VI

My skin, cold to the touch. I run distracted hand over an arm, feel the flesh diminish. Pull a thin hood over my head. Below me my city groans, rumbles, flickers mildly. The air is crisp but not uncomfortable, almost winter but not quite. I close my eyes and lose myself in the breeze, let it wash over me and open myself to it. The night is illuminated by a nearly full moon. The hike easy, almost comfortable, and I stand casting a bluish pall in the middle of nowhere. She whispers softly to me, pulls me near to steal my warmth. I'm sure she thinks of it as 'sharing'. Her presence pulls me away from my much needed emptiness but she calms me still. I turn to face her and look through her. Pale skin, lips slightly purple, gorgeous. The corner of her mouth upturns unconsciously and I'm struck with a thought: I don't deserve her. Such my common mentality, my social hangnail, and something I try to hide while occasionally outwardly proclaiming it.
I pull her in for a kiss and feel her melt a little. Her body goes slack in my enveloping arms. "I love you" I whisper as I kiss my way up toward her earlobe. Her hot breath in the crook of my neck condenses almost instantly. We tremble. Her breaths become deep and ragged. We drink each other greedily. I push her to half-arms length, lids heavy. "Do you want to-" I begin, casting eyes back toward the city, toward warmth. She cuts me off. "No, I don't." "Are you sure? You're freezing."
My slight disappointment fades as she steps back and slowly, cutely, unbuttons her shirt. She smiles, shivers a little, invites me in.