What was it like? Finding him, what was it like?
Like someone had just turned on the sun.
Like this was the beginning of time and the first bit of matter had burst from the darkness.
He's blazing. He's blinding. He's all you can see.
The rest of the world falls away until there is only this—you—him—here. You can't even see the net anymore; now you're doubting if it was ever there in the first place. Wherever that ball is going, it's hitting the ground. There's no doubt.
A perfect toss, perhaps. But it would be nothing without a spike to match.
He closed his eyes.
He closed his eyes when you tossed.
Is it adrenaline? Have you been staring too long at the sun? Because your heartbeat's racing. Your world is bathed in light. You suddenly know the truth the universe likes to keep hidden: perfection exists. Soul mates are real. The red thread of fate is wound tight around your little finger.
Faith. Unadulterated, innocent trust. He trusts you.
A one hundred and sixty two centimetre tall miracle is suspended in the air above you.
Are you dreaming or does he have wings?
Or has he simply escaped the pull of gravity?
It would be just like him, to do the impossible. To take the law of the universe and tear it apart.
He's flying. You lifted him up and let him take to the sky.
When his feet hit the ground, time is no longer dilated. A grin splits his face and he stares at his palms like he's never seen anything so beautiful in his life. You've never seen anything so beautiful, after all.
But in that moment, you're scared. Your star has fallen. You're terrified someone will turn the lights back off and you'll be left alone, in the dark.
But he's still gleaming.
The world's still bright.
An unfamiliar warmth is draped across your shoulders. It's happiness, you realise, a few seconds later. It's joy.
Your eyes meet his.
It's the sun beating down from above.