#literaryexcerpt

She tells her love while half asleep,

“Of course, she feels deeply that every abandonment is a vortex and an annihilation, maybe also an indication of the desert that has expanded around us. But she reacts, she recovers, she lives.”

Why don't you go find yourself a book and sit here with me instead?

“When we left the restaurant, the sky was a brilliant splash of colors. The kind of air that felt like if you breathed it in, your lungs would be dyed the same color shade of blue. Tiny stars began to twinkle.”

“Do you understand? When I am done telling you these stories, when you're done listening to these stories, I am no longer I, and you are no longer you. In this afternoon we briefly merged into one. After this, you will always carry a bit of me, and I will always carry a bit of you, even if we both forget this conversation.”

'Should' is a futile word. It's about what didn't happen. It belongs in a parallel universe. It belongs in another dimension of space.

Behind the studied blankness of her gaze, revolt must have been simmering. I recognized that surliness, that stubbornness, that captive-princess indignation, which must be kept hidden until enough weapons have been collected.

All life is an experiment. Who can plan so far ahead? I just promise myself to do the most interesting thing every time there's an opportunity. If I can stick to that promise most of the time, I'm sure in ten years I won't have any regrets.