#phuketverse

“We speak English at home,” Alex says, after a while. George can tell it’s another secret, a keepsake from Alex. He tucks it away where he keeps everything else. In a box, neatly, in a spot just behind his ribs. Next to his heart. He handles it with care, makes sure it’s perfect before he closes it and locks it away.

“My fiancé—Well—Carmen,” George corrects. He has to reciprocate. It’s only fair. “She spoke Spanish. I never even tried to learn.”

“George,” Alex says, in the strangest way. Strangled, nearly, like it was the last thing he’d expected George to say.

“You should teach me—Teach me something. In Thai.”

“George,” Alex says again. He sounds out of breath. Punched out, like he did coming down the hill. George feels awful all of a sudden, wretched and miserable.

“Sorry,” he says. Alex shifts against him. George screws his eyes closed, tighter, if such a thing were even possible. He wants to hide, wants to disappear.

“Kwai,” Alex says. He says the word again, faster, like in a sentence, with a bunch of other sounds.

George can feel Alex’s grimace, because it’s pressed up next to his skin.

“Kwai,” George repeats, trying to mimic the sound. “What’s it mean?”

“Idiot,” Alex says. He sounds miles away, but he’s right here. “Stupid like a buffalo.”

It makes George shiver all over. Alex must feel it too, his arm slung loosely over George’s waist suddenly constricts. True sobriety still feels miles away, to George. He’s stuck up in the clouds, feeling but not feeling everything that’s happening to his body.

i definitely plan alex’s character just as much as i plan george’s! i feel like writing break as a sequel to pretend was such a good way for me to give the audience his voice and perspective, because to me it’s so clear why he behaves that way because i created him but i doubt that will ever happen for phuketverse, since the nature of the story isn’t the same at all. i think a huge part of the story and his character is the weird sense of mystery because everything is so overblown from george’s cluttered perspective. it’s clear that obtaining information is really important to him, especially when he’s interested or intrigued, but that’s very easy when your subject matter is a marine animal and not a guy you’re meant to be “working” with who you so confusingly find attractive.

alex as a person and as a character are obviously two different people, i don’t know alex albon personally but the character i create based on his life and personality would definitely be a caring person. i think alex as an older brother, especially within the context of phuketverse, is a caring person. it’s also part of his job in a way! dive operators are basically babysitters for tourists or people who book their charters; they have a huge duty of care for everybody on their boat and george is no exception.