Chapter 225: Shopping

Behind him, Hana moved through the room with small sounds. A zipper. A bottle cap. The soft thud of her bag hitting the chair again after she adjusted it. She had turned the lights down to one lamp near the door. The rest of the room sat in shadow.Timothy didn’t turn right away. He stayed facing the dark line of trees and the slice of water he could see if he leaned to the left. The air smelled like salt and wet plants. Somewhere in the distance, a motorcycle engine rose and fell, then faded.

Hana’s voice came from behind him. "Close that before the mosquitoes get brave."

Timothy pulled the sliding door shut halfway, leaving a thin gap for air. He didn’t lock it. He liked hearing the outside even if it did nothing.

He stepped back into the room.

Hana had already changed. Plain shirt, shorts, hair down now, loose and slightly damp from her shower. She sat on the bed with her phone face down beside her, not in her hand.

Timothy noticed it immediately.

"You’re not checking," he said.

Hana looked up. "Do you want a medal."

Timothy shook his head once and sat on the other bed. The mattress dipped under him. His shoulders still carried a dull ache from surfing, the kind that made him aware of his body in a way he usually ignored.

Hana leaned back on her palms. "You look like you’re about to talk."

Timothy stared at the wall for a moment. "I’m not."

"You are," Hana said. "Your face does the thing."

Timothy’s mouth twitched. "Stop diagnosing my face."

Hana shrugged. "Then stop making it easy."

Silence sat between them for a few seconds. The air conditioner clicked on, then settled into a steady hum. The curtain moved again with the breeze coming through the gap.

Timothy looked at Hana. "Tomorrow."

Hana narrowed her eyes. "Don’t."

Timothy held up a hand. "I’m not scheduling. I’m asking."

Hana stared at him like she didn’t believe him. "Asking what."

"What are we doing," Timothy said. "You said something simple."

Hana exhaled through her nose, then leaned forward and grabbed the remote to turn the air conditioner down one notch like it mattered.

"We walk," she said. "We eat. We sit somewhere that isn’t this room. No surf. No bar. No ’projects.’"

Timothy nodded. "Okay."

Hana watched him. "That was too fast."

"What," Timothy asked.

"You agreed too fast," Hana said.

Timothy leaned back. "I can follow instructions."

Hana’s eyes sharpened. "You hate following instructions."

"I hate bad instructions," Timothy corrected.

Hana snorted. "So you think mine are good."

Timothy didn’t answer right away. He glanced toward the balcony door and listened to the water again, then said, "They’re clear."

Hana stared at him, then looked away like she refused to react to that.

She stood and walked to the small dresser to pull out a towel. She dried her hair in short, rough motions like she wanted it done, not nice.

Timothy watched her do it.

Hana caught him looking. "What."

"You’re tired," Timothy said.

Hana stopped. "Don’t start."

"I’m not starting," Timothy replied. "You’ve been carrying a lot."

Hana dropped the towel on the chair. "So have you."

Timothy nodded. "Yes. But you don’t get to disappear behind my name."

Hana stared at him for a moment. Her face didn’t soften. Her voice stayed even.

"Do you want me to talk about it," she asked.

Timothy didn’t flinch. "If you want."

Hana looked at her phone. Still face down. Then she walked to the window and looked out at the dark.

"I’m fine," she said again, but this time it sounded like a decision instead of an answer.

Timothy didn’t push.

He stood and went back to the balcony door, opened it a little more, then stopped when Hana didn’t complain. The wind came in and cooled the room by a degree. The curtain moved against the air conditioner’s push.

Hana said, "You’re doing that on purpose."

Timothy looked back. "Doing what."

"Letting air in so you can feel something," Hana said.

Timothy didn’t deny it. He leaned against the door frame again.

Hana climbed into bed and pulled the sheet up to her waist. She didn’t put her head down yet. She stared at the ceiling.

"You’re going to go back and act like this never happened," she said.

Timothy’s eyes stayed on the dark outside. "Maybe."

Hana’s voice stayed flat. "Don’t."

Timothy turned his head. "Don’t what."

"Don’t erase it," Hana said. "If you erase it, you’ll be worse."

Timothy held her gaze. "Okay."

Hana watched him for a long moment, then finally lay down and turned to her side.

"Sleep," she said.

Timothy shut the balcony door most of the way, leaving the smallest gap he could without the latch catching. Then he turned off the lamp and lay back on his bed, hands behind his head for a moment.

Outside, the water kept moving.

—

Morning came fast.

