Mayumi Cruz

“It was just a simple meeting of the eyes. There was nothing to it. She had done so with countless people. And she had stared at his eyes before, back at the cinema. But there was something d...”

“There’s lust…and then there’s chemistry. There’s a big difference between the two.” “Lust is a physical connection. Nothing more, nothing less. Chemistry, on the other hand, is beyond physic...”

“Her lips, which taste still lingered on his mouth. By his normal standards, it was again a fleeting, chaste kiss. But it had struck him with the power of a thousand lightnings. He’d tasted m...”

“It wasn't your fault that she died. It wasn’t Ava’s fault, too, or anyone, for that matter. It's just how things were meant to be. There doesn't need to be a rational explanation for everyth...”

“Never settle…unless it’s forever.”

“Green,” he muttered. “What do you mean?”

“A feeling so alien persisted inside him. He searched for a word to describe it. The nearest word he could come up with was elation. He was full of immeasurable joy because she was simply the...”

“You said you deserve the truth. For the first time in a long time, I’m being honest. I’m honest with you. Why can't you be honest with me? Why can't you be honest with yourself? Why can’t yo...”

“Can't you for once, just this once, stop over thinking, and just…feel?”

“You still lost, Marj. You still got hurt. And losing and hurting are what I don’t want.” Her sister held her stare. “Do you honestly think you’re not losing and hurting now, as you speak?” S...”

“Stop running and start feeling.”

“Once, I told you, ‘never settle unless it’s forever.’ I was wrong, Alex. Not about never settling. No, never about that. We must never settle for less than what we’re worth.” Tears generousl...”

“Life is meant to be cherished, and lived, and risked. You’re scared of the past and all its mistakes. You’re afraid of the future and all its unpredictabilities. I understand that. But you h...”

“I’m not saying that trusting and hoping will be enough. You have to work together, Alex. Together, you and him. Work on the present, the here and now, despite the odds. Say the words that ne...”

“the kiss he was giving her today was oh, so achingly slow and heart-stirringly tender. It tugged at the deepest corners of her heart, pulled at every heartstring, stirred each nerve ending....”