“It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that it humbles the present.”

“It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that it humbles the present. Her absence was palpable, even though she was still in the room.”

“It was one of those moments when you feel the future so much that it humbles the present.”

“You think fairy tales are only for girls? Here’s a hint - ask yourself who wrote them. I assure you, it wasn’t just the women. It’s the great male fantasy - all it takes is one dance to know that she’s the one. All it takes is the sound of her song from the tower, or a look at her sleeping face. And right away you know - this is the girl in your head, sleeping or dancing or singing in front of you. Yes, girls want their princes, but boys want their princesses just as much. And they don’t want a very long courtship. They want to know immediately.”

“If you could offer me a guarantee, Ely, a guarantee that the hurt that makes my heart feel like a boulder sitting inside my chest, beatless, if I knew this hurt would eventually go away and I could feel hope again - for me, for you, for us - then maybe my lips could "unlock" now and we could get on with this. The End.”

“I think we should get married here," I say. It's so obvious. Naomi sits down on the top stair, the edge of our corner, and rests her head against the wall. "Ely," she says, "we're never getting married. Never.”

“It's that the silence hanging between us, the awkward and painful glance we share, acknowledges that I'm sitting in his seat. I start to stand up, but Ely shakes his head and gestures for me to stay seated. "It's cool," he whispers. I watch him stride away to the elevator.”