The first thing I notice when I return to the waking world, before I even open my eyes, is Dean.
From the way I notice him, I get the feeling that he will be the first thing I notice every moment of every day of the rest of my life.
I’m so incredibly hyper-aware of him, I can feel each, individual breath he takes as if it were my own. I can feel his warmth on my skin, even from the few feet away that I stand from him. I can smell him—not like before, but in a whole, new, overpowering way where his scent seems to sink deep into my lungs and linger there long after each breath is complete.
The second thing I notice is that there’s light radiating from me, so bright and so harsh that everyone around me has to squint and even throw their hands up to shield their eyes.
I don’t look at any o
