Don't Be Self-conscious, If I Could Dream

The Boy In The Pearl Gray Suit Could Have Been Jane's Twin. His Hair Was Darker, And His Lips Were Not As Full, But He Was Just As Lovely.

Let Me Guess,' Ian Said In A Voice Like Ice. 'you Fell On A Rock.

Billy Wanted Me To Stay A Safe Distance From The Most Important Person In My Life. It Turned Out That His Concern Was, In The End, Unnecessary. I Was All Too Safe Now.

And It Was Different Because I'd Already Lost Her So Many Times, So Many Ways, In My Head. And Different Because She Was Never Really Mine To Lose. And Different Because This Wasn't My Fault.

Our Relationship Couldn't Continue To Balance, As It Did, On The Point Of A Knife. We Would Fall Off One Edge Or The Other, Depending Entirely Upon His Decision, Or His Instincts. My Decision Was Made, Made Before I'd Ever Consciously Chosen, And I Was Committed To Seeing It Through. Because There Was Nothing More Terrifying To Me, More Excruciating, Than The Thought Of Turning Away From Him. It Was An Impossibility.