Days later, I had seen only Sayid on the beach. He had followed me back to my shelter after our argument, but hadn't said a word to me since. There had been plenty of commotion and talk on the beach to keep me busy. People were trying to plan an attack on the mysterious Others, and some were trying to learn defensive techniques.

I took a break one afternoon and headed out into the jungle to bring back fruit. It'd been a rough few days. I tripped over a vine and landed hard on the ground. That was the breaking point. Tears spilled down my face.

"Someone out here?"

I sniffed and looked up. Sawyer had just come through the clearing.

"It's me. Don't worry," I called. I tried to get myself together, but couldn't stop the weeping. At this point, the frustrations had built up and I wasn't crying for one thing in particular.

Sawyer sauntered over. "You cryin', Anya?" He frowned and knelt down next to me. "Knee's skinned. You all right, Red?"

"Red?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Your hair. Looks red in the light." He used his thumb to push it away from my face. "Have a fight with Mohammed?"

I turned my head away and wiped at a tear making its way down toward my chin.

Sawyer draped his arm around me and nudged me with his body. "Come on, Red. Don't look so surprised. Everyone knows who's friendly with who. No reason for you to get so bent out of shape about one man. There's lots of men on this island. Say, I happen to know one who you could take for a spin any day."

"Can't you see I'm a mess? This is a terrible time for you to try and hit on me," I said, half amused, half annoyed. I couldn't help but crack a smile and give a short laugh.

"I'm not hitting on you, Red." Sawyer frowned. "I'm just pointing out your options. Just because he was in the army doesn't mean he's the only guy who knows what he's doing on this island." He reached out and touched my cheek. "Look, dry."

I blinked slowly and bit my lip. In a strange asshole-ish way, he was charming. I'd been so enamored with Sayid that I hadn't given anyone else a second look.

"I can see those wheels turning," he said. "So why don't you just kiss me?" He touched the side of my face, not trying to pull me toward him, just resting it and waiting to see if I'd turn my head. I did.

His whiskers felt nice as I touched my palm to his face as we kissed. I could imagine him tasting like whiskey. There was something about a southern man and whiskey.

"Mmm," Sawyer mumbled into my lips. He bit my bottom lip softly.

I moved my hand to his knee, but to my surprise, he pushed it away.

"Hands off, Red," he mumbled.

I found that attractive and kissed him harder. When we pulled apart, I felt guilty, but didn't regret it.

"Look at that," he said, "completely forgot what you were crying about." He laughed and stood up.

"What?" I exclaimed. "That was a distraction? What?" I jumped up and pushed him. "You're a jerk. You're such an ass."

"Easy, Red." Sawyer brushed off his shirt. "I know how to cheer a girl up. Besides, I've been wanting to do that since I saw those long legs in those high heels on the plane." He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Very nice."

"Sawyer," I whined. "I can't believe this."

"Oh, calm down. I'm not gonna tell your boyfriend, so just relax." Sawyer flipped the hair out of his eyes and rolled his eyes. "You can always come to me if you're looking for something that's made in the U.S. of A. Keep your options open." With a wink, he turned and headed back towards camp. "Nice lips," he called over his shoulder.

I was furious. Sayid would have never pulled something like that. Sayid? If he was my standard for how men should act, I figured I should sit down and think some more. The past was the past, and with a limited pool of people on the island, it wasn't a good idea to isolate anyone.