Risaa

“Don’t cry over me, Liv, I’m not worth it.” “You like to pretend you’re so tough.” She smiled, a delicate, shaky curl of her lips. “How about you don’t cry over me, okay?” He lifted their hands, still gripped together, and kissed her knuckles. “You’re totally worth my tears, baby.”
― Zoe York, Love in a Small Town

“Forgiveness means letting go of the hope for a better past. You won't be able to forgive yourself for not doing things differently until you stop wishing things were different”
― Zoe York, Love on a Spring Morning

“the first time the caregiver saw it on the child. they said ‘no. don’t you dare. you will not grow up thinking you are unwanted. because your parents. chose themselves. over you. this will not be your story because it is not the truth. the truth. is your creation is not about them. you came through them, my love, they were your vessel. the truth. is you were born for you. you were wanted by you. you came for you. you are here for you. your existence is yours. yes. you will want them. (and on odd and warm nights they will think of you and hold themselves tighter.) but. what you do not get. from them. does not make you less. does not make you unwanted. (trust that all you did not receive. all you need. will come to you. in time. the universe is infinite.’) — a love poem”
― Nayyirah Waheed, nejma

“them, together, in an orgasm-fest for the ages. What happened Friday morning could not be repeated. Not when she’d made up her mind”
― Zoe York, Love in a Small Town