Glint let himself slowly fall behind Mahad, even though he knew he could win. Mahad had been kind to him lately, and he wanted to somehow make it up to him, even just a little bit. Glint then felt something from Ben, a joy he had never felt from him before. If he could have smiled, he would have.
=====================
Eyes closed, Ben felt Shana pull him closer, felt her return his kiss. Everything felt right with the world.
He loved Shana. And, impossible as it seemed, she loved him back.
Had it been possible, he would have stayed in that blissful, perfect moment forever. Eventually he pulled back. He hesitantly smiled and cupped her delicate face in his hands. Hundreds of thousands of words rattled around in his head, none of them good enough to express what he was feeling, how she made him feel.
”Shana, I-“
He faltered, terrified again. What if he said the wrong thing? But, looking into Shana’s eyes, he found his confidence again.
”I love you.”