“life's too short, after all, isn't it? not to do the things you want - the things that make you happy? hannah had been thinking that quite a lot t. oday”

“I mean, I’ve always loved her, we’ve been best mates for years. When I started this thing, I thought that maybe, maybe there was something else – the germ of something else that could happen between us. But I don’t think I was entirely serious. It was speculative, you know. But, bloody hell, it’s bitten me in the arse. And now I love her. I think about her all the time. When I’m not with her, I’m just waiting for the next time I can be, and when I am, I’m just really happy. She’s funny, and smart, and.. gorgeous. I love her. Never felt like this before. Want-to-marry-her-and-be-with-her-all-the-rest-of-my-life kind of love her.”

“There should be friendship vows. Did you ever think that? When you get married, you promise all that stuff - in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer... But you do that when you're friends, too, don't you? The thick and thin stuff.”

“They're called cliches because they're true, you know. Besides, life is quite complicated enough...”

“You care about me. We're in a room together, with a hundred other people, and you know ehre I am, who I'm talking to. We enjoy each other. We're a bit alike, but different enough. You see things in me that you don't see in your wife and you know, deep down, that if we had met in another time, when it wasn't impossible for anything to happen between us, that we could have had something. And you think it might have been spetacular. And you know you might be a different person if you were with me, and that scares the hell out of you. And when youve had a few drinks, you fancy the arse off me." (...)He gave her a little sideways smile. "Nearly right."She raised an eyebrow. God, this felt good. (...)"Just to be sure we're both clear on this, I'm about to kiss you, Lucy.”

“wasn't there some statistic somewhere she'd read, about where most people meet their spouse, that claimed weddings were the third most popular place, after university and the work place. she was sure that she had. something to do with all that romantic optimism in the air, and too much champagne, no doubt. ”

“and even if he knew the answer, he would keep on doing this. because, the thing was, he loved her. he couldn't walk away if he wanted to. ”