text:  who's beginning to see that Astrid had been right. Astrid was not only his cousin, she was his closest female confidante, and he had first fielded the idea of inviting Rachel to Singapore during their phone conversations a week ago. First of all, you know you'll be instantly escalating things to the next level, don't you? Is this what you really want? Astrid asked point-blank. No. Well, maybe. This is just a summer holiday.