thomas said." He deserved it too, the cad. Come on. I want to make you forget about this."

Nadia couldn't agree more. She took his hand and let him guide her through the streets of Cusco.

Image sourced from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmybullard/6060328796