“She could no longer see herself without him somewhere in her life, & there was no one she could even imagine being her 1st besides him.”

“She would forever remember how warm & secure he made her feel. How could she ever live without that?”

“He was the only person I ever met whose soul I could clearly see in his eyes. And I had more faith in him than I've ever had in another human being.”

“She thought about Cheryl’s contention that this was young love, and about how she’d feel if they were ever to break up and she had to look back on this moment as an episode in a life that was full of people she didn’t even know now. The thought made her want to cry.”

“I wanted to tell him I loved him, that I'd always loved him, & that life-& I- had never been the same without him there.”

“I'd never forgotten him, despite spending half my life trying to forget him. I'd given him everything: my love, my body, my pride, & parts of my heart & mind that I could never get back.”

“God forbid, if something happened & she lost him for good, she would give up anything to have him back. Anything & everything.”