“Yeah, I've always been different. I tried being normal once. It was the worst five minutes of my life.”

“There would be many that would take back the experience of falling in love if it meant also carrying the pain associated with losing them, but I couldn’t agree less. To feel the pain of loss is to know you once had something worth losing and I would always carry the memory of how the world was once right, when I laid on a couch, holding the woman I loved in my arms while she slept.”

“Love is delicate as glass; once broken it can be fixed, but there will always be cracks.”

“And how old are you, Miss Beckett?” “Seventeen.” “What!” There is no way she’s seventeen. I inspect her face, studying it intently, but don’t know what it is I hope to find. Laugh lines maybe? She watches my face. “Is my age a problem for you?”“Hell, yeah, seventeen is a problem.” I throw my napkin on the table. All of this has been a waste. “Forget it all. This whole thing is off.” “I don’t act seventeen. I’m very mature for my age.”“No way. You’re not even old enough to be drinking that wine.” I lean in and whisper so no one will overhear. “I’m almost twice your age.” “I don’t mind. I have daddy issues.” She breaks into a huge grin and I hear a girlish giggle. That’s when I realize she’s fucking with me and has the ability to lie with a straight face. I’ll have to remember that for future reference. I’m not amused. “I see I have a comedienne on my hands.”

“I love her too much to let her leave and I need to tell her right this minute.”

“Hey, there's a song about me called 'Jessie's Girl.' I still hear it on the radio occasionally.""Yeah, everybody wishes they had Jessie's girl," he laughed.”

“We’ve shared countless kisses. They were almost always heated and demanding, but this one is entirely different. It tells me things he can’t or won’t say because it goes against everything he intends for our relationship.”