speaking of drugs and soul mates, somehow his dangly fingers found the inner stitches of my pinkplated skinny jeans. we fell into backseats and booths at bars that held sushi and white powder lining caked sinks. we giggled at how he said tomato, and i dissolved into the sixth beer, the seventh, the eighth, the lines between her lipstick. we danced and screamed among stained floors, holding each other, waiting until the moon lifted us. he and i held hands as i ran between poles, pretending i was the goddess of love, of lust, of night. we made out and my head cracked upon glass, his glasses slid upon pavement. he was nervous, i was laughing. an american girl, his first time. his fingers traced, cream upon coffee. in the morning i found bruises upon my lips, marks of eagerness, of mistakes. we walked again, not hand in hand, dreary and rainy, perfect London weather. and i wondered if having tea and crumpets would have helped.