A Case of Misplaced Audacity

7.45pm
We split for shopping and promised to meet back at the nearest tourist information kiosk at 9.20pm before heading together to Plaza de la Merced. I went hunting for a backpack.

8.00pm
End up at the end of the road, there's a tourist info kiosk at the corner of the square. Apparently I had found our meeting point. Went back hunting.

8.50pm
No luck. Most shops are closing and drunk Spaniards messing around club-hopping. Made my way to the meeting point.

9.00pm
At the meeting point. Was 20 minutes early and got bored. Studied the Malaga map on the kiosk board and realized a grave mistake. I was not at our designated meeting point; I was at Plaza de la Merced already.

Memorized the map and scurried back inside the maze of an alley to find the other tourist info kiosk.

9.15pm
I couldn't find it. I decided it was best to stay put somewhere open and relatively safe (the Plaza) rather than walking around alone in the dimly-lit alleys of Malaga. The girls will come to the Plaza sooner or later and I was sure they would trust me to be safe and not worry about me.

Somehow.

Walked past a kebab joint and saw a group of guys eating outside it. Saw the face of a Malaysian. Raised an eyebrow and walked past them to take a seat in the middle of the square.

Crossed my legs and counted the minute till the girls reach the plaza.

A guy approached. "Macam kenal."

"Eh. Fayyadh!"

9.26pm
He had to return to his friends eating at the joint. Thank you and God for the 11 minutes of company, haven't seen him in three years and suddenly the Beijing guy and the Cairo girl met up in Malaga instead.

"Kau baik-baik tau, dah la sorang.." Yeah, I felt like kicking myself, too.

There was a couple drinking with their friend on the bench next to me and people kept walking past me towards a club just beside the kebab joint. Dogs unleashed walking with their masters and boy, it was cold and boring. I couldn't take out my iPod for fear of attracting more attention.

Sorely stood out being the only one sitting alone waiting at the square.

Turned around every few minutes and saw that the guys were still at the joint. Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid, haha.

9.43pm
The guys left. I prayed the girls will hurry up and get here already..

9.58pm
Saw the guys coming out from an alley into the other side of the road, walking towards where Fayyadh said they parked their cars.

10.00pm
I would wait till 10.30pm, if not I would go back to the hotel. I would go through the main roads so everything should be fine, insya-Allah.

10.04pm
Saw the girls at the far corner of the plaza. Stood up and steadily walked towards them.

Sarah turned and saw me. She alerted the others. She ran towards me with her arms open.

I broke into a run.