"Where the hell is Gordon?" Logan asked, then put his binoculars down. "It's time for his evening nap."

"Who's Gordon?" I asked.

"That stupid fat seal that bullied all the rest of them. Where is he?"

"Do you think he was among the casualties of today's bloodbath?"

"I sure hope so. That little fucker deserved it."

I smiled. "The seals are saved."

"Would it kill you to be a little sensitive right now? I don't think I'll ever feel happiness again. Unless, whoa. I just got a crazy idea."

"What?"

"Maybe I'd feel a little better if you made out with me."

I smiled. "Not now. We have to count the, uh, remaining seals still, and then I have to take at least a twenty-minute power nap or drink more coffee. My eyes are burning."

"The only positive thing out of this is that my job just got a hell of a lot easier. There's practically nothing to count on my half. I barely even have to pay attention to this, which is mind-numbing, and I hate it."

So it wasn't a positive, then. At least he tried.

"You don't have to pretend you hate everything and everyone. It's just me now," I said.

"It's not pretending, Rea." He shook his head. "Half of my seal population was massacred today, so I think I have the right to be a little pissed off."

"Okay, fine. But you act like you're still in your emo phase. Most people grow out of it by now. How old are you?"

"Twenty-two, and it's not a phase. It's who I am." He laughed. "I'm not even that emo. I'm just prone to being pissy. Do they even have people like that in West Virginia?"

"Well, it's pretty funny. There were three in my high school class, but they all overdosed on heroin in the school parking lot, so I guess there aren't any anymore." I frowned. "Actually, that wasn't very funny."

Logan laughed. "It's not funny at all."

I rested my hand on the bench and watched fifteen or twenty seals flop down on the unoccupied rock.

"Maybe this reset isn't the worst thing ever for the seals. At least they get their rock back. It may not be their home, but they deserve a nice place to rest." I paused for a moment. "I don't think you ever told me where you're from."

"Right here, born and raised on this fucking rock. That's what it feels like, at least. Nah, I'm just from a town in Maine. There's no way you've ever heard of it."

"Try me."

"You ever heard of Paris?"

"I've never heard that name before in my entire life. Never," I said.

"Okay, now imagine the Eiffel Tower in the middle of a bunch of farms. You still with me?"

"Yeah."

"Now take out the Eiffel Tower. That's South Paris, Maine."

I hesitated. "Just farms?"

"The entirety of Maine isn't the coast, unfortunately."

"Well, farms can be exciting. Now I feel bad for assuming that you didn't understand where I come from."

"The population's about five thousand people."

"Oh," I said. "Never mind, then. That's a large small town."

"But we don't have inbreeding, so there's that."

I looked back at him for a moment. I certainly wasn't trying to be rude to him, but at the same time, I knew he had the tendency to get a little harsh with his words when something bothered him, like his dead seals.

That had to be better than bottling it all up, right?

A seal inched down to the water, and although the blood had dissipated, I still cringed at the thought of it. It was a little gross, but I couldn't exactly warn it or keep it from taking a swim and getting some dinner, so I rubbed my eyes instead. A few stray tears escaped from my burning eyes, and I wiped them away.

"Please don't cry," Logan said.

"I'm not. I'm just—I'm tired," I said.

"Maybe you should try sleeping. That might help."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time, but for now, I'll just have more coffee," I said. "Could you just keep track of the seals on my half while I go get some?"

"Just go to sleep, Rea. Don't worry about this."

"I'll be right back. Do you want me to get you some?"

"With as much sugar as you think I can handle without dying." He smiled.

I smiled back at him. "Got it."

I climbed down the ladder back down to earth, and although there weren't as many seals as there were before, the remainders chatted lively amongst themselves. Everything seemed cheery and bright even as the sun began to sink.

Back in the house, a ping pong ball bounced against the table from the game room, and I peeked in the archway before starting the coffee.

Brett looked up and waved, and the ball bounced right past him.

"Oh, shit." He laughed. "Did I just lose to you again?"

"You did indeed," Jia replied, then set her paddle down. "If you want, we can try something that gives you a chance."

I noticed Carter, who sat at the card table with no microscope or any form of sample whatsoever.

