A little like paradise.

That moment when a girl is kissing a boy

in that desperate, frenzied way that happens so fast

she doesn’t even realize she’s standing on her tip toes

and his hands get tangled in her hair.

That moment when she’s soaking in a bubble bath,

sipping a glass of wine and reading

and she suddenly notices the water has gone cold

and her fingers are pruny

and she’s devoured the book through the last page.

That moment when she’s been napping in the September sun,

still hot enough to make her sweat but not miserably,

and it finally sinks low enough to put her into cool shade,

making her skin tingle like electricity.

That moment when she’s run

until her sides are on fire

and she worried she might never breathe again

and she finally takes a drink from her ice cold water bottle

and feels the dampness of her shirt and the burn in her muscles.

That moment when she looks into the mirror,

wearing the eleventh outfit she’s tried on that night,

and she finally likes what she sees.

That moment when she and her best friend have said

the same smart-assed thing

at the same time

and they both erupt into laughter,

not only over what’s been said

but also over the fact that they’ve found a soulmate in each other.

Satisfied.

Content.

The way I feel when you are near.

It’s a little like paradise.