she looked at him as if the universe was sprawled on his skin
her eyes engulfing every inch

as they drove through the summer
she always took the passenger seat
because she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus her eyes on the road
and away from him

while she had mastered the art of evading most eye contact
her gaze felt broken if it wasn’t locked onto his
and even under the moonlight
she knew his every detail

she was an observer, a watcher
silently studying everything around her
but her view of the world narrowed when she was with him

he was her world
she could draw a map of the stars in his eyes and the roads of his lips
but couldn’t tell you the color of the car he drove her in

she looked at him as if it were the last time she would ever see him
        
                                                                     ...as he looked out the window


x.