Motion at the door draws my eye, and I see Jack’s blond head. The air stirs when he walks into the room, the scent that always clings to him mingling with the stale classroom environment and giving it life. It’s fresh air and sun-warmed grass, turned up earth and wildflowers, and I feel a sense of longing in my chest. He smells like the outside. He always smells like the outside, whether it’s this warm, drowsy daytime scent like now or the colder, brisk clarity of nighttime. It’s as if nature surrounds him. I want to be out there now, experiencing it myself. Since this teasing scent is all I
...more

