The Spark That Rewrote My Pulse

My chest is a drum, and your gaze is the mallet. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
I can feel it—the sudden dilation of my pupils as you hand me this sparkler, our fingertips brushing for less than half a second but sending an electric surge straight to my spine. The air in Tokyo tonight is crisp, yet I’m burning up from the inside out.
Look at us: surrounded by laughter and silk dresses, beneath the red steel giant of the tower. But you? You are the only thing in focus. My heart skips a beat—no, two—when you lean closer to light my fuse, your breath warm against my cheek like an unspoken promise.
Sizzle. The sparkler erupts into gold, and suddenly I’m not just holding fire; I am becoming it. Every flicker mirrors the chaotic rhythm in my ribs. This is healing—the kind that doesn't happen slowly but strikes all at once, erasing months of urban loneliness with a single look.
I tilt my head back, laughing into the night air, while inside me, dopamine floods every vein like an incoming tide. I don’t want this moment to end; I want it to loop forever in high definition. My breath hitches as you whisper something meant only for me—a secret shared under a canopy of stars and artificial light.
I am wide awake. I am alive. And my heartbeat? It's no longer just keeping time; it’s singing your name.

Editor: Heartbeat Monitor