July 2, 2024 — “Nothing’s gonna stop us now”

The song had been on the radio for months. Everyone liked it, then they didn’t, then they did, then they stopped saying whether they liked it or not and just let it happen, sang along quietly under their breath. She hears the words fall from her lips and does not bother catching them and if this world runs out of lovers, she sings out loud, willing the woods to sing back, we’ll still have each other.

She lights the second cigarette, sinks into its pull in a way that makes her think of another garden, and she knows temptation is the problem here too, but tonight is not the night to say enough. She closes her eyes, tastes ash, and waits for the woods to answer.