He looked at her. She was pretty still, with thick hair and soft eyes, and she moved so gracefully that it almost seemed as though she were gliding. He'd seen beautiful women before, though, women who caught his eye, but to his mind, they usually lacked the traits he found most desirable. Traits like intelligence, confidence, strength of spirit, passion, traits that inspired others to greatness, traits he aspired to himself.

If Alex has chosen you, then I want you to believe that I have chosen you as well.

Now it was coming to an end, and it was like he was watching the last flicker of light wink out in the darkness of an endless tunnel.

You know me better than anyone, and you're my best friend. I don't think there's anything you could say to me that would lead me to believe that you're doing it just to hurt me. If there's one thing I've come to know about you, it's that you're not even capable of something like that. Why do you think I like spending time with you so much? Because you're a good guy. A nice guy.

Like her father, he wasn't comfortable sharing his thoughts and feelings. She tried to explain that she needed to be closer to him, but it had never seemed to make a difference.

I don't know that love changes. People change. Circumstances change.

In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance - when you least expect it - sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined.