So I just decided to relax into it, bumpy and crazy as it might be, and try for once to just go along for the ride.

but accepting help doesn‟t have to mean giving up control.

So I left him there alone to watch history repeat the same events retold again and again on his own.

I'm really interested in the idea of anomynity and familiarity. And sunglasses, you know, are so indicatitve of that. I mean, they're worn by some people to hide themselves. But they're also a fashion statement, meant to be noticed. So there's a dichotomy there.

But it was okay not to fit in everywhere, as long as you did somewhere.

Let me guess,” Eli said, his voice that low, even timbre, as always. “Drinking from kegs also falls under outdoor activity.” I just looked at him, standing there in jeans and the same blue hoodie he’d had on the first time I met him. Maybe it was the embarrassment, which had been bad enough before I had an audience, but I was instantly annoyed. I said, “Are we outside?” He glanced round, as if needing to confirm this. “Nope.” “Then no.” I turned my attention back to the keg.

You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it.