“Damn it, I should be the only one allowed to drool over him. I found him first! Or something not as stupid.”

“I thought I lost something this summer, but I just realized, I never needed it.”

“I remember who I am when I'm with you.”

“We stand there, knee deep in the water, holding hands. The silence is thunderous with words we don't speak. I feel his presence beside me like it's an extension of my own body, tall and strong and so, so beautiful. But I can't look at him. Right now, it hurts too damn much.”

“The thing is… I was a very proud girl. I never wanted to take the chance I might get hurt. Isn’t that funny? I was game for any exciting adventure that came my way, but when it came to risking my heart, I was a coward.”

“Damn it, I should be the only one allowed to drool over him. I found him first! Or something not as stupid.”

“I keep thinking it's going to come back when I least expect it. When I'm at my happiest. So I'm always afraid to be happy."Zane looks out at the horizon. "You know, there are so many things that can go wrong in this world, you could spend your whole life worrying about them and forget to appreciate every moment you have with someone. Then, you're like, 'God, why wasn't I thankful for what I had when I had it?'" He glances over at me. "You know what the secret to a happy life is?" I shake my head, silent tears falling down my cheeks.He squeezes my hand. "No regrets. Just live in the moment.”

“Fiction should be a place of lollipops and escape. Real life is depressing enough--I, for one, don't want to read about make believe misery, too.”