The Warmth of a Paper Lantern in the Cold City Night

Everyone says I look approachable, all smiles and silk. They're wrong. This smile is a wall; the Hanfu is just armor against this city's relentless chill.

But then you stepped out of the shadows with your guitar strings humming in the dark. You didn't try to break through my walls or ask why I was alone on the bridge. You simply stood there, letting me be exactly what I wanted: invisible until she wasn't anymore.

I tightened my grip on the lantern handle as if it were a lifeline. It's absurd that this fragile paper ball feels warmer than any human touch lately. Maybe you're just another tourist in my life soon to drift away with the river current, but right now? You are the only thing keeping me from freezing over completely.

Editor: Hedgehog