Whitney Barbetti

“I don't want to merely exist, Parker. I want to live. I want to leave the world with that one sweet moment.”

“I was naked under his gaze. Skin was just that: skin. But to see your soul stripped, laid bare for the eyes of someone you barely knew-that was terrifying.”

“I don't love anything." - Parker "I know." - Everett”

“I am. I’m rude because I don’t conform to society’s standards that white lies are inconsequential. I don’t believe in hiding behind words that aren’t truthful. I’m an impatient man. I don’t beat around the bush. If you ask me something, I won’t lie to you.”

“Words could bite. When I spoke to strangers, I wanted my words to have fangs.”

“Love, the emotion that should elicit healing, was in fact the most painful emotion of them all. It crept in when you didn’t want it. Made itself at home, terrorizing your hormones with confusion. It made you more susceptible to pain, it weakened your resolve while simultaneously making you frantic with need. And it hurt. Not just mentally, but physically.”

“I so desperately wanted to be his gravity, to hold him on this earth and keep him from leaving me.”

“Take this wine glass for example. If I had poured milk into it and told you it was wine, would you be upset when you took the first sip, expecting the bite of fermented grapes and getting milk instead?”“I like milk.”Everett fought a smile. “I do too. But I also like to know what’s coming. It all boils down to control.”