The darkness is steady around us, words
weaving through the air, darting around
our heads. Alcohol thrums beneath my
skin like a song and your eyes glitter
like stars in the driver's seat.

Time slips by outside, but within this
metal sanctuary we are eternal. I will
always be this girl, giddy with drink
and drunk on possibility; you will always
be this boy, relaxed and assured, your
voice tight with the tension of fate.

Sometimes, the big moments that
change you completely are the small
moments that barely even register.

My heart beats out a steady rhythm
of fear and desire, a cocktail more
heady than any served in a bar.
I want you to touch me but God
knows what I would do if you did.
Your voice washes over me , warm
and comforting like a morning shower.

When we have stretched it out as long
as we reasonably can, you help me
from the car and your arms go around me,
easy. My cheek rests against the cradle
of your collarbone. I breathe you in.
I wonder if I actually have to go.

The back door clicks shut behind me and
I don't watch your tail lights disappear
into the secrets of the early morning
because some omniscient part of me knows

you'll be back.