Before she'd gone five paces, she heard Benedict speak softly behind her. "You matter, Heloise," he said.  She didn't stop. She didn't turn. "Whether or not you believe it. Whether or not you rescue your sister tonight," he said, his voice reaching out to her as the distance grew between them. "You matter. You matter...to me." Another step. Then another. The Great Hall was so terribly long! But she kept walking, and she would climb those dais steps. "You reminded me what it means to live. I thought I was dead and done, but you taught me otherwise. " I... I'll never..."She could hear what he was going to say. I'll never forget you. It caught in his throat, but she heard it as clearly as though he'd spoken the words.
Anne Elisabeth Stengl, A Branch of Silver, a Branch of Gold
friendship, love-quotes