"Do any of you want coffee?" I asked, but mostly, I wanted Carter to say yes. It wasn't normal for him to spend any time with anyone without something getting done, or maybe I had always been so busy that I never saw it, but either way, I wanted to be included in that club.

"Reagan, you are going to kill yourself," Jia said, and I just smiled.

"Yeah, but at least I'll die happy."

I got started on the coffee, and after it finished brewing (sadly, no one took me up on my offer), I took it back two cups of it back outside to the seal watchtower. I looked up the ladder, but I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to climb it without either of my hands.

I took a sip of mine, then Logan's.

"Hey," I said, and a moment later, Logan looked down at me.

"You're the best," he said, and I climbed up a few rungs to hand him both cups, then scaled the rest of the way.

Before he gave me my coffee back, he pressed his lips to mine, and when he pulled away, in that moment, all I wanted was for him to do it again.

Unfortunately, I wasn't very good at making that clear.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I don't know. I didn't have an exact purpose in mind. Maybe to express gratitude or some shit?" he thought out loud, and when I smiled, he smiled back.

I took my seat back on the bench. "You're lucky you're funny, because you're rather simple."

"And you're not? We're in the middle of nowhere, and you're literally always excited about it." He shook his head as he sat beside me.

"Sorry," I said. "It's just that this is everything I could ever want."

"Don't apologize for what brings you joy. I might tease you, but don't apologize. A lot of people don't find that joy ever."

"Don't they?" I asked, and my eyes fell to the floor.

He shook his head.

"Then maybe they should look for it, even when they don't think they'll find anything. Appreciate as much as they can, find the gold in the rocks. Then maybe they'll find something, even if it throws up the first time they see it."

Logan smiled. "You're a little shit."

A few moments later, the alarm on Logan's phone went off, and we added up the seal counts to a total of about three-quarters of our average. Logan recorded that number, then shut his notebook.

"You should probably go to sleep now," he said.

I took another sip of my coffee. "All this has done is make me jittery. And talkative. Can we talk?"

"Will you go to sleep after that?"

I nodded. "I pinky promise."

"Okay. Then what do you have to say?"

"I like you."

Logan sighed. "Did you put some vodka in your coffee too?"

"So you don't like me?"

"We've been over this, Rea," he said, then shook his head. "You really need to sleep, because you're acting weird, and I don't think vodka's your style."

"It's not. Sleep deprivation is my drug of choice. And caffeine. And maybe a little serotonin."

"That shit's a gateway drug. At first everything feels great, then all the happy chemical is gone, you're left with a headache and no will to live, and you just ate the last Hot Pocket after scarfing down six in a row."

"Who hurt you?" I asked.

"No one did. Now kiss me before the happy chemical wears off."

I let myself laugh before kissing him again. Even though we were stuck on an island together, there weren't too many moments like this. We both always had something going on, and even though the caffeine still ran through my bloodstream, my brain shut off as soon as our lips touched.

That happy chemical was something else, wasn't it?

I shut my eyes and tried to keep my focus on my senses, but mostly my toes and fingers just tingled, and—

And people willingly put themselves through this? Ridiculous.

I want more.

"Hey," he said.

This is not more. Less words. More affection. Yes. Good.

But apparently, he wasn't reading my thoughts, and he didn't kiss me again.

"What?" I spat.

"You make things a little less bad, you know that?"

I smiled. "I try."

Nice words are okay. Nice words can stay. But only if they lead to more—

"No, you don't. Now go to sleep," he said.

"But I like the happy chemical," I sighed.

"If I have to say it again, it's not going to be so kind and patient."

"It wasn't kind and patient the first seven times you suggested it."

"Don't be shitty. Go." He pointed down the ladder.

I didn't need his recommendations on how to live.

He rose an eyebrow at me, and I go-ed.

Went.

English were difficult.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hey! Thank you so much for reading, you beautiful person that I love! You are amazing, and I love you. (That sounds weird, but I'm in a good mood, so just go with it.)

So Reagan is a sleep-deprived mess, and Logan is aggressively caring, and Carter is enjoying the presence of others, and Gordon, the previously unnamed fat seal, is presumably dead. Crazy stuff right here.

I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen next (so if you have an idea, let me know haha), but what other information would help bring the story to life? More characterization? More description? Any suggestions would be great!