WHILE THE WORLD ISN’T WATCHING

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CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST OUTING

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The third day of their little getaway began with an argument that neither of them was willing to lose.
—I am not cooking again —Smart declared from the sofa, still holding the console controller.
Boom, who was checking the kitchen, slowly turned to look at him.
—Cooking? If yesterday we survived entirely on delivery food. —Exactly. We survived. That means we can keep doing it. —We have food for today.
Smart raised an eyebrow.
—What food? Boom opened the fridge, checked for a few seconds, and closed it again. —...We have eggs. —That’s not food. —There’s also rice. —That neither. —And a carrot.
Smart looked at him in silence.
—Boom, we have a carrot.
Both of them ended up laughing.
After two days practically locked inside the apartment, the conclusion was quite simple: they needed to go out and buy groceries.
But going out meant remembering why they had decided to disappear in the first place.
They couldn't just walk casually around Bangkok like any two friends. At least not if they wanted to keep those eight days far away from cameras, fans, and nosy phones.
A few minutes later, Smart appeared in the living room wearing a cap carefully hiding his tied-up hair, a face mask, and a simple hoodie.
Boom looked him up and down.
—Is that how you're going out? —What's wrong with it? —You look suspicious. —You do too.
Boom looked at his reflection in the window. He was wearing a cap, a face mask, and fairly discreet clothing.
—Perfect. Two suspects. —Two suspects who need food —Smart corrected.
They left the apartment, making sure to pass by unnoticed. For the first time in several days, the outside air felt different. There was noise, people walking, cars passing by, and street vendors offering food on the corners.
Smart walked next to Boom with his hands tucked into his hoodie pockets.
—I missed going out —he commented. —We've only been here for two days. —Exactly.
Boom let out a laugh.
—You're impossible.
The supermarket wasn't too crowded, so they were able to wander down the aisles in peace. They pushed the cart between jokes, arguing about what to buy and, above all, about things they definitely didn't need.
—We are not buying that. —Yes we are. —Smart, we have three bags of chips in the cart. —They're different. —They're exactly the same. —No. Look. This one has cheese. —The other one does too.
Smart picked up the bag, examined it carefully, and then placed it back in the cart.
—Well, but this one has better packaging.
Boom shook his head, laughing.
For a moment, everything felt so normal that they almost forgot they were in hiding.
Until Boom stopped in front of one of the aisles.
—Wait here. I'm going for the sauce.
Smart nodded. —Alright.
Boom pointed at the cart. —Don't move. —I'm not five years old. —Sometimes I have my doubts.
Boom walked away.
Smart stood waiting.
One minute. Two.
He looked at the cart. He looked down the aisle where Boom had disappeared.
He pulled out his phone out of habit, but remembered it was still on airplane mode. He put the phone away. He looked back toward the aisle.
Three minutes.
When Boom returned, he found Smart in the exact same spot, though with a slightly impatient expression.
—What happened? —Nothing. —How long was I gone? —A long time.
Boom checked his watch. —It was four minutes. —Exactly. A very long time.
Boom burst out a laugh. —Did you miss me for four minutes? —Don't exaggerate. —You're the one exaggerating.
Smart grabbed the cart and started walking. —Let's go. We still need to buy things.
Boom smiled and followed him.
A while later, they returned to the apartment with several bags.
They had bought enough food for the following days and, of course, way too many snacks.
The afternoon passed between putting the groceries away, preparing something simple to eat, and a new round of Mario Kart that ended exactly like the previous one: with Smart claiming that Boom had cheated.
When the sun began to set, Boom received a call that forced him to step out for a few moments to take care of something.
—I'm heading downstairs for a second —he announced while looking for his keys.
Smart raised his gaze from the sofa. —Downstairs? —Yes. —What for? —I have to pick something up. It'll be ten minutes.
Smart made a small face. —I'm coming with you. —No. —Why? —Because it's ten minutes. —Precisely.
Boom crossed his arms. —Smart. —What? —Stay here.
Smart stared at him for a few seconds before letting himself fall back against the sofa. —Fine.
Boom smiled. —I'll be right back. —I hope so.
The door closed.
Smart stared at it for a couple of seconds. Then he grabbed his phone.
Airplane mode was still on. He opened his gallery and started browsing through old photos. There were some he had saved weeks ago and had never posted. He scrolled from one to another, smiling occasionally.
—This one... —he selected it. —And this one too.
He ended up mentally creating a small list of photos he could post whenever they decided to return to the world.
After a while, he got bored. He opened a game. He played a match. He lost. He played another. He lost again.
—This is rigged —he muttered.
He placed the phone on his lap and looked toward the door. Still nothing.
Finall
y, he picked up the phone again. This time, he opened an app he could use offline and kept himself entertained for a few more minutes.
Until exhaustion began to take over.
Without realizing it, he rested his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.
When Boom returned, he found the living room in silence. He left the keys on the table and looked around. —Smart?
He received no answer.
He walked a few steps closer and found him asleep in the chair, with the phone still in his hand.
Boom smiled. —It was only supposed to be ten minutes...
Smart slowly opened his eyes. —You're back? —Yes. —How long ago? —A little while.
Smart looked at his phone, still half-asleep. —You took long.
Boom let out a small chuckle. —It was twelve minutes. —Even worse. —Worse? —You said ten.
Boom shook his head and walked over to gently take the phone out of his hand. —Come on. Let's have dinner.
Smart stood up, still drowsy, and followed behind him. —What are we eating? —What we bought. —Ah, right. —See? That's why we went out.
Smart smiled. —Then those four minutes I spent alone were totally worth it.
Boom turned around to face him. —Just four?
Smart paused. —Well... maybe it was five.
Both of them laughed again.
And that night, after dinner, they returned to the sofa as if that had always been their place. The television stayed on in the background while they talked about anything and everything, shared the new snacks they had bought, and argued over who had actually won the last game of Mario Kart.
Outside, Bangkok kept moving at its usual pace. Inside, they were still hiding from the world. And neither of them seemed to be in any rush to leave that little sanctuary.