And when we are with Alex, I might as well not be there. They speak in a language of whispers and giggles and secrets; their words are like a fairy-tale tangle of thorns, which place a wall between us.

“That is what hatred is. It will feed you and at the same time turn you to rot.I…”

“And I love you too.” His fingers skate the edge of my jaw, dance brieflyover my…”

“Take down the walls.That is, after all, the whole point. You do not know what w…”

“I put my forehead on his collarbone, place one hand on his chest. Its rhythm re…”