Cheater

“Sherie,” Tom begs, “Sherie, come back.”

Sherie keeps walking, her sheer, black skirt swaying with her hips as she walks towards the shoreline.

Massive cliffs loom behind them, and one stretches out into the ocean. Atop it sits a red and white striped lighthouse. As the sun sets, seagulls fly in through a window, the hinges too rusted to keep them shut.

“Baby, please just hear me out,” his strides increase.

She stops and he freezes. “Could you just shut up for a minute,” she snaps, spinning around. Her arms are crossed, causing her red crop top to rise. Her sunglasses still rest on her tiny nose. The setting sun colors her hair light brown.

Tom strides until he is a foot away from her, “Okay.”

Sherie slides her sunglasses up over her hair, pushing the long strands out of her face. She glares at him, her darks eyes like two caves a colony of wild bats could flee from at any moment, “Is that all you have to say?”

“I thought you wanted me to shut up,” he says, reaching to take her hands.

She doesn’t let him, “I stopped. So spit out the halfhearted apology. Let’s get this over with.”

“There’s nothing halfhearted about it.”

“Then why is this the millionth one I’ve gotten from you?”

”I’m a different man,” he stutters.

“See, you even have a script. God, Tom, I don’t know why I even keep giving you a chance. It keeps coming back to this.”

Silence. A wind blows through her skirt and hair. He wants to kiss her. He knows she won’t let him.

“Ok. I won’t apologize then,” he says, quietly.

Sherie laughs sardonically, “Gotta give you credit. For once you’re actually being original.”

Tom doesn’t know how to take her words, “Can’t we just go home and talk about this?”

A wave rolls up onto the shore and over their feet. They don’t move.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Fine then. We’re just going to stay here all night.”