Page 26 of Status Undefined
“Oh! You’re the one she…”
“Sean!”
“Sorry,” Sean blushed, which was very noticeable given that he had the fair skin that usually goes with flaming red hair. He was a full head taller than Keren, wearing a typical Thai button-down floral shirt.
“It’s ok. We all know that Keren’s obsessed with…”
“Amit! One more word and you’re not getting any donuts.”
“You brought donuts?”
Daniel and Keren had laid out quite the spread – fried chicken, pad thai, sliced pineapple, shakes, eggrolls, a salad that looked like Naama had made it, and donuts.
The sunset was the perfect backdrop to our feast. The sunsets in Phuket blow me away every single time.
“So, where to next?”
Daniel seemed to be enjoying the attention from Keren and Sean.
“Um, I haven’t really thought about it. I’m having such a good time here that I’m just focused on living in the moment.” He looked at me.
It was a concerned look, not a flattering one, in case the subject freaked me out.
“I wish I could live like you, moving around without a worry in the world,” Keren mused.
“You could. Anyone can. But there are plenty of worries. It’s not all chilling on the beach.”
“Oh, gee, you mean Instagram isn’t real life?” I was sarcastic. Not in the mood. Lately, every time I thought about Daniel soon becoming nothing but a fleeting memory, I lost my cool.
“You can be as sarcastic as you like, Amit, but you’d kill to go to half the places he’s been.” Here we go, I thought, another argument with Keren about Daniel’s life.
“No thanks, I’d rather stay here in Phuket and not wonder if people I’ve never met liked my photo.” I didn’t dare look at Daniel. I hadn’t meant to offend him; I didn’t actually think he was shallow anymore. But he was uncharacteristically silent.
Tears threatened and I stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To take a walk. I’ll be back in a few.”
I felt their gaze on the back of my neck as I walked off – too fast, the tears already spilling over.
“Babe!” I stopped when I heard his voice and wiped my eyes. He ran over and took me in his arms. I couldn’t hold back the tears, and I sobbed on his shoulder as he held me tight.
“It’s not fair,” I said eventually.
“I know.”
I wiped my face on my sleeve and pulled away from him.
“It’s so hard. Why are we doing this to ourselves?”
“We’re different in many ways, babe, but we have one thing in common: we fight for what we want, no matter the circumstances. At the point where most people would just give up, we keep going. Nobody said it would be easy, but this is who we are.”
“Sorry I said those things before.”
“It’s ok. I see your point and admire you for it and the way you live your life.”
I didn’t know what to say.
