Alaina Eckensweiler

“If they don't like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.”
― Taylor Swift

“In the sounds of the night Aria heard footsteps, far off and faint, but she recognized them instantly.
She shot into the darkness, letting her ears guide her. She followed the crunch of his feet on stones and small twigs, coming faster, louder, as his walk became a jog, then a run. She chased the sounds until all she heard was his heartbeat and then his breath and his voice, right by her ear, telling her, in tones as warm as fire, exactly the words she wanted to hear.”
― Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky

“When evening fell the boy would bring the girl a glass of tea, a slice of lemon cake, an apple blossom floating in a blue cup. He would kiss her neck and whisper new names in her ear: beauty, beloved, cherished, my heart.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“People can be cruelest to those they love.”
― Veronica Rossi, Under the Never Sky