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The way you’re singing in your sleep

The way you look before you leap

The strange illusions that you keep

You don’t know

But I’

The way your touch turns into arcs

The way you slide into the dark

The beating of my open heart

You don’t know

But I’

And I’iven back like this To have her remember the words and the tune To hear it in her voice

She is blushing furiously, so I don’t clap or do anything like that Instead I shake

“Wow,” I say

“Yeah, that’s what I thought Although, in all honesty, the first tiht me on a really bad day”

“I can’t believe you—”

“I prootten all the other songs”

“Really?”

“Can we change the subject?”

And I findit’s true

“What do you mean?” Norah asks

“It was about the feeling, you know? She caused it in me, but it wasn’t about her It was about my reaction, what I wanted to feel and then convinced myself that I felt, because I wanted it that bad That illusion It was love because I created it as love”

Norah nods “With Tal, it was the way he always said goodnight Isn’t that stupid? At first on the phone, and then when he’d dropoff to sleep He alished ht and made it sound like it really was a wish It’s probably just so his ht, This is caring This is real It could erase so ht”

“I don’t think Tris ever wished ht”

“Well, Tal sure as hell didn’t inspire s”

“That’s too bad,” I say “Tal rhy”

Norah thinks for a second “You never put her nas, did you?”

I go through the entire playlist, then shake my head

“Why not?”

“I guess it didn’t occur to me”

Norah’s phone rings and she pulls it out of her pocket She looks at the screen and mumbles, “Caroline” I see she’s about to answer it, and find , “Don’t”