Hops in Beer Land!

She looked up. Their eyes locked into place like a DIN fitting. She knew she shouldn’t. She knew it was wrong. He was like a lager; cool, smooth, easy. She was like an ale; warm, spicy and quick. Yet somehow, here they were together. In this place. At this time. The snow swirled around outside the car, blizzardlike conditions made it difficult to hear, difficult to see.

He came from the other side of the tracks. A place called the Green Lagoon. Nestled in the mossy armpit of where a river meets a lake, the Green Lagoon was inconspicuous. One might drive right past its corrugated exterior on their way to where ever it is they might actually be going and never miss a beat. Should one stop however, they would discover a quiet and shady place. Not sad exactly, not happy either. Just sort of complacent in its lot in life.

She was from the Sky Castle on the hill. A land protected by elevation and little else. A forest of tall pine trees surrounded Sky Castle taking advantage of the ultra violet exposure. They stood guard over the gardens, pools, libraries and stables. Mighty and majestic, their stature muffled the sounds that came from Sky Castles’ inhabitants.

She felt the edge of her winter hat pressed against her head which pressed against the headrest in the front seat of his car. His face was above hers, eagerness in his eyes. He was doing math. She was also doing math but of a different sort. She weighed in her mindseye each potential outcome of whatever this situation was and before she had a chance to sort through all the possibilities, he leaned in.

As his soft lips touched hers, she felt the spark. It was like brushing up against a CIP skid that isn’t grounded and has an uninsulated heating element. The jolting, intoxicating magical energy that comes from terrible choices. The kind of contact that makes you stop. And think.

They could never actually be together. He knew this, she knew this. After a moment, she opened her eyes. In a flash she cracked the door, dashed out of the car and into the elements cooling like first wort through a heat exchanger. The snow swirled around her in cold, stinging sheets. She felt the bitter bite of winter blowing fiercely, attacking her as she ran blindly into the snowy unknown. She knew though in her heart that experiencing this pain would prevent an avalanche of pain in the future.