Gaze Quote by Leigh Bardugo
““I had crossed the yard to him slowly, watching him draw closer, baffled by the way my heart was skittering around my chest. Then he'd picked me up and spun me in a circle, and I'd clung to him, breathing in his sweet, familiar smell, shocked by how much I'd missed him. Dimly, I'd been aware that I still had a shard of the blue cup in my hand, that it was digging into my palm, but I didn't want to let go. When he finally set me down and ambled off to the kitchen to find his lunch, I stood there, my palm dripping blood, my head still spinning, knowing that everything had changed. Ana Kuya had scoled me for getting blood on the clean kitchen floor. She'd bandaged my hand and told me it would heal. But I knew it would just go on hurting. In the creaking silence of the cell, Mal kissed the scar on my palm, the wound made so long ago by the edge of that broken cup, a fragile thing I'd thought beyond repair.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Ninth House, Leigh Bardugo, 2019
Intense intimacy can trigger both healing and pain, revealing lingering wounds beneath affection.
In simple terms: Intimacy can heal yet reopen old hurts.
Key Takeaway
Balance closeness with self‑care and boundaries.
Themes
love
trauma
healing
Mood
emotional
intense
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- reuniting with a lover
- recovering from loss
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
attachment
memory
psychological wounds
Questions to Reflect On
- What past wounds surface when you become close to someone?
- How can you protect yourself while staying open?
A Different Perspective
Intimacy may expose unresolved trauma, requiring careful emotional navigation.
