I'm sorry I left without telling you," she says. "I wasn't ready. I wanted it so much, and I wasn't ready for that.

I'm glad we didn't know better.

You've never told him", Violet says. It's not a question. It's obvious."I tell him all the time - I just make sure it's never when he's listening. I say it when he's in the other room, or when he's asleep, or when the music's really loud. Sometimes he asks me what I just said. And I tell him never mind. Or I make up something else, something that isn't 'I love you'.

my life is just waiting for you to get started.

It may be difficult to believe," he said. "I know it may have come across as... romantic, because of how I act when I get her letters. Because of that dress she sent me. But sometimes two people have a deep connection. It makes romance seem trivial. It isn't about anything carnal. It's about souls. About the deepest part of who you are as a person.

Don't you want to kiss me?' she asks.She smiles just a little, a hopeful, sweet smile, but buried in it is that confidence that slays me.

We take a last look out of the window at the night, and I send a silent wish to everyone out there for this kind of warmth.

I wonder what would happen if I stopped walking, if I let the crowd fill up the space between us. Would he notice? Would he wade back to find me? Or would he keep going, because forward is his destination and I am not?

I breathe deep. I look into her eyes. I wish I could take her face in my hands and kiss her, but I know she needs more than that right now. Even though I want to give her everything, I’ve learned enough in the last few days to only promise what I know I can deliver.