April Wan > April's Quotes

“They say with the right person, even hell feels like home. And that’s how I know Roman is the right person…and that I’m in love with him.”
― Anastasija White, Breakaway

“Why is it me? Why do you always single me out?"

"Because," he says quietly. "You're the only person worth paying attention to.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“For ten years I thought I was preparing to destroy you, when really I was preparing to love you.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“You were right, Sadie Wen. I am completely, helplessly obsessed with you.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

“I want you to hold me like a grudge, keep me like a promise, haunt me like a ghost.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“You have to understand...If you knew the effect you had on me, how often I think about you, the things I would do for you...I wouldn't stand a chance against you ever again. You would have taken everything from me," he goes on in a rush, like the words are burning him from within, like he has to get it out before the pain becomes overwhelming. "Not just a debating championship or some points for a test or a fancy award or a spot in a competition—but my whole heart. My pride. God, my sanity. It would all be over. You would annihilate me.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“He pauses, leans closer to inspect the displays. Reaches out, as if to grab something, then retracts his hand. And starts walking all over again."

After ten minutes of this, I lose my patience. "Are you here to select bread, or a future wife? What's taking so long?"

HIs smile is sharp, taunting. "The latter.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“I think you're obsessed with me, Sadie Wen.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“Of course, if you...if you don't want to," he says into the silence, sliding his gaze away from me, "I can accept that. I won't bring it up again. I know I'm not....I know what I'm like. That I'm infuriating. And selfish. And cruel. I know I'm not perfect the way my brother is, and I manage to disappoint my parents every time. It's okay if you don't choose me, really—I never expected to be the first choice. I wouldn't blame you‚—"

"I do choose you."

He doesn't seem to hear me at first. He's still talking, rambling really, the words flowing out like rainwater. "I can't always say pretty things, and sometimes I tease you when really I just want you to look my way, and—wait." He stops. Even his breath freezes in his throat. "What...did you just say? Say it again."

"I choose you," I say quietly, glad for the shadows concealing my flushed cheeks. For the support of the wall behind me.
"You will always be my first choice, Julius Gong.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“Because beneath my apprehension is the stronger, deeply ingrained need to be liked. To be accepted. To be forgiven. To be recognized as good. I'll do anything to redeem myself.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“This whole time, it's been you, and I didn't even realize. In retrospect, it makes sense, doesn't it? In order to beat the enemy, you have to understand them intimately. You have to observe them, learn their weaknesses, memorize their every word, track their progress, predict their next move. For ten years, I thought I was preparing to destroy you, when really I was preparing to love you.

All of which is to say I hope this finds you.
And I hope you find me too.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“I finish underlining the date with my ruler so it's perfectly straight. This is like my version of drugs.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“I really can't stand it when people are angry at me. Like, I know it might be simple for others, but I can't focus on anything else. I can't just forget about it and go on with my own life. It's like there's something hard wedged inside my own chest. I'll always feel guilty. I'll always want to make amends.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“I have all your emails memorized word for word,”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

“Please, Sadie. I’m begging.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn’t Find You

“Fix this. It's what I've always done, or tried to do. Fix the gap in my family, the holes in my life, patch everything up, smooth everything over.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“Julius isn't just a boy. He's my enemy. My equal. My point of comparison. He's the one I'm constantly trying to outrun, to outsmart, to impress.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“What I'm realizing is that if you're quiet about the things that hurt you, people are only going to mistake your tolerance for permission.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“You had to kiss me then kick me then fill my head with your voice.”
― Ann Liang, I Hope This Doesn't Find You

“And this, I think, is my ultimate fatal flaw. Missing people who don’t miss me back. Clinging on to strands of string that shouldn’t mean half as much as they do. It takes so little for me to love someone, yet so long for me to move on.”
― Ann Liang, This Time It's Real

“When you care about someone, you want to be inconvenienced—you wouldn’t mind being
inconvenienced by them every day for the rest of your life. That’s what love is. That’s all love really is.”
― Ann Liang, This Time It's Real

“I didn't want to chase you," he says, and I wince. Did he finally realize I'm not worth chasing? "I wanted to run with you.”
― Axie Oh, ASAP

“Do you mean it?" he asks softly. His fingers around my wrist tighten infinitesimally.
"I mean it," I say. "With my heart, with my body, with my soul.”
― Axie Oh, ASAP

“Wait, I say. When he starts to slide his phone into his back pocket. I take out mine and pull out his contact, clicking the call button. I couldn't find your phone, so I called it. On his screen, my incoming call lights up with the name 'Songbird'. It was his nickname for me while we were dating.
'Did you change it back? Or did you...'
'I never changed it'.”
― Axie Oh, ASAP

“I love him. I can admit that to myself now. I’ve always loved him. I love his voice and I love the way he looks at me. I love his laugh and I love the way he makes me laugh. I love the way I feel when I’m around him, like the days are warmer, the nights more beautiful. I love him so much that it makes me want to throw everything else away, if only to be with him, for one more day, for one more minute, for one more breath.”
― Axie Oh, ASAP

“You should be wary about setting rules with me,” he says, his voice like silk. “You know I live to break them.”
― Axie Oh, ASAP

“We are two parts of a song. He is the music. I am the words.”
― Dustin Thao, You've Reached Sam

“Letting go isn’t about forgetting. It’s balancing moving forward with life, and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it.”
― Dustin Thao, You've Reached Sam

“I missed you. I missed you infinity.”
― Dustin Thao, You've Reached Sam

“We have too many voices inside our heads. You have to pick out the ones that mean something to you. What story do you want to tell?”
― Dustin Thao, You've Reached Sam