After staring at Winona for a moment, Keaton sat down across from her on the ground.


    He didn''t ask what was wrong. Instead, he popped open a can of beer, handed it to her, and opened one for himself.


    "Here, let''s have a drink first."


    The two of them clinked their cans and each took a few gulps.


    Keaton looked at the spread of snacks between them. "Which one''s good?"


    "They''re all good," Winona said.


    Keaton chuckled. "The Newsom family might not be old money, but you guys are pretty well off. And you''re the only daughter. Did your folks really let you eat this kind of street food?"


    "That''s the thing. Since we''re not some high-society family, we don''t have a ton of rules," Winona said. "My parents spoiled me. They''d let me have a little junk food now and then to satisfy my cravings. Once I got older, they couldn''t stop me anyway."


    Keaton pointed at a carton of chili cheese fries. "What''s all this stuff on top?"


    "Never had it?" Winona asked.


    "Nope."


    She pushed the carton towards him. "Try it."


    Keaton looked skeptical. "It looks like a heart attack in a box."


    "It won''t kill you. Live a little," Winona urged.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Keaton took a bite, then immediately washed it down with a big swig of beer. "Yeah, no. Hard pass. Not a fan."


    Winona pursed her lips. "You''re living in an ivory tower. Try this, then." She handed him a stick of spicy fried cmari.


    "This I''ve had," Keaton said. "It''s a staple at Italian ces."


    After he''d eaten a piece, Winona asked, "How is it?"


    "It''s alright," Keaton nodded. "Just way too spicy."


    Then, Winona handed him a piece of a giant pretzel with spicy mustard...


    Winona had bought over a dozen different snacks, and Keaton was like an obedient child, trying whatever she told him to.


    By the time he had sampled everything, he had finished three cans of beer.


    Winona looked at him, puzzled. "You can''t handle spicy food?"


    Keaton nodded. "Never have, not since I was a kid."


    "Seriously?" Winona was surprised. "I asked you if you wanted spicy when I was ordering, and you didn''t say anything."


    Keaton opened another beer. "As long as you like it, that''s all that matters."


    "...Why don''t you eat spicy food?" Winona asked.


    Keaton''s lips were turning red from the heat. "I don''t know, it''s just a preference. I grew up in a ce where it was always dry. Eating a lot of spicy food just gives me terrible bear burn and makes me sweat there''s no upside."


    eth


    Winona was speechless. "You''re one to talk about health, pulling all-nighters all the time. What about all those girlfriends you had from the South What did you do when you ate with them?"


    "Well, obviously, I went with whatever my girlfriend wanted," Keaton said. "If she wanted spicy, we''d get spicy. I could just not eat or eat very little."


    "But they were all considerate. When they ate with me, they''d avoid spicy food on their own. Even when I offered to go to a spicy ce, they''d say no."


    Winona''s lips thinned. "How thoughtful of them. Makes me sound like a real jerk of a friend." She had ordered everything extra spicy.


    Keatonughed. "You''re different from them. They were girlfriends. You''re the queen. Whatever you do is right. The queen is never wrong."


    His teasing made herugh. She raised her can to his. "Here''s to that. Cheers."


    Keaton yed along, drinking with her.


    Seeing that her mood had lifted a bit, Keaton finally turned to look at the lighthouse in the middle of the dark


    sea Chat do you feel when you


    look at that lighthouse?"


    Winona followed his gaze, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. "...Comfort. Like a rescue."


    "It is healing," Keaton said. "A good ce to mend."


    "Ie here every so often, spend the night. I don''t bring anyone, just me. I sit right


    here, have a drink by myself, and just watch it quietly."


    "And I can''t help it, I just go over all the sad things buried deep in my heart."


    "The next day, I feel so much lighter, like I''ve been reborn. Even happier than before."


    "It''s like all the sadness I was holding onto is just gone. My body feels light and refreshed."


    "You know, people just can''t keep too much bottled up inside. If you''re unhappy, you have to let it out. Keeping it in only hurts yourself."