“I've never done this before," she confessed.He stopped and rounded them both into dance position. "You're so beautiful tonight, no one will notice if you misstep. And by the way,happy birthday.”

“When she says 'I've never done this before" she just means with you”

“She couldn’t take her eyes from the dancing flame. No, this was so wrong. Candles should be used for meditation…for romance. Or on a birthday cake at least.So where was the cake? The present? The song? As he stepped closer to her—as the damned flame got way too close—she started singing. “Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me…” Marcus paused, looking at her in disbelief. See. I knew he didn’t have a sense of humor. “Happy birthday, dear Gabi”—she lifted her head and blew out the candle—“happy birthday to me.”

“...But friends, those I wanted to please? There are so few, so few... and you're one of them. You... because you have such a gift for life. You grab hold of it with both hands. You move, you dance, you know how to make the rain and the sunshine in a home. You have this incredible gift for making people around you happy. You're so at ease, so at ease on this little planet...”

“She was beautiful, in the quiet way that lonely, unnoticed people are beautiful to those who notice them.”

“I'm so glad. You're the best birthday present I've ever had.”