Becca Neil > Quotes

“Maybe he’d found enough pieces of home, enough of what used to be, and maybe . . . maybe the rest of his broken self could be “fixed” with moments just like this.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Maybe . . . I’m not broken,” he said. “Maybe I just need help . . . turning on the light sometimes.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Softness. Rye needed him to stay soft and quiet and all those things, and he knew that. But all the pieces started to come together—all the suspicions he’d had, everything he’d known was true but had desperately hoped was wrong, all the little things that had really been big things.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Rye smiled along with everyone else, and it felt like a real, full, big smile. And just as Krista hit the button to snap the photo, Rye met Jake’s eyes in the image reflected on the phone. And his smile felt even a little brighter. He did like it here. Here in his safe little bubble.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“His breath caught in his throat, and he wasn’t even going to think about what his heart was doing. Stupid heart. “God, Jake, you’re totally blushing.” “I am not. Stop making things up.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“I am happy. I’m happier than I’ve ever been, a million times over. And I love you. Right now. Just as you are. You don’t ever need to apologize for anything, or explain anything, or try to be anything else for me. I love you just like this.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“He closed his eyes as Jake came closer. Then, the sweetest cocoon of warmth slowly surrounded him, strong arms pulling him in with an almost infinite gentleness. He sighed into the hug and lifted his arms to wrap loosely around Jake’s waist.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“All of those feelings he’d been having, all the little hints of warmth, the swoop of his stomach, the fluttery flip-flop of his heart, all of those things seemed multiplied tenfold. It was wonderful. And it was also more intense than anything he’d felt before, and that scared him.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“This spot. Right here, in Jake’s arms. This was his home.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Unease swept over Rye, and he swallowed hard and lowered his eyes back to the cup in his hand. Oh, how he wished he and Jake and both their families were really in a bubble. A safe, unexposed bubble.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Rye”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Rye seemed to tense up, but didn’t move. And Jake squeezed his eyes shut for a second, pushing away memories of another rainy morning, a mad dash across a beach, a young man’s nearly lifeless figure, cold and wet and unmoving.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Trauma could be complex; he knew that. And although he didn’t understand the extent of Rye’s trauma, he knew things as simple as a particular smell or a certain color or texture or even just a single word could all be triggering.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“I’m sure. I want to be here, wherever you are. That’s . . . that’s my home. Here with you.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Yeah. But mine are kinda weird too,” Rye admitted. “Probably everyone has weird feet.” He looked down at his feet, already sticking off the end of the blanket, and then he curled his totally-normal-length toes, burying them into the soft sand.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“you’re amazing, Rye,” he said. “You’re beautiful and kind and strong. And so smart. And you’re my best friend. I wake up every morning thinking about you. Any time we’re apart, I wish we were together. You challenge me to be a better person. You make me feel . . .” He paused, looking for the right words. “You make me feel whole in a way I haven’t in years. Like I’m who I’m supposed to be when I’m with you.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Even if a part of him felt something more than just friendship with Rye, it wasn’t something he could give in to and really let himself feel. Not . . . yet.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“I’m happy you’re here. I absolutely love it. I want . . . I want nothing more than to be with you, to work every day to make you feel happy and safe. I cherish you. I cherish this. Us. Together.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“The wild in his eyes, the pure terror—it was something Jake remembered all too well from the first few days Rye had been at his house. Only now, it had some different meaning to Jake. Something deeper and more awful.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Jake stood back a couple of feet, bundled up in his Stanford beanie and heavy gray coat. He held a gift wrapped in bright red paper with a big white bow, and his smile was as soft and kind as ever, just like his voice.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Memories hit him—memories of his pain, his fear, his uncertainty from that very first day. But then came more memories, and they were so much more hopeful. Happy, even. The very first kind voice he’d heard in fifteen years. The softness and warmth of the bed. A gentle touch. Words of understanding and compassion.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“what Jake felt when Rye’s fingers lightly brushed his was like nothing he could have imagined. Fire danced up his arm and spread through his chest. Fire and a brilliant heat that tingled and buzzed. And he immediately had a million questions that he knew he couldn’t ask yet.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“This was where he belonged. With Jake. This was . . . this was home.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“I hope you find your way back to the ocean, Jake,” Rye said, his voice slightly muffled as he pressed his cheek up against Jake’s chest.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Jake closed his eyes and pressed his cheek into Rye’s hair, thankful for the closeness they shared, thankful they had this. Everything else would come. Rye wasn’t broken. And he wasn’t too much work or too much effort. He just needed time. Time and kindness, understanding and . . . and love.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“You’re so incredibly brave.” He’d told Rye that before, and Rye’s response then had been to say, “I don’t feel brave.” But right here, right now, Jake knew just as surely as he had then that he was looking at the bravest person he’d ever met.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“He couldn’t imagine what Rye was thinking just then, and like Rye had said, maybe it was best for him not to know. But his heart was still broken in some way, beating too fast and uneven. And it hurt. Not physically, not in the same way Rye had said he hurt when he tried to speak sometimes, but a different sort of deep ache like Jake had only ever felt in the last two months since meeting Rye.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“With a long, slow breath, Rye relaxed back into his seat and closed his eyes, listening to the gentle sound of Jake’s voice and imagining it as a hug. Warm and promising of safety.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home

“Of course, the highlight of Jake’s night had been watching Phil get to meet Rye for the first time. Seeing Rye laugh was always special, even now, almost two months after Rye had shown up on Jake’s beach. But how his face had lit up and how he’d opened up and talked to Phil a bit as they’d spent the evening together at the celebration in town had been emotional and moving in ways Jake hadn’t expected.”
― Becca Neil, Pieces of Home