“Is there any point asking what you’re going to make me do on Sunday?”Not really.’Okay. ‘Is there any point asking what you’re going to do to me?’He grinned wickedly. ‘Not really.’Fabulous. ‘Does it involve the use of a safe word?”That will depend entirely on you.’ Noah moved impossibly closer, just inches away. A few freckles disappeared into the scruff on his jaw. ‘I’ll be gentle,’ Noah added. My breath caught in my throat as he looked at me from beneath those lashes, ruining me.I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘You’re evil.’In response, Noah smiled, and raised his finger to gently tap the tip of my nose. ‘And you’re mine,’ he said, then walked away.”

“I hate you,” I muttered.Noah smiled wider. “I know.”

“You smell good,” he whispered into my neck. He was warm against me. Instinctively, I arched back into him and smiled. “Really?” “Mmm-hmm. Delicious. Like bacon.”

“You could start a fire with the heat between you two.””You’re mistaking bitter animosity for heartfelt affection.”

“Wait,” I said as Noah slipped a book from a shelf and headed toward the door. “Where are you going?””To read?”But I don’t want you to. “But I need to go home,” I said, my eyes meeting his. “My parents are going to kill me.””Taken care of. You’re at Sophie’s house.”I loved Sophie.”So I’m…staying here?””Daniel’s covering for you.”I loved Daniel.”Where’s Katie?” I asked, trying to sound casual.”Eliza’s house.”I loved Eliza.”And your parents?” I asked.”Some charity thing.”I loved charity.”So why are you going to read when I’m right here?”

“He is the cheese to my macaroni.”

“You know I love you, right?” The urge to kiss her goodbye was so strong that I almost broke our rules.She smiled, beautiful and golden in the late morning light. “Not as much as I love you.”“Oh, man. This is my dream come true: having an ‘I love you more’ debate. Here, I’ll start. I love you more. Your turn.”Sydney laughed and opened the door. “I’ve taken debate classes. You’d lose to my logic.”

“You want to take me to a movie?” I asked. “Well, not really,” he said. “What I really want is for you to be my girlfriend. But I thought saying that might scare you off.”

“But you’re so busy changing the worldJust one smile can change all of mine”

“Take my hand and we’ll make it – I swear”

“contiguous, adj.I felt silly for even mentioning it, but once I did, I knew I had to explain. “When I was a kid, “I had this puzzle with all fifty states on it–you know, the kind where you have to fit them all together. And one day I got it in my head that California and Nevada were in love. I told my mom, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I ran and got those two pieces and showed it to her–California and Nevada, completely in love. So a lot of the time when we’re like this”–my ankles against the backs of your ankles, my knees fitting into the backs of your knees, my thighs on the backs of your legs, my stomach against your back, my chin folding into your neck–“I can’t help but think about California and Nevada, and how we’re a lot like them. If someone were drawing us from above as a map. that’s what we’d look like; that’s how we are.” For a moment, you were quiet. And then you nestled in and whispered. “Contiguous.” And I knew you understood.”

“Thought I couldn’t live without youIt’s gonna hurt when it heals tooEven though I really love youI’m gonna smile cause I deserve toQuickly I’m learning to love againAll I know is I’mma be ok”

“misgivings, n.Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. “There are things I miss,” you said. “But if I didn’t have you, I’d miss more.”

“What greater thing is there for two human souls, than to feel that they are joined for life–to strengthen each other in all labor, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories at the moment of the last parting?”

“You asked why I couldn’t forgive you,” Nick said, very quietly, and I jumped a little. “It was because you were the love of my life, Harper. And you didn’t want to be. That’s hard to let go.”