Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park Quotes

The first time he'd held her hand, it felt so good that it crowded out all the bad things. It felt better than anything had ever hurt.

Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.

It was the nicest thing she could imagine. It made her want to have his babies and give him both of her kidneys.

My girlfriend is sad and quiet and keeps me up all night worrying about her.

Don't bite his face, Eleanor told herself. It's disturbing and needy and never happens in situation comedies or movies that end with big kisses.

Everytime, he breaks your heart. And everytime, he expects me to pick up the pieces.

But it's up to us...' he said softly. 'it's up to us not to lose this.

They still didn’t talk on the bus, but it had become a less confrontational silence. Almost friendly. (But not quite.)

They were almost never alone, and now that they almost-practically were, he felt kind of frantic for her attention.

Looks like somebody's got jungle fever.''That's not even the right kind of racist.

And then she kissed him with tongue- on the bus.

There was a necklace inside. A thin silver chain with a small pendant, a silver pansy.

And he’d expected her to feel like heaven, plus nirvana, plus that scene in Willy Wonka where Charlie starts to fly.

Hey, mister, I don’t think so. You go outside and yell at sky, you so angry.

To have and hold. Not forever, maybe-not forever, for sure-and not figuratively. But literally. And now. Now, he was hers.

They fell in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose

It made her want to have his babies and give him both her kidneys.

You couldn't not notice the bruise on the side of her face. Or the hickey under her chin.

Every time, he breaks your hearts. And every time, he expects me to pick up the pieces.

Eleanor should never have told them about Park's house, but she'd been dying to tell somebody. (This was how people ended up in jail after committing the perfect crime.)

His eyes missed her as much as the rest of him.

Then she kissed him. He loved it when she kissed him first.

Then he slid the silk and his fingers into her open palm.And Eleanor disintegrated.

You look like you. Only with the volume turned up.

I am the sun... And the air...

All the men’s clothes she wore just called attention to how much of a girl she was.

He got why Eleanor tried so hard to look different. Sort of. It was because she was different - because she wasn't afraid to be.

It's going to be okay, " Park said.She nodded. "Right.""Because I love you."She laughed. "Is that why?""It is, actually.

Because all her feelings for him – hot and beautiful in her heart – turned to gobbledygook in her mouth.

Can't you just like a girl who likes you back?''None of them likes me back. I may as well like the one I really want.

She wanted to lose herself in him. To tie his arms around her like a tourniquet.If she showed him how much she needed him, he'd run away.

If you can’t save your own life, is it even worth saving?

There's no reason to think we're going to stop loving each other, ' he said. 'And there's every reason to think that we won't.

I'm ending this.''No. Come on. It's not worth it.''You are, ' he said fiercely, looking at her.'You're worth it.

He'd stopped trying to bring her back. She only came back when she felt like it anyway, in dreams and lies and broken-down déjà vu.

The world turned itself into a better place around him.

Park stood up when she got to their row, and as soon as she sat down, he took her hand and kissed it. It happened so fast, she didn't have time to die of ecstasy or embarrassment.

... Whenever Eleanor felt nervous or scared, she told herself to be happy instead. (It didn’t really make her feel better, but it kept her from feeling worse …)

Eleanor hated it when her mom acted like that. Relentlessly submissive. It was humiliatng to be in the same room.

He was probably being so quiet because he was trying not to say it out loud.

Eleanor let his words hit her full on.

And in those moments, Park thought about pulling back from her."Not breaking up with her. That phrase didn't even seem to apply here. Just . . . erasing away. Recovering the six inches between them

I'm sorry about yesterday, " she said.He hung on to his straps and shrugged. "Yesterday happens.

Eleanor had never thought about killing herself – ever – but she thought a lot about stopping.

I'm interested. It's like you've got all these weird barriers set up, like you only want me to have access to this tiny part of you…

If he were to look up at her now, he’d know exactly how stupid she was. She couldfeel her face go soft and gummy. If Park were to look up at her now, he’d know everything.

Because being assaulted with maxi pads is a great way to win friends and influence people.

How could it be possible that there were that many nerve endings all in one place?

I can’t help but think, ’ Park would say during taekwando. ‘I can’t turn off my brain.

He's mad at me.""For what?""For not being like him."Eleanor looked dubious. "Has he been mad at you for the last sixteen years?""Basically.