My phone vibrates and I know it’s a text from you. I place my unlit cigarette in between my lips and read it.

     “Thinking of you.  ?” it says. I smile. I don’t know what to respond. You always take the words out of my mouth, but I can never replace them with something sweeter. You know how to make me speechless. I begin to write out a text but delete it.

     “You’re too cute”… (delete).

     “You’re too sweet” … (delete).

     “I’m thinking of you” … (delete).

     Nothing feels good enough to write back to you. You deserve the crispest monologue ever written. The craftiest poem ever devised. You deserve the sweetest of the available words of the English language. But I can’t seem to find anything. So I respond with the closest phrase I could think of.

     “I love you”. I lock my phone and place it next to me. I light my cigarette and take a drag from it. I blow out, close my eyes and put my head against the wall. I open my eyes and look up. There are thousands of stars in the sky. The best time to view the night is at 3AM. I want to text you and tell you that the sky is full of stars and that all of it seems so bland compared to you. But how do I phrase it in a way that makes sense? In a creative way that doesn’t sound dumb. I shake my head and take another drag. F***, I think to myself. I allow my imagination to carry me away.

     It’s you. You pick up 2 vinyl’s off of a pile that we own next to one of our couch in our small apartment. I had quit smoking at this point because everything wasn’t so stressful. It was easier.

     “Which one?” you ask. I look at you and smile, then shift my focus to the two large disks you held in your hands. I’m still smiling. After a few more seconds I look up at you.

     “Surprise me,” I giggle. You have a soft smile and put away the two that you had in your hands. You place a record on the player, and through the speaker a drum beat and soft synth started playing. It’s Dionne Warwick and The Spinners’ “Then Came You”. One of my favourites. I smile even wider and let out a soft giggle. You ask for my hand and I give it to you and stand you. You pull me closer and we start dancing along to the drums and the soulful voices. You push me away slightly and spin me, and then pull me closer again. I let out a laugh and you give me a kiss on the cheek. You begin to lead me into the small kitchen and then dip me. I come back up laughing. Our noses touch, and I can feel your breath against mine. We both lean in for a kiss and I place both my arms around your neck and you have both your hands on my waist. We pull away and I laugh. You begin to laugh too.

     “I love you,” you whisper.

     “I love you,” I whisper back. You pucker your lips and then begin to tickle me. I begin to laugh and beg you to stop. You don’t, so I kiss you to make you stop, and you do.

     My phone buzzes and I come out of the trance. It’s from you. I flick the ash of my cigarette and unlock my phone.

     “I love you.” I smile. I get another text from you.

     “Potatohead :P” I let out a soft chuckle. I shake my head in disbelief in how my life has turned out. That you would end up in my life.
     “Donkeynose <3” I write back. I can’t help but laugh. I’m halfway done with my cigarette but I put it out anyway. Your lips taste better than the smoke that fills my lungs anyways.