“Mal,” I breathe. He slowly looks up. I see bad things have already slipped into his broken interior. “Have you ever been in love?” I ask. A huge smile breaks on his face. It is true and big and real, and it can keep me burning forever. I know as long as I see this smile every day, I will never be cold. “Funny you should ask. Yes, yes, I have been. I still am. It started eight years ago, in the most unlikely event, and it has no expiration date.”
