“I was actually just checking to see if you’re alright,” he says.
I stop to look at him. “Because I’m walking alone?”
“No. Because you were bent over like you were hurt and stayed like that for a minute. By the time you were walkingagain and I realized you were fine, you’d already seen me. It would have been creepy to suddenly turn away.”
“Ah.” I offer him a smile, though I’m still hesitant. “No, I’m fine. There was something sticking out of the sand, but I was afraid to touch it. The last time I pulled something from the sand, it was a butt plug. I’m still not sure I’ve washed my hands enough, and that was two days ago.”
He laughs. I like his laugh. It makes me smile.
“Oh, god. That’s fair. Don’t pick up anything unless you can identify it without doing so—best advice I’ve ever received on Kala.”
“It should be on the brochure. Or at least a table tent in the rooms.”
He snorts. For a second, we look at each other. This is the moment where it becomes awkward and he segues into a reasonable sex request, right?
“I’m Alka,” he says.
“Ruby,” I offer.
“I’m married and in an open relationship.”
Okay, now I’m not sure what to say. “Uh… congrats?”
He laughs and turns to face the direction I was walking. We fall into step as he explains.
“I’ve found that a good way to judge character is by leading with this. I’ll know right away whether you’re someone I’m comfortable associating with by how you feel regarding my relationship that has nothing to do with you.”
I grin. “Oh, I feel that. For the record, good for you. I don’t care who you’re in a relationship with, who you’re sleeping with, or whether you’re cheating on your husband. It’s not my business.”
“Finally. A reasonable human,” Alka says in exaggeration, though I don’t doubt at all that he’s being honest. “But for the record,” he repeats, smirking at me, “being in an open relationship means we’re not cheating on each other as long as we stay within the guidelines we’ve mutually agreed upon.”
“Fair enough.”
We fall into silence for a few moments as we walk along the wet sand. The world around us has a soft orange glow as the sun continues to sink beyond the horizon.
“You here alone?” Alka asks.
“This is the part where I should lie and tell you I’m here with a group of people, isn’t it?”
He laughs. “Yeah, I just realized what that sounds like. Sorry.”
I shrug. “Yeah, I’m alone. I thought that I needed some solitary time to reflect on my life choices and… rediscover who I am. You know, grow and shit.”
Alka laughs again. “Yep. How’s that going?”
“On the one hand, I’ve made some important discoveries about myself. I feel like maybe I can call that a success.”
“On the other?”
“I’m not sure I like the answers.”
Alka sighs. “I get it.”
“Are you here on a self-discovery journey as well?”
He grins. “No.” He doesn’t expand for a minute, then he sighs heavily. “A little backstory. This seems like a strategic way to make friends by vomiting my deep-seated dilemmas, so hang on for the ride.”
I chuckle. “Go for it.”
