My Cardboard Balcony

Fifth Date by Belinda Roddie Do you see where the lights kiss, Angela? Do you spot the imprint they've left on their silhouetted cheeks, their concave jawlines - so simple, so fleeting in the salvageable reflection of the murky bay? And do you see how much she wants to kiss you, Angela? How much she wishes she could leave imprints on your cheeks, too? Light you up like a sunrise at ten PM, after too many drinks and too many secrets shared? Are you willing to rival the sun?

Caitlin had piercings in her ears, hoops in her eyebrows, studs in her nose, a glistening ruby on her tongue - and I wanted to kiss every single one of them. The combination of sterling silver and stainless steel against soft dark skin and full pink lips made me excited every time I came to the parlor. Every time she inked me - a new portrait, a new signature, a new controversy - it was like she was the painter, and I was the overly eager canvas.