forever's_just_a_weekend raze he brushes the auburn ribbons sewn into her scalp, moving from root to tip. slow. slower than any move he's ever made. slow enough to make it last. she closes her eyes and feels the hard bristles trace thin lines across soft tissue, making hollows in the terra firma. coconut lip balm meets thinnest skin and friction takes care of the rest. he sleeps in her bed knowing she'll never sleep in his. at home he's too warm. here he can't get warm enough. in the morning it looks like she's crying when she's not. she says it's something that happens when she wakes up. she doesn't understand it. she thinks her body knows something she hasn't worked out. he wipes away the tears that aren't tears and she blinks back what his fingers can't find. she heats up what's left of last night's coffee in the microwave and sings. "fairytales can come true. it can happen to you if you're young at heart." he wonders if his heart is still young enough to believe in magic and brave enough to let it in. he wonders if he'll know it when it shows up. he thinks this could be it. dancing in the kitchen to the sound of a voice that wasn't made for singing but is all the music he could ever hope to hear. she says, "if we play our cards right, we could be forever and ever." but there are no cards to play. and forever's just a weekend, give or take an afternoon. 210914 what's it to you? who go blather from