A Fire in Winter

The sputtering fire barely kept the night at bay. As bonfire’s went, it was a depressing one and she’d had to drive two hours for it. Sara shook her head and stared at the coals beneath the pathetic flames. They glowed but lacked the heat required to reach her frozen fingers. This blew.

Someone sat next to her on the damp log. Jake offered her a beer and she shook her head, showing him her red cup.  “I’m good.”

“You look cold.” Jake put an arm around her. With both their winter coats between them, his arm did nothing except annoy her.

“Well, some genius decided to hold a bonfire in winter,” Sara said loudly. A few of the other couples huddling around the fire glared at her over the fire’s lurching light.  She looked back at them flatly. The fire licked up around the pit’s metal rim.

“Surprised you showed up then. Where’s your boyfriend?”

“Kurt’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends,” Sara said. Jake’s arm pressed down on her spine, overly heavy, forcing her to slump.

“Like you and me are friends?” Jake turned so she could feel his breath in her ear. It was lukewarm and wet. Sara’s throat buckled. The fire hopped up, cracking against the night air. Jake jumped as it bloomed over the pit and Sara took the opportunity to stand.

“You and I are not friends. Any sort of friends.”  She stated, looking down at him. This close to the fire, Sara could have been in a desert. Dry heat comfortably baked her exposed skin. The fire’s roar drowned out the ocean.

Sara blinked. Jake sneered at her and the other couples continued to stare. “Screw this.” Seva stepped over the pitted logs and headed for the distant parking lot, her wide-stride unbalanced in the sand.

Behind her, the fire succumbed to the wind. With one small gust, all that was left was a few smoldering coals.

A thief, but not this week. Instead, I’ve left the first line of this piece for the taking.