“His gaze, lowered toward the ground, slowly, leisurely drifts up, until it slams into mine with the heavy force of steel against steel. The green is back, emerald flames dancing behind clouds of bl...”

“Now I wonder if maybe allowing another person to give you strength takes a certain kind of strength in itself.To be able to lean all your weight on someone else with confidence in the knowledge the...”

“You understand what Im telling you, Tommy? You have a light inside you, and the only person who gets to decide whether that light shines or not is you.”

“And maybe . . . maybe hell even get more comfortable having me around. Open up, wanna chat more, and well become almost friends, orHey, he grumbles from behind me, am I paying you to stand there an...”

“I part my lips, but no words come out. I want to cry. Want to beg. Want to scream. But mostly, I want to hold him until I know hes going to be okay. Then I want him to hold me until Im okay, too.”

“Heartache is my constant companion, and were perfect for one another. Two co-dependent peas in a pod. My past and my future.”

“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for t...”

“You know Balbec so well - do you have friends in the area?'I have friends wherever there are companies of trees, wounded but not vanquished, which huddle together with touching obstinacy to implore...”

“Things that matter are not easy. Feelings of happiness are easy. Happiness is not. Flirting is easy. Love is not. Saying youre friends is easy. Being friends is not.”

“Failed relationships can be described as so much wasted make-up.”

“Sex without love is a meaningless experience, but as far as meaningless experiences go its pretty damn good.”

“Aside from the obvious, Francesca, what do you want in return for supplying information? Bones asked, getting back to the subject. You to take me, she replied at once. Not gonna happen! I spat, squ...”