Isabel

“Some part of her always yearned for something that enveloped her not in a sense of passion but a calm care. She wanted someone she could rely on to not always expect her to perform. Someone who saw how quiet she was and respected it. Not that her ex-boyfriend didn't. It was the expectation the relationship put on her that broke her a little.”
― Mina Waheed, Soft on Soft

“My eyes are open for always, my mouth is empty for always, and always will my soul reach for yours. In the land of the dead, there are only blackbirds, and I send this one to you, in the hopes that you remember me still. Light me a stick of incense, and so long as it burns, let me sit in the chamber outside your bedroom again. Until it goes out...Let me stay and be for you.”
― Nghi Vo, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain

“You understand you've made a serious commitment, yes?" She wound her arms around his neck. "I might not let you go."

"A terrible fate, indeed, to be your prisoner."

When he kissed her again, she couldn't help smiling against hit mouth.”
― Allison Saft, Down Comes the Night

“Do you think—” She paused, scraping the celery into a bowl. “Do you think Daddy loved you?” “I think everybody who ever hurt me loved me,” her mother said. “Do you think he loved me?” Her mother touched her cheek. “Yes,” she said. “But I couldn’t wait around to see.”
― Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half