Phil's POV

Mum and Dad left the next afternoon, but were sure to ask me a million times more if I was sure I didn't need them to stay longer. I laughed and hugged them as they were finally out the door. Dan and I sat down.

"She is a good cook at least," Dan said happily. "Your parents are so nice."

"Yeah, they're great."

I remembered hearing him rush away and leave the place,and then how Mum made me confess how I felt about Dan to her. I worried about him, but I didn't say anything.

It wasn't long before I heard a knock at the door. Did they forget something?

"I got it," Dan said. He returned and sat down.

"Who was it?"

"Post man."

"What did we get?"

"I ordered something."

"You did? What did you order?"

"Give me a moment," he said, as I listened to the sound of him tearing cardboard apart. "Just sit there." Unwrapping sounded so violent. The cardboard and paper made such huge sounds on their own. What could he possibly order? In a few minutes, he laid something somewhat heavy in my lap. It was polished wood, shaped like a large block.

"Dan, what is this?" I asked, feeling over the top of it.

"I got you a braille board," he said slowly. "I know you used to like to read, so I thought if we could learn braille, you can read again."

I didn't know what to say. I thought I might cry.

"Here, it opens up." He undid a latch in the front,opening it like a laptop would. I felt inside. There were many small tiles with raised dots on them. Unfortunately, I didn't already read braille.

"It comes with a letter converter for the tiles, and the tiles say the letter written on them," he explained. "I can teach you what tile is what letter so you can learn the language. Do you... like it?"

"You got this... for me?"

"Yeah. I thought it would help you and give you something better to do. I mean, I don't know braille, but I'll learn it and teach you."

I felt a tear on my face. I closed the box that held the board and pushed it to the side, leaping on Dan and hugging him tightly. I was full out crying now as his arms wrapped around me."Why are you so good to me?" I sniffed. "What did I do to deserve you?"

He held me closer. "I would do anything for you."

I almost kissed him, but I didn't.

"Do you want to try it?"

"Not yet," I said. I just wanted to be close to him. I just wanted to hold and be held by him. We would have plenty of time to do it later.

"Phil?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you wear the sunglasses in the house?"

I knew it was safer to wear them outside, but it was true that I didn't need to indoors. However, I didn't want Dan to look at my dead eyes. I couldn't imagine if they were deformed or gross looking. I didn't want him to have to see, and I didn't take the chance.

"I don't know," I simply said.

"Can I take them off?"

"Why?"

"I miss seeing your full face. Your eyes were really nice to look at, you know."

"They probably look weird now," I said, wiping them with my hands while still keeping the glasses on.

"I doubt that."

I felt Dan's hands on either side of my face, holding the edges of the shades and pulling them off slowly. I kept my eyes closed, and put my hands over them.

"No," I said. "They're ugly."

"Your eyes have never been ugly."

"They probably are now."

"Phil."

He gently put his hands over mine and took them off. I opened my eyes for him. It's scary to open your eyes and still see only black.

Dan was quiet. He was looking at me, I knew, and I was ugly.

"Phil," he said.

"Are they bad?"

"Your eyes are wonderful," he said.

"Wonderful?"

"They aren't messed up at all. They're perfect."

Dan's POV

Phil seemed so worried about how his eyes looked, but I didn't understand why. I smiled when I saw them. They were still perfect.

"They are?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What... color are they?"

"Still bluey-green." I was just transfixed on them. It was sad, honestly, that he wasn't able to look at me straight on. I tried to make my own eye contact with him. But it was difficult.

"And they aren't weird looking?"

"No, not at all."

The more I looked into him, the more I wanted to tell him. You're beautiful, I wanted to say. You're beautiful and perfect, and I love you.

He was quiet. I wondered what he was thinking about.

His hand puttered around until finding mine. He laced fingers with me, and I blushed. He squeezed my hand, and smiled. "Thank you."