The Loss, Third Part

Upon hearing Johnny's response, the girl simply stops breathing. Her eyes widen.

The people outside, passing back and forth, seem completely distant. The sound of cars, birds, children playing on the swings and seesaws... All that becomes irrelevant.

The boy sniffles again as he explains, in a mixture of despair and amazement:

"That day we met, when Joshua and you were walking back to the building.... I just laid my eyes on you and... I felt something extraordinary. A kind of calling, of connection. I don't want you to think that I'm making an excuse for this what we have, whatever it is. But I simply knew that I needed to stay by your side. Anyway."

Johnny takes a breath and continues:

"When I heard your name, then, I felt everything around me spin like I was on a merry-go-round. It was like... It was as if the universe was telling me..."

His tears won't stop flowing. Emanuele also gave up trying to hold back the tears. She had no idea how impactful her existence was to him.

"When I