His heart had been shut for a long time. He had never known how much you could love someone till he laid eyes on her. She was like coming up for fresh air after being underwater for what seemed like a lifetime. The one person who accepted him, who understood him, who saw the good in him. However, he was foolish, took all of that for granted and pushed her away. But still, he could feel the connection between them, even after years had passed and she had moved on, he would look at her and immediately be taken back to the night they met.
She said hello, he said it back. Her smile was kind, warm, innocent, just like the girl herself. He had been cast away from everything he knew up until then, but she gave him a glimpse of hope, even if their interaction was cut short because of his inability to let others in and to let go of the anger, of the feeling of abandonment and betrayal.
The next evening, the boy saw her again and it felt like destiny had brought them together at that very moment. He retrieved the book he had stolen from her shelf the night before and she reprehended him, although she had no rashness in her tone. He then revealed that he had written some notes in the margins and the girl’s eyes gleamed as she flipped through the pages for proof of his recent confession. She had to go home, so he nodded and said goodnight. But much to his surprise, she didn’t call him by his name. “Goodnight, Dodger”, she said and that made his heart race. “Oliver Twist”, he responded promptly and that made the girl smile again. A big grin, just as warm, kind and innocent as the first time. And that bit of hope that blossomed when he first saw her grew a little stronger. And it would continue to, as long as he had her by his side.
— Jess Mariano’s second untitled novel, written shortly after his debut work “The Subsect” had been released and become a New York Times bestseller.
