"No shame in racking 'em up."
Her eyes light up as she turns to me. Back to fire. To challenging me. Pushing my buttons. "Wouldn't I be getting in on your turf?"
"Sunshine, there's no way you're anywhere near my turf."
"How many women?"
"I can't count that high."
She laughs. "You don't…" Her nose scrunches. "You don't really try to sleep with women for the sake of racking up conquests?"
"Fuck no. That kind of long-term goal setting is way beyond my abilities."
"Uh-huh."
I nod.
She shakes her head. "Then why so many women?"
"Why so few guys?"
"I had a boyfriend. He was—"
"Ouch."
"Not ouch. Just—"
"Your tone. It's bad." I take a cross-legged seat next to her.
She shakes her head as she leans back on her heels. "Maybe I'm bitter about the breakup."
"Maybe he's a terrible lay."
She half smiles. "What's it to you? Don't you… What are we?"
"You tell me."
"I hate you."
"You like me."
She shakes her head.
"Then why are you here?"
"You gave me a choice."
"If you hated me, you'd have done the shitty tattoo."
"Maybe." Her gaze goes to the ocean. "Where does that leave us?
"We're rivals."
"Rivals." She bites her lip. "I guess that's about right. Well, dick face—"
"You keep calling me that, I'm gonna get hard."
She rolls her eyes. "I'm sure you've never stuck around long enough to realize this, but when you're with someone for a while it can get stale."