He didn’t move me.

It was like the aftertaste of something sweet and thrilling, like a sugary pill that lingered on your lips and in your mind forever.

I clutched at altered visions and polished my cerise windows to see it for what it truly was

Hope begged me to see it for what it was supposed to be or what it had been.

He didn’t even pretend.

Something he felt he had to do, a requirement, a chore, and no intention of investing anything real

and so where did this leave me?

Well, I had to pretend too. For the windows had grown old and draughty and I couldn’t afford to do anything about it.