Something Like Autumn

You want something that belongs only to us, that no one else can touch. A relationship, a marriage is nothing without a promise. Only the promise matters, because once it's broken, nothing is left. I promise you, Jace, that I love you. I love you now, and I will love you forever and ever. Nothing can change that.

You know how they say you can never go home again? Yeah. They're full of it. The truth is, you can never leave home. Not completely.

You know that old saying about home being where the heart is? I don’t think that refers to your own. It’s the hearts of other people, the ones you love, that makes a home.

Victor stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest as he frowned. “There should be some deal when you get married that if one person dies, the other does too.” “At the same time? That would be nice.” Jace thought about it for a moment. “How would it happen? If one person dies in a house fire, and the other is at work, would they burst into flames at the office?

Some people think ignoring their inner child makes them seem grown-up. When I see someone ignoring a crying child, I think they're an asshole.

Because we're not gay or straight, good or bad, single or married. We're human, and that means we're all sorts of things, and I know you don't want to hear one of my stupid ideas right now, but think about how often we're told to choose. Our whole lives we're asked to. Which team, which army, which political party? Even when that choice is hard, goes against what the majority considers acceptable, we still fail ourselves by letting it define us." (Victor)

Because I might not be the smartest, the biggest, or the strongest, but I’m clever.

It's not any easier. We can't choose who we fall in love with. Besides, there's nothing abnormal about two guys being together. Nature made you the way you are and me the way I am. We're already living normal lives.

Stupid people hate you for no reason. And stupid people here don't want us to have fun. There's no point in getting angry at people you can't change. All it does is make you feel like crap. That's exactly what they want. We can't let them win.

Not by blood, or even by marriage, but family is more than that. You find people you love and keep them close to you. That’s what a family is.

Do you see what I mean now? We can be anything we want to each other. I'm not scared to admit who I'm interested in, or ashamed to have feelings for anyone, but I'm desperate to define them either." (Victor)

I love my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, but I'd take a bullet for my parents or my sister without a second thought." "Dude," Greg whispered,"you wouldn't take one for your granny?" "No one's going to shoot my grandma," Jace said dismissively.

Does love cease to exist the second you kiss another person? Is love that fickle?

Love is worth the pain, but I ate losing people. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'd rather be miserable with you than be miserable without you.

You don't get used to death, by any means, but it becomes more familiar and less shocking. Suicide is something completely different. Losing someone to age is natural. Illness you can get angry at. You can rage at the conditions that cause an accident, and in war you can hate the enemy for taking a life. But when it comes to suicide, only the person who committed it is responsible. Who in their right mind would put the blame on them? Maybe that's why those left behind end up blaming themselves instead.

suspect most of us don’t realize how much we mean to others, how we make an impact on the lives of countless people,

I am nothing, and I am everything.

Absolutely. It doesn't matter if someone loves a guy or a girl. What matters is who they are inside.

My best friend is straight and we sleep together." Jace blurted out. "Sounds like you should be on a talk show." Jace's face started to burn. "Not like that. I mean we share the bed.

Jace stood, and without looking down, tore open the plastic bag. He walked to the edge of the clearing, numbly at first, as his fingers dug into what was once Victor's body and scattered him across the snow and ground. Then he began crying, movingfaster, spinning around as he tossed away a fistful of ashes. He anointed the shelter with them, sprinkled them into the fire, tossed them into the air and watched them fly. By the time he was finished they were everywhere, the ground, the trees, his hair, his lips. This place was Victor now.

There's nothing logical about love," Michelle said. "If there was, Valentine's Day cards would be covered in brains instead of hearts.

The world is one crazy-ass place. Anything is possible and that's fucking wonderful.

Guys are dogs; they'll say or do anything to get -- and keep getting -- what they want.

Reading about something and living through it are two different things.