THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US

Thick amber and rose gold clouds streamed around against the blue and streaked horizon of the sun setting toward the ground. It gave a soft glow to Railay Beach warmed by the mingling salty air with that sweet fragrance from the frangipani flowers. Waves lapped gently on golden sandy shores, with palm trees swaying, offering shade to tourists who are lazily sipping drinks in hot sunny weather. Long tail boats bobbed here and there in the water with a fading hum mixed into the sound of the ocean.

“I can’t let go of this,” Sophie Reed muttered as she came out of a tiny café and clutched an iced mango smoothie. The sun glared down in the afternoon heat but didn’t bother her in the least. This was Thailand, making each drop of sweat worth it. Brushing a damp piece of dark hair off her cheek, she focused her gaze toward the beach where her friends would be for capturing photos against the setting sun.

It was awesome-looking, but something-or someone-else stood out.

He was a man, lolling against a palm tree, and feet in sand, with a notebook in his hand. He gripped it as though the contents meant the world to him. The last rays of the sun spilled onto his face, catching the sharp lines of his jaw and the tousled waves of his dark hair. Sophie blinked, taken completely by surprise. People like that—tall, effortlessly handsome, and perfect like a movie star—were not supposed to be real.

Sketching. Intense focus. Sophie couldn’t help but approach, drawn closer by her curiosity. She moved to see what he was drawing, but before she got a good look, his eyes flicked up, and a slight, crooked smile appeared.

“You’re blocking my light,” he informed her, his voice deep, smooth, and very much bearing an accent Sophie couldn’t quite place.

“Oh! I’m sorry.” Sophie’s cheeks burned as she stumbled through the words. “I didn’t mean to bother you. “Appeared as though he was sketching something in his notebook. He closed his notebook with a quiet laugh. “You’re not bothering me in the least.” His smile remained, albeit quieter, as he gazed at her for a considerable amount of time. “You rarely find someone who pauses to appreciate the work of a complete stranger.” Sophie’s fingers gripped her drink more tightly. “I simply... I was curious. Are you an artist?”

He tucked his notepad into his backpack and added, “Sometimes,” with a slight shrug, “I draw when something inspires me.” “And this view inspired you.” She gestured to the spot where he had been drawing. He demonstrated his refusal with a slow head shake and a prolonged look into her eyes. “No. You did. Sophie froze as heat—not from the tropical humidity—flooded her neck. She chuckled to herself. “That’s a line.” Even though his smile had returned, he replied so solemnly, “It’s not,” “you walked into the light, I had to capture you.” The world seemed to shrink around them for a brief, fortunate time, with no boats, no other people, and only the sound of the soft rhythm of the ocean that magic moment was spoilt when Sophie’s friends called her name.

“I should be going,” she muttered, stepping back.

“Wait,” he said, holding out a hand. “I’m Alex.”

After some hesitation, she placed her hand in his. “Sophie.”

“Perhaps we will meet again, Sophie,” Alex said, stroking her knuckles with his thumb before he let go of her hand.

Her heart raced too quickly for her to comprehend. “Maybe.”

But as Sophie walked away, she just could not buy that “maybe” was enough.

Sophie walked towards her friends, the sensation of Alex’s hand lingering on her skin. Her mind kept replaying that moment. She tried to shake it off but couldn’t explain why he intrigued her so much. As she reached them, she found the friends huddled snapping pictures in front of the setting sun.

“Hey, Sophie!” Olivia, her best friend, grinned at her, “Where’d you disappear to?”

Sophie paused, a slight flush marring her face. “Just... walking around.”

“Uh-huh,” Olivia raised an eyebrow, a devilish twinkle in the eye. “So, was that ‘just strolling around’, or did you go find someone interesting?”

Probably Play it cool, “Just saw someone sketching. Nothing big.”

“No big deal,” Liv teased, wiggling her eyebrows. “Bet you were too busy admiring the view to even notice, huh?”

Sophie rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going. The girl became a bit hotter. “Stop it, Liv. It wasn’t anything.”

Before Sophie could say another thing, though, Mia, one more friend from their little group, added in. “Nothing, huh? Then why do you look like you’re trying to hold in a smile, Sophie?”

“Come on, guys. Seriously.” Sophie groaned beneath their playful teasing. “Not like that.”

“Oh, come on,” Mia said with a smile, nudging her. “You can’t just drop a line like that and expect us not to ask about it. Was he cute?”

Sophie held on for just a second, but Olivia was quick on the uptake. “Sophie, you’ve got that ‘I’ve met someone’ glow about you.”

Sophie shook her head, trying to pass off at some other thing. “It’s just some random guy. He’s a sketch artist, that’s all.”

“You mean that sketch artist who smiles?” Mia cut in with her mocking tone. “He must have an art gallery filled with a huge collection of mysterious paintings and a secret talent for playing the guitar. Right?”

This provoked Sophie into an unconvincing laugh. She would say it was more nervous than fun. “I don’t know about the guitar. But he is definitely... uh... different.”

Liv moved a bit closer, studying her with narrowed eyes. “Different, huh? That’s interesting. You’re not the type to easily fall under someone’s charm. What happened there?”

Sophie stood and evaded eye contact. “I don’t know. He was just… cool. Nothing more.”

“Mm-hmm. We’ll see,” Olivia said, obviously not convinced, but here was the end to that teasing for the moment.

Mia wrinkled her nose in a smile, as if to change the subject from Alex. Part of her wasn’t too sure she wanted to stop with the questions, though. As she turned back toward the beach, her thoughts began to drift into the realms of whether or not she would get to meet him again. As soon as the thought occurred, it was pushed aside. She couldn’t get distracted. Not now.

“Okay,” Liv said and brought Sophie back to reality. “Sunset picture-taking time! Let’s make this moment last through eternity!”

Sophie, without grudging, stood to be photographed, even though her mind was far away. It was preoccupied with thoughts of Alex: what he was doing, what he was thinking, and whether or not she would get to see him again.