The gate is a thousand feet tall, in my mind's eye. Endless metal rungs leading to a cool, black September sky. Too tall to climb, but then I never climb anything.
In truth, it was a normal sort of gate; the kind that keeps the rich people in and the other ones out. Bare feet and cool metal, sweat making slippery, my hand in his. I was laughing when my feet hit pavement on the other side.
The house was empty, for sale. We broke in somehow, I don't remember. Clean carpet, smooth tile, dark windows. Moon making long shadows on the floor. There wasn't any furniture at all, but in my mind's eye, I see it.
This is the room where...
This is the room...This is.
We found lipstick in a bathroom drawer and he put it on, he washed it off. We found a game in the closet and we opened it on the floor. There were cards and each one had a question.
When was your first kiss.Do you like olives.
What's your middle name.
We lay on the floor in his childhood bedroom. Bare walls, dust bunnies on the floorboards. Pale blue moonlight filtered through the window and the venetian blinds cast lines across our faces in the dark.
When was your first kiss.Do you like olives.
Have you ever considered killing yourself.
I laughed, almost. I turned to him, but could barely see him in the light. "Hasn't everyone?"
He lowered the card and shuffled it back into the stack.
"No."