“Was it hard?” I ask.“Letting go?”“Not as hard as holding on to something thatwasn’t real.”I gulp. “Can I ask how you did it?”“I just decided, Ava.That’s all.I just decided.”

“Was it hard?" I ask.Letting go?"Not as hard as holding on to something that wasn't real.”

“If I ask you to think about something, you can decide not to. But if I make you feel something? Now I have your attention.”

“I love how you look at me."[...]"And how's that?" I asked, blushing on cue.His lower lip curled in that mischievous way it did."Like you're having a hard time deciding between my lips and this blueberry pie. And I know nothing comes between you and this pie."I giggled. "Very observant. Wonder which one will win?”

“I wanted the chance to give him something, to give him the best of me, as pathetic as it was, damaged and broken, warped at the edges, hardly worth having. I decided that if I had the chance, if he asked, if he needed, it was his.”

“It's hard to really look at somebody and go: "Hey, maybe something nice will happen." You just don't-- I know too much about life to have any optimism, because I know even if it's nice, it's going to lead to shit. I know that if you smile at somebody and they smile back, you've just decided that something shitty is going to happen.”