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
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