I build a fire, hoping to STEAM some clams. Taking out my oh-so-pretentious bottle of AGAVE sweetener, I finish preparing my tea. The BEACH is deserted, and night is falling. I glance back towards the cabin, wondering if he will miss me and look through the grimy, salt-crusted glass, the double-PANED windows along the sea front. I long for a less complicated relationship. I poke the fire, hoping its warm glow will be sufficiently inviting to draw him to me. I ponder the complexity – which of us is more of a FAKER, alternately pretending devotion and indifference? Gah, can he just get down here so we can begin the process, to peel back at least one LAYER? Swallowing my pride, I wrap my fleece a little tighter around me. Negotiating with myself, I figure I can use the excuse of retrieving the clams from the fridge and feel out his willingness to join me.

Georg’ann