“I start to back away before I do something wildly inappropriate, like jump on top of him.”

“He needed to go before he did something inappropriate. Fun. But inappropriate.”

“There was a light knock at the door. Cal let go of my arm and we jumped about six feel apart as Lara eased the door open. If Mrs. Casnoff had caught Cal in my bedroom back at Hecate--with the door closed, and me still in my pajamas--I had a feeling there would have been steely glares, pursed lips, and words like "wildly inappropriate".”

“You start a question, and it's like starting a stone. You sit quietly on the top of a hill; and away the stone goes, starting others...”

“Do I look like I have anything ?" I asked him, in a reasonable voice.He looked as unnerved as the nurse had. He said, "Sorry," and backed away. I took a step after him.I screamed, "I HAVE NOTHING!" And then I said, in a perfectly calm voice, "See, I never had anything to start with.”

“...if I know him and like him just a little bit more than I already do, our emotional connection will be too strong for me to ever go back to the way I was before him.”