Someone left the sliding door open. The air is cold enough to raise goosebumps, but you’re barefoot, holding a glass that smells like sliced pear and rain hitting hot stone.
Inside, the lights are too warm, the music too loud. Out here, the mousse cracks sharp against your tongue, lemon oil and green apple cutting through the taste of cigarette smoke that’s not yours.
You’re both leaning on opposite ends of the railing, watching headlights trace the same curve in the road below, over and over. And then — without a word — they cross the space, kiss you once, and step back.
You don’t speak. You don’t touch again. You just keep topping each other up like it matters.
Later, you’ll remember the sound of fizz in the bottle — and the taste of their mouth — more than anything else.
Pair with salted almonds, fried smelt eaten from paper, or whatever’s cold and close at hand, shared with someone you’ll never see again.
Region: Alsace, France Grapes: Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Riesling
