“The girls were flaring at me, as if I was the one who had won. And I wasn't even fighting.”

“Unable to resist any longer, I leaned close to Tristan and whispered, “So, exactly how many of the,” I glanced around the room, “thirty girls in your class did you date?”“Only one’s a senior, but I’ve dated thirteen girls from Clarence,” he answered easily. “But more would’ve dated me, if I’d asked.”“Way to be humble, Romeo.”

“Mrs. Edmund smiled and then turned to go. "I'll leave you two alone."Who? Me and the door? Yes, we were bonding quite well.”

“As Tristan helped me to my feet, I could see that he was smiling. He said slowly, "That was really..." He pushed his sunglasses back on. "Yeah.""It was 'Yeah'?" I laughed and bumped playfully into his side. "Yeah, for me too.”

“And being blind... that doesn't change who you are.”

“Tristan’s hand pressed against my back and I felt myself move closer until my head was resting against his warm chest. I closed my eyes and felt its steady rising and falling. I breathed in deeply and wrapped my arms more securely around his neck. The world was suddenly simply cinnamon and sandalwood. I couldn’t remember ever feeling quite so content.All too soon, the song ended. I nearly moaned as Tristan stepped back and caught my arm. “Maybe we should head out.”Maybe people shouldn’t move when other people are feeling so...Oh, whatever.”

“For some reason, I always thought when the world ended it'd be louder.”