Pause
It is not that you have a crush on her. She is as straight as the day is long and has a boyfriend for what? Three years now? Four?
It is more that you have a crush on the knowledge she carries in her blood, in her bones. Political systems, party politics of fifty years ago, obscure names and places and dates and for that knowledge you would be anything she ever wanted you to be, anything she ever needed. To hear such things roll off her tongue and a language you wish you could speak more fluently, tongue of your ancestors, West of Ireland breeze on her lips.
From the first moment, you knew you could not do without her.
Her fingers brush yours as she passes you the stats on diversity among second-level teachers.
“Go raibh maith agat,” you breathe, half-awkward, shape remembered more than known.
Thank you, thank you, the beat of your heart, and she smiles.
The window into another world.
SM Colgan (she/her) is a bi writer living somewhere in Ireland. Her work focuses on emotion, history, sexuality, and relationships, romantic and otherwise. She writes to understand people who are and have been, and to ease the yearning in her heart. Her first prose pieces are forthcoming from Emerge Literary Journal and Stone of Madness Press. Twitter: @burnpyregorse.
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