...

"I go back to my chair. Zoey's pretending to be asleep, but she opens one eye as I sit down. 'I wonder if you'd fancy him if you weren't sick.'
'I would.'
'He's not as good looking as Jake.'
'He's a lot nicer.'
'I bet he gets on your nerves sometimes. I bet he talks utter crap, or wants to shag you when you don't feel like it.'
'He doesn't.'
She scowls at me. 'He's a bloke, isn't he?'
How can I explain it to her? The comfort of his arm around my shoulder at night? The way his breathing changes with the hours, so that I know when it's dawn? Every morning when he wakes up, he kisses me. His hand on my breast keeps my heart beating."

Before I Die
Jenny Downham