Hot 4 (Multiple Love)

I swallow my next mouthful of pancake, grateful that the lump of sadness that's been lurking in my throat goes down with it.

It's hard to think about waking in the middle of the night and seeing Karter sleeping next to me. Hard to remember touching his hand as I slid from his embrace. Hard to recall tiptoeing to see his brothers all asleep in other rooms. The last time I saw each one of them is burnt into my memory.

I gaze around, wanting to find something to take my mind off the lonely ache in my chest. A shop selling traditional Thai art catches my eye. I wolf down the rest of my pancake, find a trash can to dispose of the plate and utensils, and make my way into the cool, air-conditioned shop.

Paintings fill the store, many copies of familiar, great artworks. They're amazing but they’re not for me. I'm not looking for something I can get back home. In the far corner, there is a display of more traditional-looking art. My eyes scan until I find something I'm drawn to. It's an image of a woman, turned to face away from the observer, her hands over her head, stretching to the heavens. Around her, she's surrounded by muted swirls, indicating trees and what might be the ocean. It's painted roughly on heavily lacquered wood.

"You like?" a woman says from behind me. I turn to find a young woman, wearing a gold choker and a pretty tunic top in peacock green.

"It's beautiful," I say softly.

"I give you special price," she says. She has a notebook in her hand, and she writes down a reasonable figure, but I'm confident it's around double what I should be paying. Taking the notebook from her, I write a lower but still fair price. She nods and smiles, moving to remove the painting from the wall.

It takes her ten minutes to wrap it in soft tissue paper and seal it into a flat cardboard box for transit. I hand her the cash, and she smiles. "I hope this painting bring you much joy," she says. "My husband paint this one."

"Your husband is very talented," I reply.

"Yes." She nods proudly, handing the box to me with two hands.

I accept it that way, and it feels like more than just buying a painting. It's like I'm buying part of this woman's life.

As I'm leaving the store, my phone begins to ring in my purse. It takes me a few seconds to find it, and when I see it's Natalie calling, I breathe a sigh of relief. "Nat! I'm so glad you caught me before I got on my flight."

A tuk-tuk revs its engine behind me, beeping its horn noisily.

"Where the hell are you?"

"I am souvenir hunting in Bangkok."

"By yourself?"

"Yes."

"Wow…you're braver than me. The last time I was there, I was with my colleagues, and I still found it overwhelming."

I nod even though she can't see me. "It is pretty crazy out here, but I'm having fun soaking it all up. How's the honeymoon?"

"Perfection," she says with an audible smile on her lips.

"Of course it is."

"I may have heard on the grapevine that you've been having a perfect time of your own. Fill me in on the gossip before I combust from excitement."

"Well, let's just say that I get the appeal of the Banbury brothers."

Natalie squeals. "It's so awesome, isn't it? When are you going to hook up next?"

My heart clenches. "It was a vacation fling, honey. We had our fun, and now it's back to reality."

Natalie is silent at the end of the phone. "Did they do something wrong?" she asks. "You know you can tell me anything. I mean, I know they're kind of my cousins-in-law now, but you're my bestie, and hoes come before bros every time."

"I can't believe I heard those words come out of your mouth," I laugh. "No, they didn't do anything wrong but let's just say your uncle isn't my number-one fan, and long-distance relationships aren't my thing."

"What did Blake say? I swear that man thinks he's the boss of everything. He was trying to get Conrad to put his foot down about the location of the wedding, as though he had a choice where I was prepared to get married."

"I think I'll keep what he said to myself," I say. "I've decided to make it a policy not to repeat unpleasant things."

Natalie scoffs. "I'm sure you're only saying that because he said something nasty about the boys and me. He's very judgmental."

"Well, not everyone is prepared to get on the bus to the future," I say, watching a little girl reaching for her mom's hand as they weave their way through the crowds. So sweet.

"Exactly," Natalie says. "Well, I will admit that I was hoping that your holiday romance was going to turn into something perfectly permanent. I mean, it would be nice not to be the only freak in the family."