For this brief moment, he was the anchor and I was the boat caught in my sea of doubt and despair until we were back in his house where everything seemed to be so ordinary.

We can’t conquer the things that are bigger than ourselves; we can’t even escape them. It is the wind that decides our destination, far more than ourselves. All that we are able to do is pack our bags, hop on board, raise the anchor and set the sails. We can only trust the wind and go on and on.

I felt his gaze upon my back as his hands moved down ever further, vanishing between my legs and claiming land that wasn't his to take.

She had had many men before her father’s death and after they’d found each other. As if the pain would go away when enough souls showed her love—made love to her or made her forget her name for a night.