Mattia thought that he and Alice were like that, twin primes, alone and lost, close but not close enough to really touch each other.

Even though he was afraid to admit it, when he was with her it seemed it was worth doing all those normal things that normal people do.

With a little effort, she could get up by herself

She hadn't chosen him over all the others. The truth was that she hadn't even thought about anyone else.

[Their love] had burned itself out, like a forgotten candle in an empty room, leaving behind a ravenous discontent.

In fact, they didn't talk much at all, but they spent time together, each in his own abyss, held safe and tight by the other's silence.

Do you really like studying?" Mattia nodded. "Why?" "It's the only thing I know how to do," he said shortly. He wanted to tell her that he liked studying because you can do it alone, because all the things you study are already dead, cold, and chewed over. He wanted to tell her that the pages of the schoolbooks were all the same temperature, that they left you time to choose, that they never hurt you and you couldn't hurt them either. But he said nothing.