“Her eyes shot up to his, expressing gratitude. He ignored the pain her obvious relief brought him.”

“Her eyes were open, taking in my tired face... Her face twitched into what looked like a squinty smile, and in her wordless expression I saw gratitude, and relief, and trust. I wanted, desperately, not to disappoint her.”

“His touch brought with it the strangest sense of relief — as if I’d been in pain and that pain had suddenly ceased.”

“Her forehead fell to rest on the tile, her eyes burning, flooding, overflowing with the pain he seemed unable to express and she couldn’t escape.”

“[Trip] “You’re a pain in the ass. A wordy pain in the ass.”“Here are two more words for you. Interfering jerk.”“Stubborn idiot.”“Government patsy.”“Bookworm,” Trip shot back, and then he had her up against her car, his mouth on hers, his hands on her body, taking as much of her as he could get. She came right back at him, curling her hands into his shirt, trying to drag him closer, which was impossible since the only thing between them was a couple of thin layers of clothing and enough heat to cause spontaneous combustion.”

“By marrying her, Tony Takitani brought the lonely period of his life to an end.When he awoke in the morning, the first thing he did was look for her. When he found her sleeping next to him, he felt relief. When she wasn't there, hefelt anxious and searched the house for her. There was something odd forhim about not feeling lonely. The very fact that he had ceased to be lonelycaused him to fear the possibility of becoming lonely again.”