The Affair

Chapter 16.1 - Beach House

Saturday, July 2, 2022, 8:25am

The summer sun climbs higher as William cruises eastbound along Bluewater Highway. The gulf is at their right, a vast sheet of murky blue stretching far into the horizon, tiding peacefully against the sandy beach. Houses sit high on stilts behind the dunes, some occupied by locals, most set up for tourists.

With one hand on the wheel, William checks his route. They're close—only five minutes out.

Meanwhile, Fallon stares out the window. The coast is a sight to behold. Her finger pushes against the window, commenting on the barges out deep in the waters, tiny from her perspective. William smirks.

A set of four houses come up, each painted a unique shade of pastel. He veers the car down the paved road, following the curve to the one at the far end. The house is easily fifteen feet in the air, perched by robust wooden pillars and other cross-sectional beams. There's a space for the car under it all where he parks.

"We're here," he says.

"Yay!" she chirps.

She's out faster than he can kill the engine. Her backpack bounces against her back as she throws it over her shoulder, grabbing Falcor next. There's a tall staircase along the side, so she runs up it. At the top, she looks out, gasping at the marvel.

William follows behind, toting a small ice chest and a duffle bag off each shoulder.

"Fallon, enter the code. Two, seven, zero, four..." he instructs, nearing the top.

She spins, facing the door now. There's a small lockbox bolted into the door frame, and a number pad. Her finger hovers over the numbers carefully, whispering, "Two... seven... four..."

"No. Two, seven, zero, four..."

She starts over but doesn't clear it, ruining the sequence all over again. The light flashes red in a subtle mock.

She frowns. "Oh? I broke it..."

He sighs, setting down the ice chest. He leans over, clearing it first before entering the code. It beeps and the light flashes green approvingly. He gives her a look, like a cat mildly amused with a string.

"I did it right!" she complains, blushing. The door opens and she's in fast. "Whoa! Cool!"

William stumbles in after her, one duffle bag fallen and pinching at the bend of his arm. He sets it all on the table inside, muttering a bad word. A cigarette calls him. He wedges one between his ear, stepping into the living room, pleased with the aesthetic.

It's cozy, but heavy on the nautical theme. The living space is small but has everything they'd need—a squishy couch along the wall, mounted TV on the other, coffee table between with board games on a shelf below. There's a kitchen on the other side, neat and ordered. Nothing special, just there.

He steps over to the sea-side wall. A row of plastic vertical blinds hides a sliding glass door, light pushing in from outside. He draws them aside, peeping out. There's a large wood patio outside, sitting just as high as the house. It's quite the view.

Something thumps from the bedroom. "Good lord," he thinks. There's a short hallway around the corner that leads to the one bedroom. Inside he finds Fallon on the bed, hugging that stuffed wolf of hers, bouncing on the edge. Each bounce shifts the headboard, rocking it into the wall in gentle taps.

He makes note of that.

"The bed is so comfy. Big too," she says, laying back.

There's a big window on the back wall, practically floor to ceiling, giving them view to gulf waters ahead, though partially obstructed by the edge of the deck. A bit of a design flaw, he argues to himself. He rolls the blinds across its track—the same set of vertical plastic planks—blocking the natural light.

"Aww, sir! Leave it open. I like the view," she whines.

He turns, crossing his arms. "I thought you wanted to go to the beach?"

"Oh, yes! Can we go now?" She sits her wolf onto a pillow, then hops off the bed with a flourish. "This is going to be so cool. I've never seen an ocean like this before!"

She scurries off to the other room to grab her bag, so he follows her out.

"Well, it's not an ocean," he explains, watching her pull something white and stringy. "It's the Gulf of Mexico... but eventually it does open into the Atlantic."

Fallon pauses, brow furrowed as if performing mental math.

"Is that... like a lake?" she asks, head tilting.

His mouth drops to say something, but the words abort. He's torn—one part of him tickled, the other astonished.

"How about you just go get dressed. Meet me on the deck. Weirdo..." he says, stepping off, wriggling his fingers against her belly as he passes.

She giggles from his touch before sauntering off. Alone in the living room, he checks his phone. No texts from June yet. His eye twitches. He blinks it off.

It takes him less than a minute to strip and slip into his swim trunks. The glass door slides, and salty air hits him. He steps out onto the deck, letting the morning heat press against his skin, much too chilled from the inside AC.

He burns the cigarette tip until a cherry glows. The first pull hits so good, he savors the smoke just a second longer. He lets it go in one long, content breath. His eye twitches again.

The patio is a spacious terrain of treated wood, fenced along the perimeter, and rather discreet from the neighbors. A picnic table sits centered, shaded mostly by a red umbrella. Surrounding it is more furniture—chairs to sunbathe, a large gray chest filled with life jackets, a propane grill, and even an outside shower.

He walks the edge, nursing his cigarette, appreciating the shore's gust amidst the hot air. His hand slides across the wood railing until it finds a splinter. He jerks back his hand, finding the culprit seated shallow in his palm. Pulling out the splinter calls some blood. But only a bubble.

He sucks it for a second, and it stops.

Off in the corner is a staircase. He looks down. Its steps reach the sand, a narrow pathway between the grassy dunes that leads to the beach.

He nods, judging the accessibility as a perk. Ahead, the sky is blue and clear. The shore whispers something calming, interrupted only by the occasional gull cawing overhead.

His phone vibrates suddenly.

And his eye twitches once more.

~

Updated 2026.05.25