Pride comes before a fall

You appeared on the dance floor in front of me as if I had conjured you, atom by atom from the fantasy of a love I described to a stranger not minutes before.

You caught my eye and returned my gaze and smiled at me in a way I’ll never forget, in a way that lit me up as I moved awkwardly, soberly on that rainbow stage.

Before I knew it you were dancing next to me as we swam there in the sea of glorious, sweaty bodies and the heady scent of pride in this town just weeks old to your gaze and my adoptive home.

Both of us were sober, but in minutes we were drunk on each other, it was physical for sure but there was chemistry at work here too and very soon we left the din behind eager to explore each other, alone.

I think I remember the exact moment I fell in love as we walked beneath the inky black sky beside the rippling River Lagan and you sang to me a question “do you know where I can see the starry, starry night?”