“He'd given up blessings he hadn't been worthy of for the chance to be with her, and now he'd lost that, too.”

“He'd pushed her. He'd scared her. He'd besieged her. He'd vowed he wouldn't, and he did.”

“She'd loved him as much as he'd let her. More than he'd let her.”

“In this present body he hadn't been loved, and he found almost nothing to love about himself.”

“He's had a lot of chances to care, and he hasn't.”

“She cared about him too much, and he was a dangerous person to love. He wouldn't love her back.”

“He loved her for being so beautiful, and he hated her for it. He loved how she put shiny stuff on her lips for him, and he also reviled her for it. He wanted her to walk home alone, and he wanted to run after her and grab her up before she could take another step.”