A Pessimist's Fiction

Lost

I walked along the shore, letting the incoming waves wash over my feet. I returned to the cement half-wall at the edge of the sand, hopping up to sit atop it. I watched the happy families and romantic couples as I sat there alone. Someone sat on the other side of the wall and twisted so he was facing the same direction as me.

"Tough day?" He looked out at the ocean. I scoffed.

"Tough life." I replied. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered me one. I shook my head. I had never smoked. He shrugged and put one between his lips before lighting it.

"Why are you here all alone?" he asked, blowing smoke in front of him.

"It's better than being all alone at home." I looked away from him. He slipped his arm around my shoulders.

"You're not alone anymore though." he said, leaning closer to my face. "I'm Stephen, by the way."

"Gwynn." I said. I took the cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it against the cement. "Didn't anyone ever tell you smoking is bad?"

He chuckled. "I've never listened to anyone. I'm an independent man."

"Well, Mr. Independent, I really must be going." I hopped off the wall, out of his arms. He followed behind me and took my hand in his.

"Where are you going to go? I've seen you here everyday," there was a sudden serious sadness to his voice. "Where do you go when you're not here? Who are you with?"

"If you see me everyday, that means you're here everyday, too." I said accusingly.

"I have a job on the pier. I have friends I meet after work, but you, where do you go?" He gently caressed my face, pushing my hair behind my ear.

I laid my head against his chest. "I don't know anymore." I admitted to him. "I've lost all direction. I have no one and nothing to live for." He rubbed my arms gently, moving my sleeves to touch my scars. "You're a complete stranger, yet here we are. Acting like we've known each other forever." I looked into his eyes, he seemed so familiar and so... safe.

"We have. My first name is Steven, but I used to go by Allen." His gaze was intense.

"Allen Slater." I said suddenly remembering. "All this time I've spent lost, I never thought you'd be the one to find me." I whispered, barely audible.

"All this time I spent looking, I never thought it would be you I'd find." he whispered, leaning down to kiss me.