How did we fall in love?

‘Take it,’ I said and your eyes behind the sunglasses that I could see my reflection in briefly widened and your rosy lips spread apart exposing the rim of your top teeth.

‘No, I don’t think…’

‘It’s fine. Go ahead.’

You bit your lip and it whitened and pulled and plumped out again with more pink this time and please stop doing that you frown and look like you’re whining mentally and stare at the box of milk you can’t afford today like it’s a derelict animal. You glance at me with the same look and your top teeth are more visible now as you take the thing off the counter and I can see myself in your sunglasses so clearly.

‘Sweet. Thanks.’

You linger there on the other side of the steel countertop and you look like you want to say something as your fingers hover over the thick cardboard fold of the box and I hope you do because your voice is sweet and level and familiar and he said thanks that’s when the thing happened.

The cool look in your eyes behind my dark reflection flickered into one of irritation and your lips pressed together firmly which turned the graceful bow shape square. You gritted your teeth and tensed your jaw and stiffened your cheeks and the blood in your veins flowed reluctantly and the blank CRT played a popular song.

‘Do you like it?’

Your voice makes me melt do you know that? ‘Excuse me?’

‘The song…,’ you paused to dig your manicured nail into the thick cardboard at the top of the stout box and I watched your thumb curl and press an