The Pool Has Pee(But I'm Swimming Anyway): Rebuilding My Heart in London

I rode the bus home from salsa lessons with a heart gaping for companionship and a man to rub his hand on my back and kiss my forehead as I lay my head on his shoulder. It wasn't an unusual feeling as the lonely bug had been riding me for weeks like a first-place surfer at the Quicksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge. Unlike Atlanta, London unfolds like a living romance novel—lovers with fingers intertwined like delicate vines, parents guiding wobbling bicycles while children's laughter dances on the wind, and couples stealing kisses that linger in the misty air as you navigate the brisk cement sidewalks.