People could push and pull at you, and poke you, and probe as deep as they could go. They could even tear you apart, bit by bit. But at the heart and root and soul of you, something would remain untouched.

That is what Alex is now: a shadow-boy

Because?' I prompt 'Because I'm sorry, but I can't help it, and I really need to kiss you right now.

...into hate, into refusal, against hope and without fear

Who knows? Maybe they’re right. Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings. Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it. But we have chosen a different road. And in the end that is the point of escaping the cure: We are free to choose. We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

The question was: Will you meet me tomorrow? And the word was: Yes.

You have to go forward: It's the only way. You have to go forward no matter what happens. This is the universal law.