A Thousand Heartbeats

by Kiera Cass

“Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time. It sounds like the rush of a waterfall or the still of the world at daybreak. You can hear it at night, lulling you to sleep, and, in the middle of your darkest days, it breaks through like a laugh. “The thing is, some of us have been taught to listen for it, so when it comes, it’s all too easy to hear over the noise. For others, there are too many other sounds drowning it out. For them, it takes longer. But when it finally breaks through, it’s a symphony.”

This is actually one of the best lines ive ever read

That brought a smile to her face, and I was thrilled. I found a new game to play, a competition with myself. How many times could I make Annika smile in a minute? In an hour? Could I make a record? Could I top it? I’d happily play that game for the rest of my life.

IM DYING

She laughed, and I wished I could wake up and fall asleep to that sound.

While I kept hearing heartbeat upon heartbeat, I wondered if he could hear every fiber of my body screaming that I loved him.

If his laughter brought on a thousand heartbeats at once, this kiss was a thousand goodbyes.

I got a taste of what it felt like when you were brave enough to lower the drawbridge between your heart and another’s. The fear came accompanied by an unmatched peace. It allowed you to find more space in your lungs for air, sight for new colors. A life without it was hardly worth living.

“She might also love me. But here’s what she doesn’t know,” I confessed with a smile. “Even if she did, she couldn’t love me half so much as I love her. I’m willing to rip the world in two for her.”

Looking at Annika made me think I’d wasted all my talent on a sword. I should have picked up a paintbrush instead. I should have known how to take this face and put it on canvas for the world. They had no idea what they were missing.