She approached the dock in her dress and coat just like last time.
"You know, I wasn't going to wake you up this time." Pearl folded her jacket tighter around her. I glanced up at her and noticed, for once, she wasn't smiling. She wore a solemn look. I flicked the ashes off of the end of my cigarette and sat on a nearby bench. I could feel the cold dampness of the wood through my pants.
"Why not?" I asked her. She sat next to me, tucking her skirt tightly beneath her legs.
"You didn't want to be here yesterday, and you were tired and injured." She replied. "I woke you, and you needed to rest."
"I'm always tired." I took another drag from my cigarette, and the silence lingered for a long minute. "I want to be here."
"Truly?" She didn't look at me.
I grimaced. "I never was one for watching sunrises but…" I gave a little shrug. "It's not so bad when you aren't by yourself."
"That's…" She looked down at her fingers. "That means a lot to me, Jack."
"I know it does. Why else would I be here?" I threw the remaining inch of my cigarette in the water. We sat in silence until the sun had finished rising over the foggy lake. The seagulls were cawing loudly and the water was sloshing noisily on the shore. Blackwater was starting to come to life somewhere, out behind us. Then I felt her fingers slide over and lock around mine. Her hands were as cold as ice, but I didn't move away.
"Jack?"
"Yeah?" I glanced over at her.
"I'm glad I met you." She started smiling again, and for a little while, everything was just fine.