“Our gazes met. It seemed an entire conversation took place in that one glance. Each of us saw what we needed to know.”

“One of the blessings human beings take for granted is the ability to remember pain without re-feeling it. The pain of the physical wounds is long gone …and the other kind of hurt, the damage done to our spirits, has been healed. We are careful with those scarred places in each other. ”

“It was likely that no one had been surprised, however, as it was clear that Aline and McKenna belonged together. There was something invisible and yet irrefutable that made them a couple. Perhaps it was the way both of them stole quick glances at each other when one though the other wasn't looking... glances of wonder and hunger.”

“How much do you have in common withthis guy?""Not much. Basically we're polar opposites.But do you want to know the main attraction,the weird part? . . . It's the talking.""Talking about what?""About anything," I said earnestly. "Weget started and it's like sex, this back-andforth,and we're both so there, do you knowwhat I mean? We rattle each other. Andsome conversations seem to be happening ona few different levels at once. But even whenwe're disagreeing on something, there's aweird kind of harmony in it. A connection.”

“Neither of us seemed able to be close toanyone. Not even each other. Closenessmeant the one you loved the most wouldcause you the most damage. How did youunlearn that? It was woven deep betweenevery fiber and vessel. You couldn't cut itout.”

“We were each other's only link to the past . . . that was the strength of our bond, and also our weakness.”

“As we talked, I had the sense of uncovering something precious and long-buried, fully formed. Our conversation was a process of removing layers, some of them easily dusted away. Other layers, requiring chisels or axes, were left alone for now. We revealed as much as we dared about what had happened during the years that separated us. But it wasn't what I had expected, being with Hardy again. There was something in me that remained stubbornly locked away, as if I were afraid to let out the emotion I had harbored for so long.”