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“But you did.”
A single tear falls off the corner of my eye, and I wipe it off.
“I hate you, Ian.”
“Kaylee, please.” He tries reaching out again, but I back away.
“I’m going to leave now.” I sniffle. “Don’t call me, don’t text, and don’t come to my shop. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear from you, ever again.”
“Kaylee,” Ian calls as I turn into the kitchen.
“Oh and.” I stop, turning back to Ian. “You can tell your father, Mr. Andrews, that he can take his grant and shove it up his ass. I don’t want handouts. Especially not from a man who doesn’t care about anyone else in the world but himself.”
I turn back, pulling the door open and walking back to the kitchen.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Ian
“Ian?”
My eyes blink open, and I look around at the pristine white sand surrounding my deck chair. The sun’s bright rays shine down, bouncing off the clear blue ocean in the distance, giving it a sparkling feel. The rays cast a shadow on the person standing before me. I use my palm to shield my eyes, squinting slightly. The person walks closer and takes a seat beside me. It’s Carl.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yeah.” I nod and sit up, using my floral-patterned vintage shirt to hide the bulge in my loose fitted shorts. “Why?”
“I don’t know…maybe because you haven’t gotten up your ass ever since we got to this beach.”
“Oh.” I turn away. The waves crash against themselves in a rhythmic symphony that echoes in my ears. It’s a soothing sight, but I just can’t bring myself to enjoy it.
“Look over there, Ian.” Carl points to the side. I follow his fingers to some decks a few paces away from ours. There are a group of girls in bikinis laughing and playing among themselves. One of them, a curvy blonde, looks over at me with a mischievous smirk on her lips. She winks and continues to talk to the girl beside her.
“That girl has been eye fucking you all day. Are you gonna let that— I mean, her out of your grasp?”
“I’m not interested.”
Carl’s mouth falls open and he looks at me as if I’ve grown an extra pair of limbs.
“You’re not interested in that— I mean her? How’s that possible? I’m gay and even I am interested.”
“Well go get her then.” I raise my glass of scotch to my lips, taking a sip. Carl angles his head, staring at me.
“What’s the problem, man?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been acting weird ever since we got here.” He pulls off his plain white top, dropping it down.
“Well maybe that’s because Bali doesn’t excite me anymore.” I sigh, running my hand through my hair.
“It’s not just Bali.” Carl leans forward. “We were in LA last week, and you wouldn’t even go clubbing, it was weird. You’ve been like this since we left Gainesville.”
“Yeah well.” I shrug.
“What’s the problem, bro? Talk to me.”
I shake my head, looking out to the vast ocean. There’s no way I can explain it to Carl, because I don’t fully understand it myself. I used to love being away, flying from one place to another. A new location every week, partying every night. It’s a lifestyle I never thought I’d get tired of. But here I am, on one of the many beaches in Bali, and I’m still daydreaming about Kaylee. Just as she wanted, I didn’t contact her till I left Gainesville. I’ve tried day after day, week after week to forget her, but it’s just as easy as teaching poetry to fish.
What exactly does this mean?
