“If she was broken, she would slash him with her jagged edges, reckless as a drunkard with a shattered bottle.”

“She wasn't in love but she would love him, if that would save her.”

“She wondered if she could put a dart in his eye. It would not kill him, but it might take the edge off his cockiness.”

“She did not know what it was about him that had always made her want to see him broken.”

“She wanted to bottle how safe she felt in this moment, so she could drink of it later when loneliness and fear left her parched.”

“She waits until her brokenness can break her.”

“She decided that her wisest course would be to put him out of her mind. After reaching this conclusion she lay thinking about him until at last she fell asleep.”

“For the first few seconds, she was afraid he would throw her out because of the crude noises she was making, but then he put his arms around her. She was grateful to him for ignoring her rumbles, and she kissed him passionately, her eyes misting.”

“She looked away. Her attitude seemed to suggest that she had finished with him, and would be obliged if somebody would come and sweep him up.”

“She would tell him what she wanted in her life--her hopes and dreams for the future--and he would listen intently and then promise to make it all come true. And the way he said it made her believe him, and she knew how much he meant to her.”