in the photos

in the photos, there are circles under my eyes. I am smiling, but you are smiling wider. corners crinkled, two rows of good teeth. a hint of raspberry gum. you must have been tired too. It was unexpected, a midwinter arrival. four teeth gone the week before. then, a dinner and everything cemented. both shy, polite questions, easy laughter. there were differences then, only slight. the same room, new duvet cover. wind pushing against single glazed windows. the same water, fresh goosebumps wrapped in microfibre. the same images flickering past, hours spent in the theatres. I wonder about those often. the frames repeating, a dance, a walk. hot chocolate before early bedtime. borrowed gestures, your jacket, my drivers license. a space, left wider than usual. our eyes the same colour, looking the same way.

Bella Sexton (she/her) is 22, from Wellington. She is currently WWOOFing in Eastern Europe. More of her writing can be read online in takahē, Tarot and Flash Frontier.