Lisa Roecker

“You remember the Latin?"
"Of course. Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit." I couldn't see his face. Cease of the hood, but it could tell by the tone of his voice that he was completely serious. Or at least trying to be. I wrinkled my forehead as I attempted to translate.
"Wait a second," Seth said, pulling back his hood to demonstrate his utter confusion. "I thought their greeting was Non ducor, duco. 'I am not led, I lead.'"
Liam's shoulders began shaking just as I finished my rough translation. "A wise man does not urinate against the wind?" I pulled down my hood and looked at Liam. He winked at me, and it was pretty much the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. Normally, I'm very anti-wink when it comes to guys, but in this case it was a wink of absolution. It was a wink that meant Liam and I were actually going to be okay.
"You've been planning that all night, haven't you?" I reached over and squeezed his arm. It was the first time I had touched him in at least twenty-four hours, and his strong forearm felt so good beneath my fingertips. When he grabbed my hand and quickly brought my palm to his lips, I felt all the air leave my body. As much as I hated to admit it, for fear of sounding like a ridiculous, boy-crazed damsel in distress, it felt good to have my boyfriend back.
Taylor whipped back her hood, her blue eyes icy. "I'm so glad this is such a joke to you," she spat, clearly not in the mood for games.
Liam dropped my hand and sat up a little straiter. "Sorry T., I've got it non ducor, duco. Don't worry.”
― Lisa Roecker, The Lies That Bind

“You can't keep doing this," Liam added under his breath, "You've just gotta let it go."
Tears sprang to my eyes, and I wiped them away with backs of my hands.
"I know this isn't easy for you, but Grace wouldn't want you putting yourself at risk for them." He cupped my face in his hands and used his thumbs to wipe away fresh tears before they even had a chance to fall. "You're never going to win this. If you had a chance, they wouldn't bother playing."
"I know." And I did. There was no doubt in my mind that Liam was right. But that didn't make it any easier to give up.”
― Lisa Roecker, The Lies That Bind