2 minute read
York short story
TOUCH
By Rosie Hughes
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Like the time I cycled in the rain, jeans clinging to my knees, but still glad I came to the cosy flat stuffed with friends, friends of friends, my best friend kissing me at midnight her sweet cider lips, rouge on nude, it wasn’t even New Year’s Eve.
Or the time I dragged my TV and DVD into the dorm hallway. Doors opened, folk brought cushions to prop up on walls and each other. We sat with the lights off, sharing popcorn with people I’d just met.
Or how about that electric shock I got when his middle finger grazed mine. He asked what I was drinking and looked down to smile, his gaze through eyelashes. All I could hear were clinking glasses and the blood-pulse in my ears. And how about the collisions on court when I only had eyes for the ball, ending up crumpled in the sports hall in a heap of bibs and sweat and a penalty.
Or when I went to the club with no queue just to dance and can-I-get-a-whoo-whoo. Waking next day with a sandpaper tongue and a phone full of photographs, my voice left on the revolving dance floor.
The trick to a hug is to commit. Make it three seconds. Make it two-armed. Even someone you haven’t seen in years. And when you meet someone new - a smile for this stranger? A handshake? I always used to say - ask for the hug and go for it. Your soul will thank you later.
About the author
Rosie was born in Harrogate and graduated from the University of York in 2007. She started her career in sustainability within a stone’s throw of Clifford’s Tower. She is a published poet and enjoys trying to figure out how long form works too. When not reading fiction, you’ll find her on a brisk walk or making banana bread. She now lives in Leeds where she reads her first drafts aloud to her house plants. • POEM T H O F THE M O N E TH M O N F O T H • POEM
HAVE YOU GOT A SHORT STORY YOU’D LIKE TO SEE HERE? Storys are between 500 - 600 words and must be suitable for all audiences. Email it to krystal@yourlocallink.co.uk
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