American Prince

remembering the feel of his hair on my lips.

I lean down and drop a kiss on the top of his head. “Goodbye, Achilles,”

I am so powerless in the face of it, always, the ways in which he loves me; something as innocent as him listening to a song for this reason still has the power to weaken my knees. Still.

How loved I felt by him and how much I loved him in return?

I could feel my heartbeat everywhere, like my heart was outside of me and filling up the room.

Of course it was outside of me. I’d given it to the soldier behind me years ago.

“You’ve always had me,”

“Because you were about to lie to me.”

“Yes. I can see your eyes this way.”

“How many times have I risked my life to save yours? How many times have I proven that I would sacrifice anything for you? Sacrifice everything? What’s a job when I have you? What’s a place to live? If I have you, I have everything I need.”

I’ll take you any way I can have you.”