Cherries

Red-stained lips, taste of sweetness lingers, but the pit inside me is heavy, darker than the fruit you offered. We picked them together, hands brushing, a touch too brief, your smile like summer, but mine, hidden behind teeth. You laughed at the juice, how it dripped down my chin, but you never noticed the way it bled into my heart. I watched you bite into it, so careless, so sure, while I held back, afraid of the bruise beneath the skin, the part you’d spit out, not worth the taste. You’ll forget this day, just a moment, just a laugh, but I’ll remember the weight of it, the way the cherries felt, how they stained my hands, how I wished for something more than just the taste of summer fading fast on my tongue.