“And the stretch-across-your-entire-face smile?From the people around me. Despite thelonely, despite the sadness, despite the angertheir smiles make the hearts Aphrodite leftbehind beat faster / louder.They make my heart beat in my chest again.”

“Your own hands falling out to catch youbefore you hit the ground. All the waysyou save yourself even when youdon't want to.Love is the way your body fights tokeep you alive.Day after day after day.”

“And the stretch-across-your-entire-face smile?From the people around me. Despite thelonely, despite the sadness, despite the angertheir smiles make the hearts Aphrodite leftbehind beat faster / louder.They make my heart beat in my chest again.”

“I'm sorry that when you say 'love', I always hear'heartbreak'.”

“Where did you get your sadness from? I picked it up on the side of the road. Itwas bleeding and scratched and keeninglike a mangled thing, but it looked toobeautiful for me to just walk away.”

“Like you're taking the universe by thethroat and saying, look, I know Ican never be as big as you, but yousure as hell can't stop me from trying.Like taking the sadness and wringingit out and saying, look, I knowyou won't leave me alone, but yousure as hell can't stop me living.”

“She asks me how my heart is,and I say, 'beating.'That's never the answer you want, and I am sorry about that.”