“A seed of hope caught a taste of moisture. Some wishful kernel buried deep, where he was loathe to acknowledge it lest it poison or choke him, began to sprout.”

“She wanted to be the rain, to cover him with moisture, to bring life to his seed.”

“Life is resilient! Sometimes, your lips may just squander the bliss of your heart. At times, you may even wish that the sky was red. But deep down there lies a seed of goodwill that sprouts only when the sky is actually blue!”

“And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin poisonous flowers began to sprout in the parched land of that field, Mariam uprooted them. She uprooted them and ditched them before they took hold.”

“But there was something I liked about the idea of those seeds buried so deep having at least a chance to emerge”

“Holding his gaze, she lifted her hips to bring him inside her.He choked out a groan as he buried himself deep, his body pressed against hers, his length filling her, stretching her, more delicious than she’d imagined. He moved in long, sure strokes, deep, measured.Controlled. Focused.”