“I had a thought," Bradshaw said into the silence."Amazing," Tristan returned dryly.”

“Tristan started the car, pulling carefully out onto the street now that the snow had begun to fall."You seemed so happy this last quarter," P.K. prompted."I was. I fell in love.""And?""It didn't work out--isn't working out." Tristan shook his head. "I'm not ready.""Ah," said P.K. They drove the rest of the way in silence. Tristan thought then that he was lucky; Jonathon and Daniel didn't know how to value a silence, but P.K. made it comfortable. He was glad he was here with P.K. and not alone in the unbearable silence of snow.”

“Let it be said, Marcus thought dryly,that nothing cooled a man's ardor like the Crusades.”

“Inside Junior’s it was peaceful. I can change that, I thought dryly,”

“Seriously, Jack, I think you might be the only guy in this city who hasn’t read his stuff. Collin McCann is like the Carrie Bradshaw of Chicago men.”“You mean Terry Bradshaw,” Jack corrected.“No, Carrie,” Wilkins repeated. “You know, Sarah Jessica Parker. Sex and the City.”A silence fell over the room as Collin and Jack stared at Wilkins, seriously fearing for the fate of men.”

“Not for a minute did I believe that this wasn’t goodbye. Still, I had loved and been loved in return, and there was nothing greater than that. It far outweighed the alienation of all the previous years.Bones thought five months was too short; I was amazed I’d been granted joy for so long.“I love you,” he moaned, or maybe I said it. I couldn’t tell the difference anymore. The lines haddissolved between us.”