“What is this?” he asked, his ragged voice carrying a hint of bewilderment. Dilated pupils swallowed the gold of his irises, and his brows furrowed deeper than before as he thumbed his lip. “It can’t ...” His voice drifted off, eyes losing focus as he seemed to slip into thoughts. “It’s okay. I want this.” “You don’t know what this is.” I reached out for him, and he nearly tripped over himself to back away.

