Outside the mall at 9:30

The boy

There’s a girl beside me

In the bus shelter outside the mall.

She has pink hair and muddied 

Hiking boots and she’s gently biting at her nails.

She just got out of the movie theatre,

It’s 9:30 and the pavement is free from any puddles oozing the faces of her exes;

She’s looking for someone to hold tonight.

I wonder if I took her hand if she would squeeze mine back and we could stand there like that until the #106 came to take us home. 

The girl

There’s a boy beside me 

In the bus shelter outside the mall.

He’s sipping coffee and wearing a thick flannel and he just walked 

All the way across the street to throw out his empty mug. 

He’s done this commute many times,

He was working the night shift again tonight, now he’s listening to his usual playlist;

He’s comfortable, he’s thinking something good will happen tonight.

I wonder if he would mind if I took his hand and just leaned gently into the side of his coat, would it be too shocking, the two of us standing there, waiting for the #106 to take us home…