This time, my heart stops. I am shaking ever so slightly when he says those words. I fully close my backpack and fling it onto my back, spinning around to face him in the process. This leaves me no more than 2 inches from his face, and I go red. I step backwards and look at him silently, taking in every detail of his face, every shade of real, memory filled, human colored skin. The light dusting of freckles that cover his face, the shadow of a beard that must have only been shaved the morning before.
Eventually I make my way to his eyes, they sparkle just the same as everyone else's once did. They still hold the soul of a whole person. One with the ability to feel joy, the ability to emotionally protect himself and other people, and react physically.
"You.."
I don't even know where I was going with that sentence, I trail off almost immediately, and he does it again. He smiles. He actually shows proof of his emotion as the last few people filter out of the classroom. I smile back, and I feel as if I have just been jolted into another reality. Suddenly, he opens his mouth to speak once more.
"I can see it in your eyes."
