chiromancy

two bodies occupying a tiny space, the air thick with discomfort and immediate sight-lines.

i expose to her my pathetic hands attached to my beaten wrists.

she gently glides her fingertips across the surface of my palm as i keep her ring towards the center of the frame.

"do you think you'll live long?" she asks with a mixture of uncertainty and fatalism.

"you'll outlive me," i reply, knowing that i will succumb to my vices, being the weaker half.

"are you afraid of death?" she raises her head up towards mine, eyes focused past my retinas, as if peering into my soul.

"no, but i'm afraid of you," i respond whilst letting out a subtle sigh, eyes transfixed onto hers.

we close our eyes and take each other in, knowing that we are merely mortals.