Chapter 3 – The Photographer

At 6:58, the photographer arrived.

Her name was Marta.

Daniel had hired her for thirty minutes.

She carried one camera.

No tripod.

No lighting equipment.

No drone.

She looked at Claudia’s towel.

Then at Daniel.

Daniel shook his head slightly.

Marta understood enough not to ask.

She walked farther down the beach.

Claudia noticed.

“Who is that?”

Daniel did not answer.

“Is she with you?”

“Yes.”

“A photographer?”

“Yes.”

Claudia laughed.

Daniel closed his eyes for half a second.

“What?”

“So this is content.”

“What?”

“You’re filming people now.”

“We’re not filming you.”

“You don’t know that.”

Marta was forty metres away, photographing the sea.

Daniel said:

“She is here to photograph us.”

“And anyone behind you.”

“We can frame around people.”

“You can’t guarantee that.”

Daniel’s patience started slipping.

“Why do you care?”

Claudia removed her sunglasses.

“Because not everybody wants to be part of your social media performance.”

“It isn’t a social media performance.”

“You hired a photographer.”

“For a proposal.”

“Exactly.”

Daniel stared.

“Do you hear yourself?”

Claudia folded her arms.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re getting angry because somebody hired a photographer for a proposal.”

“No. I’m getting angry because you think your proposal is more important than everyone else’s evening.”

Daniel spoke slowly.

“Nobody said that.”

“You asked me to move.”

“Because you sat down directly beside the sign after complaining about it.”

“That is your interpretation.”

Lena said:

“No. That’s literally what happened.”

Claudia turned toward her.

“Stay out of this.”

Lena laughed.

“It’s my brother.”

“I don’t care.”

“Clearly.”

Claudia stepped closer.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Daniel immediately moved between them.

“Stop.”

Claudia looked at him.

“Don’t tell me to stop.”

“Then please just go sit somewhere else.”

“There.”

She pointed at him.

“There it is again.”

“What?”

“You telling me where I can sit.”

Daniel’s voice rose.

“Yes, because you’re standing here arguing with me ten minutes before I propose!”

A few nearby people looked over.

Claudia noticed.

Instead of lowering her voice, she raised hers.

“THEN MAYBE DON’T PROPOSE IN A PUBLIC PLACE!”

The beach went quieter around them.

Daniel stared at her.

For the first time, he looked genuinely angry.