“We lose and lose, but we're still here. Shaking in place, afraid of doing something. I'm tired of settling for this because I don't know if something better exists. It has to. What point is there otherwise? I can do something about it now. And I will.”

“Something heavy and cold at his core lightened. Hugging wasn't what he'd had in mind, but maybe it was better. It shouldn't surprise him, her knowing what he needed more than he did.”

“How do you restart something that had never been turned off?”

“Will you stay? I think I'd sleep better if you stayed here tonight. Then we could miss them together.”

“With Liv, there is always something unexpected, but not the way she makes me feel.”

“A good dream was something you clung to until the last moment before waking.”

“This is what I wanted tonight. Time away from the tribe with Liv and Perry, and even with Brooke. With no responsibilities and nothing to do except be.”