Dolly
It was 7:30 PM, and I was growing increasingly anxious. The tulip flowers, crucial for the evening's event, were still missing. I had been calling everyone on the team, desperately trying to locate them. Just as I was about to give up, a voice echoed from a distance, "Dolly, here are the tulips!"
Relieved, I grabbed the flowers from Dean. We quickly handed them over to the team, who arranged them into a beautiful bouquet. The flowers were meant for a special proposal—my client was about to propose to his girlfriend.
With everything set, we prepared the lakeside venue, chosen to suit the girl's taste. When they arrived, we hid ourselves, waiting for the moment. The client took out the bouquet and presented it to her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and from afar, I could see the joy in both their faces.
He then produced a ring box and slipped it onto her finger. Tears welled up in her eyes. I felt a surge of excitement and found myself hitting Dean in my enthusiasm. Dean, caught off guard, shouted, "Will you stop it?"
The proposal went perfectly, and we left the venue. Dean and I headed to our condominium, where we lived in the same building but in different units.
"Hi, I'm Dolly, CEO of Dream Eventz. Dean is my manager, friend, and everything else—he's been a guiding light in my life since he joined our team. My family is just my father, who has been taking care of me since childhood. He runs his own audit company. My world revolves around my dad, Dean, and my company."
We freshened up and decided to grab dinner at our usual street food spot. We placed our orders and settled in.
"Dean, I'm exhausted from work. I'm leaving the city tomorrow morning. If you want to join me, you can," I said.
"What? Are you kidding? We have a lot of events coming up next month. You're making an unplanned trip and telling me at the last minute!" Dean replied.
"Why complain? If you're with Dolly, just go with the flow. And if my dad asks about me, you'll need to look after him," I countered.
"Alright, alright. I guess I'll risk dealing with a crazy girl. I'll be ready by tomorrow morning," Dean conceded.
After dinner, we headed back to our places. I asked Dean to wake me up at 6:30 AM, packed my things, and fell asleep around 1:00 AM.
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I heard someone banging on my door and groggily opened it, yawning and scratching my messy hair. To my surprise, Dean stood there, fully packed and ready to go. I was puzzled about where he was heading.
"Dean, where are you goin..." I started to ask but then remembered the trip. I caught myself and said, "Really, Dolly? Do you even know what you're doing?"
Dean looked at me, confused. I quickly covered, "Stupid me, I was asking why you didn't wake me up."
"I've been calling you for an hour. Check your phone," Dean said, clearly frustrated.
"Sorry, we'll leave in 20 minutes," I replied, trying to smooth things over.
We headed to the airport, leaving Kanchanaburi behind and arriving at Ko Mak Island. After freshening up at the resort, we set out to explore the island.
As the evening approached, we watched the sunset. I found myself reflecting on life and the recent proposal event. I turned to Dean with a question that had been on my mind. "Dean, do you know what love is? What does it feel like to be in love?"
Dean raised an eyebrow, intrigued by my sudden question. "Why do you ask?"
"Just thinking about things," I said. "I wanted to know your take on love."
Dean's response was poetic. "Nowadays, most people are looking for stress relief—one-night stands, hookups. But love is something far more beautiful. It transforms people from nothing to everything. It's like fire—warm and consuming. When it's with us, it drives us to do crazy things for our loved ones. If it brings pain, it feels like death is easier than enduring the pain of love. For me, no other drug is as dangerous as love."
His words melted me. "Aww, really? Have you experienced that dangerous drug yourself?"
Dean sipped his drink and choked, clearly taken aback by my question. He received a call from my father and stepped away to answer it. After a few minutes, we went to a beach-view restaurant for dinner.
We enjoyed our meal and walked back to the resort. We decided to watch a movie in my room. As I slowly fell asleep, I vaguely remembered Dean turning off the TV and leaving the room.
I suddenly woke up and glanced around. Through the window, I saw Dean walking along the beach. Remembering our conversation about love, I was filled with thoughts about Dean. Was he a love failure? Had he been hurt or hurt someone? For a brief moment, I feared he might be heading into the water to drown.
I rushed from the bed to stop him but was stunned to see Dean sitting with someone and talking animatedly. Who could he be meeting at this hour? Dean, usually so reserved, seemed unusually open.
Hiding behind the beach's shadows, I saw a sight that shocked me. Dean was kissing a man with intense passion. The scene felt surreal, and as I watched, a strange excitement filled me. I felt a happiness I hadn't experienced before.
A few minutes later, Dean carried the man in his arms towards the room. I had seen many one-night stands, but the connection between them was electric. I followed them to the room, but when they closed the door, I heard moans from inside. Then, one of them moaned "Daddy." Overwhelmed, I ran away from the scene.
I was filled with an unexpected joy, as if I had fallen in love myself. I didn't want to define what I had just witnessed; I simply wanted to savor the feeling. Back in my room, I fell asleep with thoughts of Dean and the other man swirling in my mind.
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I opened my eyes, grabbed my phone, and saw a message from Dean: "I'm off to Kanchanaburi. An important issue came up at the office. Finish your vacation and come back."
I felt disheartened. I had imagined a different scenario after seeing Dean and the other man being so close and affectionate. How could he just leave like that?
I left my room and wandered along the beach, where I saw the man Dean had been with last night searching around. I approached him and asked, "Are you looking for someone?"
He looked at me, a bit annoyed by the intrusion. I showed him a picture of Dean on my phone.
"Is this the person you're looking for?" I asked. He nodded in confirmation.
"Actually, I saw you both on the beach last night. He's my manager," I said, handing him my business card. He took the card and looked at it thoughtfully, then explained, "He left because of an urgent issue at the office."
I noticed a love bite on his neck, which he tried to cover up. I took off my scarf and tied it around his neck. Trying to ease his discomfort, I said, "You haven't done anything wrong. Don't feel awkward. You can love anyone you want. I'm Dolly."
"I'm Wang. Nice to meet you," he replied.
We sat on the beach, and I decided to learn more about him. "Where are you from?" I asked.
"Sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier. I'm from Chiang Mai and manage a company. Four years ago, I had an accident and lost my memory. My personal assistant handles everything for me now," he said gently.
I was taken aback by his story. It felt like something out of a movie. "What happened after the memory loss?"
Wang's voice carried a hint of sadness. "I don't remember much. It's like being a blank slate. People come and fill in the gaps, but it feels like a heavy burden. I needed a break, so I came on vacation. When I met your manager, I experienced emotions I haven't felt in years. It was overwhelming."
Wang went to use the restroom, leaving his bag near me. I couldn't resist and opened it, finding an old diary from five years ago. I slipped it into my bag before he returned.
When Wang came back, I asked, "How does it feel to deal with memory loss?"
He responded, "It's like being a blank page, with everyone trying to fill it in. It's stressful, and I needed a break. Meeting your manager was unexpected. I've never felt such emotions before."
Wang received a call and stood up. "Sorry, I need to go. If the time comes, we'll see each other again," he said. His words took me by surprise.
"What? Don't you want to meet Dean?" I asked, my confusion evident.
Wang shook his head. "I'm leaving the unfinished puzzle to time to sort out."
His enigmatic response left me feeling a mix of pity and curiosity. I'd never met anyone quite like him—someone who seemed as unpredictable as I felt.
After he left, I returned to my room, freshened up, and plugged my phone in to charge. I then remembered the diary I'd found in Wang's bag. It lay there, tempting me to open it.
With a swirl of questions in my mind, I hesitated. Should I read it? What secrets might it reveal? The diary could hold answers to many of my questions—or it could simply add more confusion.