After I stepped across the threshold of the legendary Mandarin Oriental, in Hong Kong, everything changed. That very long journey carrying me halfway around the world, and then thousands of miles in yet another direction, seemed to dissolve in an instant.

At that moment, the famous hotel I had heard so much about unfolded before me. Black marble on the floors and walls stood out as did over-the-top chandeliers that seemed to glisten only for us. A junior bellman wearing a pillbox hat at a rakish angle expertly guided us out of the madness of Central Hong Kong and into the stately retreat abundantly dressed in Old-World elegance.

Follow parts 1-4 of Hong Kong attraction here.

The rarefied environment invited whispered conversation or, as in our case, silence. Our hands grazed each other as we slowly headed into those hallowed halls that would become our home for a week.

Although I remember certain details about that celebrated property, I do not remember checking in.

Instead, my attention was on him.

I watched as he occasionally nodded at others who passed by and I cherished his laugh after I stumbled a bit going up a small flight of marble stairs.

Okay. I was smitten.

The weeks before had dragged on for so long and there was so much distance between us. Finally, he was right beside me. It was magical, as if the intervening time had disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Seeing him again was a bit of a shock. Sure, I recognized the man who I had been attracted to in the first place, but he appeared to be even more handsome compared to when we first came face-to-face during the opening of the Conrad Hong Kong. Now, through fresh eyes, I realized my impression of him had somehow heightened.

While he maintained that steady gaze, the Mandarin’s world-famous lobby seemed to be somewhere off into the distance. I felt like I was watching this part of the trip on a movie screen.

Around us, the arrival rituals continued. Gold braided, red-clad staff members spoke politely yet efficiently, ensuring that every detail of our stay was properly arranged. But those details barely registered with me.

The two of us were in our own orbit.

As we walked, we continued to carry on a conversation that required no words.

Oh, we spoke when necessary so as not to be rude. Courtesies were verbally exchanged with the receptionist while she returned our documents across the polished counter. Even then, though, I was tongue-tied.

I couldn’t help it.

My focus remained fixed on the man standing within reach. Everything that had happened after our initial meeting, including the steady stream of faxes and the unexpected delay in London, had somehow been distilled into this very moment. Each glance between us represented an entire conversation we did not feel needed to be put into words.

Meanwhile, the reunion was fully happening.

Suddenly, a hotel attendant appeared out of what seemed like thin air. With the practiced grace that helped define the Mandarin’s five-star service, he gestured for us to follow.

Our elevator ride to one of the highest floors was brief, yet it carried a marked shift in atmosphere. Public space gave way to a place with much more privacy. After arriving at our floor, I surmised that the dimmed lighting along the quiet corridor had drawn a boundary between the gracious world we had entered and the city that continued its restless rhythm far below.

Inside our club-like quarters, the smartly decorated suite was perfectly arranged and the luggage that had traveled ahead of me was already waiting there. We learned about the room’s many features, and then the attendant slyly withdrew, with the door silently closing behind him.

Still, I waited to hear that barely audible click to be sure we were really alone.

Thankfully, for the first time since leaving Los Angeles, there was no one else around, nowhere else to be, and nothing left to arrange. Standing together in that quiet sitting room, I felt a complete calm wash over me. What had begun as a complicated journey turned unexpectedly simple.

Then, from somewhere in the back of my mind, a wild thought occurred to me: This seven-day visit to Hong Kong just might not end as quickly as I originally thought it would.