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The Realm of Possibility Page 13


  we could have ended up, but I have to believe

  none of them would have felt this right.

  All I want is you

  is not entirely true.

  I want so much more,

  and with Daniel I think

  I can get it. I tell him this,

  I tell him I love you,

  which says everything

  and is entirely true.

  I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring.

  There is still enough light in the air

  for the silver to glimmer

  and his eyes to gleam.

  We do not say anything,

  we look at each other,

  take each other in

  as far as vision can go.

  I hold his hand in mine,

  and then with the other hand

  move the non-ending, non-beginning,

  ongoing ring onto his finger,

  whispering my love.

  We embrace.

  And then the strangest,

  most beautiful thing happens.

  Daniel looks at the ring

  and walks behind me.

  Before I can figure out

  what's going on,

  he reaches his arms

  around me, his mouth

  by my ear, his chest

  against my back.

  He takes his hands

  and forms his fingers

  in the shape of a heart,

  which he places over

  my own heart,

  whispering his love.

  I wrap my arms

  behind me,

  hold him.

  We stand there,

  breathing

  together.

  Moments into minutes.

  Minutes into hours.

  Hours into days.

  Days into years.

  Years into possibility.

  This will linger.

  david levithan

  is the author of Boy Meets Boy.

  He lives in New Jersey, which is, as everyone knows,

  the real realm of possibility.

  To find out more about him, check:

  www.davidlevithan.com.

  Special thanks to Susan Fromm for her claddagh ring

  THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the

  product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to

  actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2004 by David Levithan

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States of America by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of

  Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.,

  New York.

  KNOPF, BORZOI BOOKS, and the colophon are registered

  trademarks of Random House, Inc.

  www.randomhouse.com/teens

  Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at

  www.randomhouse.com/teachers

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Levithan, David.

  The realm of possibility / David Levithan.

  p. cm.

  SUMMARY: A variety of students at the same high school describe their ideas,

  experiences, and relationships in a series of interconnected free-verse stories.

  eISBN: 978-0-307-49003-2

  [1. Interpersonal relations—Fiction. 2. Conduct of life—Fiction. 3. High

  schools—Fiction. 4. Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.L5798Re2004

  [Fic]—dc22

  2003061917

  v3.0