Quote by Kim Liggett

“As he takes off his shroud, I realize how good I've gotten at pretending. Pretending not to notice the knives covering nearly every surface-knives that were specifically designed to peel my flesh. Pretending that eating preserves out of the same kind of jar they use to store our body parts in to sell back to the county is perfectly normal.Pretending this isn't crazy.. that we could actually get away with it...live happily ever after. But there is one thing in all of this that is not pretend. I'm in love with him. I may not be able to spend my life with him, grow old with him, but I can choose to give him my heart. My body. My soul. That's the one thing they will never be able to control in me. Untying the bow from my ribbon I wait for him. He swallows hard before stepping towards. Taking in slow, measured breaths, he twirls the strand around his finger. Our eyes meet. The energy radiating between us is so intense it feels like we might burn down the world. As he pulls the strand, releasing my braid, I know I should avert my gaze, turn my eyes to God, the way we’re taught, but in this moment, all I want is for him to see me. To be seen. As he lifts my slip over my head, it’s like lifting my veil. As I unbutton his trousers, I’m accepting his flower. When he presses his skin against mine, the bloom he chose for me opens up, filling the space with a heady perfume of longing and pain. Entirely ephemeral. Absolutely forbidden. And completely out of our control. Dropping the ribbon to the floor, the last confine the county holds over me, I lead him to the bed. He’s a poacher. I’m prey. Nothing will ever change that. But in this small treetop cabin, away from our home, and the men who named us, we are still human beings, longing for connection, to feel something more than despair in this bleak year. With nothing but the moon and the stars as our witness, he lies beside me. Pressing our palms together, entwining our fingers, we breathe in time. This is exactly where we need to be. There’s no second-guessing, no thinking. And when his lips meet mine, the world disappears. Like magic.”

Quote by Kim Liggett