The girl you love

When the girl with the bright lipstick salutes you from across the room, don't forget the girl who's sitting at home in her pyjamas, waiting for you. 

And as you breathe in the new perfume, all lavender and rose, remember how the first time she walked by, the air was filled with cinnamon, and she laughed when you said she reminded you of Christmas. 

When you've had too many drinks and walk to your car with a girl who's voice you'll soon forget, try not to murmur the wrong name into her ear. 

Her lips are unfamiliar to you and her hands don't run through your hair the way you like it, but you're too tired to say anything and she doesn't care anyway. 

And when it's almost dawning and you're watching the sky because your eyelids will never be as heavy as your chest, try to keep your trembling hands from dialling her number. 

You don't remember red lips or the one from last night, but her laugh keeps playing in your mind and for some reason you feel like missing her heartbeat. People take heartbeats for granted, you think, and you never realise how important they are until they're too far away to be heard.

— m.f. // The girl you love