Timothy woke before the alarm, which was expected. His body didn’t trust silence. He sat up and listened. The room smelled like shampoo and salt. The air conditioner was still running. Hana was asleep, face turned toward the wall, hair spread across the pillow like she’d stopped caring halfway through.

Timothy got up quietly and went to the bathroom.

He looked at himself in the mirror and didn’t like what he saw. Not because he looked bad. Because he looked rested, and that felt like a lie.

He washed his face and brushed his teeth, then stepped back into the room.

Hana’s eyes were open now. She looked at him like she’d been awake for longer than she wanted to admit.

"You were loud," she said.

"I was quiet," Timothy replied.

"You were quiet loudly," Hana said.

Timothy stared at her. "That doesn’t make sense."

"It makes sense," Hana replied, and pushed herself out of bed. "Coffee."

They left the room together. The hallway smelled like floor cleaner and warm air. Downstairs, the breakfast area was already busy. A few guests packed bags. Some wore wet hair and carried towels like they were going to the beach early.

Hana picked a table near the window again like it belonged to her now.

Timothy sat across. He watched her pour coffee into her mug first before doing his own.

Hana took a drink and didn’t speak for a full minute. Timothy didn’t either.

When she finally set the mug down, she said, "You’re going to try to check your phone today."

Timothy stared at her. "I’m not."

Hana’s eyes didn’t change. "You are."

Timothy leaned back. "Then tell me what to do."

Hana narrowed her eyes. "That sentence still sounds wrong."

Timothy didn’t react. "It works."

Hana stared at him like she wanted to argue, then decided it wasn’t worth it.

"After breakfast," she said, "we walk through town. We buy something stupid. Like a magnet. Or cheap snacks. Then we go sit somewhere and do nothing."

Timothy nodded slowly. "Okay."

Hana pointed her spoon at him. "And if you start talking about a project, I leave you."

Timothy’s mouth twitched. "You can’t leave me."

Hana’s eyes sharpened. "Try me."

Timothy stopped himself from smiling. "Okay."

They ate. Hana chose food that had flavor and didn’t apologize. Timothy ate what she put on his plate when she passed it over without asking. A piece of fruit. A slice of bread with something salty on it. He didn’t complain.

After breakfast, they walked out into the heat.

The town was awake. Small stores open. People sweeping entrances. Kids in slippers running between parked scooters. A man pushed a cart with coolers strapped to it, calling out something Timothy couldn’t fully catch.

Hana led. Timothy followed. Not because he needed guidance on a road, but because she moved like she already knew where she wanted to go.

They passed a small hardware store. Timothy’s eyes lingered on a rack of tools near the entrance. Cheap wrenches, plastic-handled screwdrivers, a roll of tape.

Hana noticed. "Don’t."

Timothy looked at her. "Don’t what."

"Don’t start comparing prices," Hana said. "We’re not buying tools."

Timothy exhaled. "I wasn’t."

Hana’s mouth twitched. "Yes, you were."

They kept walking.

A small shop selling trinkets and beach items sat near the road. Magnets. Keychains. Sunglasses that looked disposable. A rack of shirts with loud designs.

Hana stepped inside.

Timothy paused at the entrance, then followed.

Hana picked up a magnet shaped like a fish and held it up. "This is stupid."

Timothy looked at it. "Yes."

Hana put it back and grabbed a smaller one that just said the town name in plain letters. She looked at Timothy.

"You pick one," she said.

"I don’t need one," Timothy replied.

Hana didn’t blink. "Pick one."

Timothy scanned the rack. Most of them were ugly. He found one that was plain, just a simple metal rectangle with a map outline and a small label. He held it up.

"This," he said.

Hana nodded. "Fine. Not terrible."

They paid, then stepped out.

Timothy held the small plastic bag like it was a strange artifact.

Hana glanced at it. "You look confused."

"I don’t buy souvenirs," Timothy said.

"Now you do," Hana replied.

They walked farther until the road thinned and the noise dropped. Hana led them toward a small café that had a shaded outdoor seating area. The chairs were cheap metal. The tables were scratched. A few people sat with drinks and phones.

Hana chose a table at the edge where she could see the street.

Timothy sat across from her and didn’t pull out his phone.

Hana noticed.

"Look at you," she said.

Timothy shrugged. "I’m learning."

Hana narrowed her eyes. "Don’t make it a line."

Timothy didn’t answer.

A staff member came over. Hana ordered two iced drinks without asking Timothy. He didn’t fight it. When they arrived, he took a sip and felt his throat cool.

