Hear our hearts in the distance, like canon fire.

sitting in the car, i hold my knees to my chest, feet on the fabric of the seat, staring down at my brown summer feet offset by pinkish toenails. it is the middle of the night and we are driving through the jungles of central georgia, my eyes tired, but still focused on the sights of a quiet small town. you laugh and coo quiet stories about the places now asleep, your drawl becoming more pronounced the further into it we get. i's turn to ahhhhs. i clutch my knees tighter, to drawn in my expanding heart as well as to sheepishly hide my contented smile. here i am negotiating territory not totally unfamiliar, but completely new. check marks acrue in my head as i study your face in the passing street lamps.