Hana stared past him at the road. "You’re still too sharp."

Timothy set the drink down. "You keep saying that."

Hana’s eyes moved back to him. "Because it’s true."

Timothy leaned back and watched people pass. A scooter with a family of three. A tourist with a wide hat and sunburned nose. A man carrying a sack of rice over one shoulder, walking like the weight wasn’t new.

Hana said, "Do you know what it feels like to watch you work."

Timothy glanced at her. "Like what."

Hana’s jaw tightened, then relaxed. "Like standing next to a saw. It cuts fast. It cuts clean. And if you put your hand too close, it takes what it takes."

Timothy stared at her. "That’s dramatic."

"It’s accurate," Hana replied. "And it’s why people either worship you or hate you."

Timothy looked down at his drink. The ice clinked when he moved the straw.

"I don’t want worship," he said.

Hana nodded. "No. You want compliance."

Timothy’s jaw tightened. Then he let it go. "Yes."

Hana took a sip of her drink. "At least you admit it."

Timothy stared out at the street again. "It’s not personal."

"It doesn’t matter," Hana said. "People still get crushed."

Timothy looked at her. "Do you feel crushed."

Hana didn’t answer immediately. She set her cup down and stared at the condensation on the table.

"Sometimes," she said. "Not because you’re cruel. Because you don’t see what you’re doing when you’re in motion."

Timothy held still. He didn’t interrupt.

Hana continued, "You treat everyone like they’re part of a system. That works when the system is stable. When it isn’t, you start tightening. You start pulling. And people start hiding things from you."

Timothy’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Who hides things from me."

Hana looked at him. "Everyone. Sometimes. Because they don’t want to be the one who gives you a problem."

Timothy’s throat tightened. He didn’t like hearing it. He also recognized it.

"So what," he asked.

Hana’s eyes stayed on him. "So you need to learn how to receive bad news without turning it into punishment."

Timothy stared at her. "I don’t punish people."

Hana didn’t flinch. "You do. Not with yelling. With disappointment. With distance. With silence. You cut access. You cut time. People feel it."

Timothy sat back, the chair creaking under him.

He looked away, then back. "Okay."

Hana watched him. "That’s it."

Timothy nodded once. "That’s it."

Silence settled again, but it wasn’t the same kind. It was heavier, not loud, just present.

Hana leaned back. "I didn’t say that to hurt you."

Timothy’s voice stayed flat. "I know."

Hana stared at him. "Then don’t turn it into a project."

Timothy almost smiled. He stopped himself. "Okay."

They sat there a while. Long enough that the ice in their drinks melted down and the cups turned into mostly water and syrup. Long enough that Timothy stopped scanning the street like it was a problem to solve.

Hana checked her phone once, quick, then set it back down without typing.

Timothy noticed. "Anything."

Hana shook her head. "Nothing that matters."

They stood and walked again.

Hana led them down toward the beach, but not to the crowded area. A quieter stretch where the sand was wider and fewer people sat. They walked without rushing.

Timothy kept his sandals in his hand. He walked barefoot on the firmer sand near the waterline. The water came up and retreated, cold at his ankles, then gone. It kept doing it like the ocean didn’t care if he was learning anything.

Hana walked beside him. Her eyes stayed on the horizon.

Timothy said, "You didn’t answer earlier."

Hana didn’t look at him. "What."

"Do you feel crushed," Timothy asked.

Hana’s pace didn’t change. "Sometimes."

Timothy waited.

Hana finally glanced at him. "But I also choose it. Don’t forget that."

Timothy nodded. "Why."

Hana looked away again. "Because I’ve worked under people who don’t care at all. You care. You just don’t know how to show it without controlling everything."

Timothy stared at the water. "That’s not a compliment."

"It’s not," Hana said. "It’s just true."

They walked until their feet were wet and sand stuck to their ankles.

Hana stopped and turned to face him.

"You’re doing better," she said.

Timothy stared at her. "You said don’t make it a ceremonial event."

Hana’s mouth twitched. "Shut up."

Timothy let out a short breath. Not quite a laugh, but close.

Hana stepped forward into the water again, the tide rising around her calves.

Timothy followed. Not because she pulled him this time. Because he chose to.

The water pushed against their legs. The sand shifted under his feet. Hana’s shoulder brushed his as the wave pulled back.

Timothy planted his feet and stayed.

Hana looked at him once, then back at the ocean.

Neither of them spoke as the next wave gathered and rolled in.]