---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When she opened her eyes, she was both in…"
description: "\"“When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and watching it, nowhere near the cavity of the tree. The Blue that was before her stood inches fro..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg"
---

#  When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and…

![“When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and watching it, nowhere near the cavity of the tree. The Blue that was before her stood inches from a boy in an Aglionby sweater. There was a slight stoop to his posture, and his shoulders were spattered darkly with rain. It was his fingers that…” quote by Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg)

> ““When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and watching it, nowhere near the cavity of the tree. The Blue that was before her stood inches from a boy in an Aglionby sweater. There was a slight stoop to his posture, and his shoulders were spattered darkly with rain. It was his fingers that Blue felt on her face. He touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Tears coursed down the other Blue's face. Though some strange magic, Blue could feel them on her face as well. She could feel, too, sick, rising misery she'd felt in the churchyard, the grief that felt bigger than her. The other Blue's tears seemed endless. One drop slid after another, each following an identical path down her cheeks. The boy in the Aglionby sweater leaned his forehead against Blue's. She felt the pressure of his skin against hers, and suddenly she could smell mint. It'll be okay. Gansey told the other Blue. She could tell that he was afraid. It'll be okay. Impossibly, Blue realized that this other Blue was crying because she loved Gansey. And that the reason Gansey touched her like that, his fingers so careful with her, was because he knew that her kiss could kill him. She could feel how badly the other Blue wanted to kiss him, even as she dreaded it. Though she couldn't understand why, her real, present day memories in the tree cavity were clouded with other false memories of their lips nearly touching, a life this other Blue had already lived. Okay, I'm ready- Gansey's voice caught, just a little. Blue, kiss me.””

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A poignant scene of love, fear, and destiny where a character feels another’s pain and the weight of a potentially lethal kiss.

**In simple terms:** Two lovers share deep emotional and magical connection, fearing the consequences of intimacy.

Key Takeaway

Love can be both healing and dangerous.

Themes

love fear destiny magic

Mood

melancholic intense

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- romantic confession
- magical realism
- character introspection

Key Concepts

empathy sacrifice memory psychic link

Questions to Reflect On

- What would you risk for love?
- How do memories shape identity?

A Different Perspective

The supernatural premise may feel contrived to some readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Present day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-day/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/)

## Related quotes

> [“Bird memories are therefore a tree's dream of the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-george-haskell/bird-memories-are-therefore-a-tree-s-dream-of-the-future/)

David George Haskell

> [Im so sick of being blue and crying over you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-so-sick-of-being-blue-and-crying-over-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Its ridiculous, its been months and for some reason I just cant get over us... and I'm stronger than this; enough is enough; no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-ridiculous-its-been-months-and-for-some-reason-i-just-cant-get/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I m soon over being BLUE crying over you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-soon-over-being-blue-crying-over-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [This is ridiculous. Its been months and for some reason I just cant get over us. Im stronger then this. Enough is enough; know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/this-is-ridiculous-its-been-months-and-for-some-reason-i-just-cant/)

[Ne-yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [This is ridiculous. It's been months and for some reason I just can't get over us. I'm stronger than this. Enough is enough; no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/this-is-ridiculous-it-s-been-months-and-for-some-reason-i-just-can-t/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [I'm so over being blue, crying over you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/i-m-so-over-being-blue-crying-over-you/)

[Ne-yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [Its RIDICULOUS its been MONTHS and for some REASON I just CANT get over us…and I'm STRONGER than this;enough is enough; bo more WALKING…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alena-nichole/its-ridiculous-its-been-months-and-for-some-reason-i-just-cant-get-2/)

Alena Nichole

> [“There is a special grief felt by the children and grandchildren of those who were forbidden to read, forbidden to question or to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/there-is-a-special-grief-felt-by-the-children-and-grandchildren-of/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [For grief is felt not so much for the want of what we have never known, as for the loss of that to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pericles/for-grief-is-felt-not-so-much-for-the-want-of-what-we-have-never/)

[Pericles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pericles/)

> [“So perhaps it was her grief I felt as I gazed on this child not mine, and not even much of a child anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-choi/so-perhaps-it-was-her-grief-i-felt-as-i-gazed-on-this-child-not-mine/)

[Susan Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-choi/)

> [“Progress? You call this progress?” I was almost shouting now, anger spilled out of me as if I could no longer contain it. “If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-watson/progress-you-call-this-progress-i-was-almost-shouting-now-anger/)

[S.J. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-watson/)

> [There is no more ridiculous custom than the one that makes you express sympathy once and for all on a given day to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/there-is-no-more-ridiculous-custom-than-the-one-that-makes-you/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-ever-told-me-that-grief-felt-so-like-fear-i-am-not-afraid-but/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I remember the ache I used to feel when she got too close, how it felt like grief, how it felt like a loss,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-remember-the-ache-i-used-to-feel-when-she-got-too-close-how-it-felt/)

[Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/)

## More by Maggie Stiefvater

> [Sam reached his hand toward mine and I automatically put my fingers in his. With a guilty little smile he pulled my hand toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/sam-reached-his-hand-toward-mine-and-i-automatically-put-my-fingers/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“Once upon a time, there lived a boy, and he had to risk everything to keep what he loved. But really the story was:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/once-upon-a-time-there-lived-a-boy-and-he-had-to-risk-everything-to/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [I think-I need to ask an embarrassing question. Do you think I could borrow a pair of scrubs? I-uh-my pants-" "Oh!" Cried the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-think-i-need-to-ask-an-embarrassing-question-do-you-think-i-could/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [We dance, we dance. You hold the thread of my soul. You spin, you spin. And you unravel the part from the whole. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/we-dance-we-dance-you-hold-the-thread-of-my-soul-you-spin-you-spin/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [It was the way she felt when she looked at the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-was-the-way-she-felt-when-she-looked-at-the-stars/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [Mum once told Dad that vices are only vices when looked at through the frame of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/mum-once-told-dad-that-vices-are-only-vices-when-looked-at-through/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“Why'd she leave so early? It's practically yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/why-d-she-leave-so-early-it-s-practically-yesterday/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [How long it takes us, each day, to know each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/how-long-it-takes-us-each-day-to-know-each-other/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“At least when he was at Aglionby he could turn over his papers to see the grades, concrete proof of his success at something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/at-least-when-he-was-at-aglionby-he-could-turn-over-his-papers-to-see/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [I'll cook the water...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-ll-cook-the-water/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“That's the one." In Puck Connolly's custody. That might be the last I see of that jacket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/that-s-the-one-in-puck-connolly-s-custody-that-might-be-the-last-i/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“I asked,”Are you going to pick up next time I call you?” ”I did this time didn’t I?” “Say yes.” “Yes. Conditionally yes.”…... …”What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-asked-are-you-going-to-pick-up-next-time-i-call-you-i-did-this-time/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [Tell me what it's like. The race." "What it's like is a battle. A mess of horses and men and blood. The fastest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/tell-me-what-it-s-like-the-race-what-it-s-like-is-a-battle-a-mess-of/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“I felt a tickle on my skin; it took me a moment to realize that Cole was driving his die-cast Mustang up my arm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-felt-a-tickle-on-my-skin-it-took-me-a-moment-to-realize-that-cole/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [Happiness isn't something this island yields easily; the ground is too rocky and the sun too sparse for it to flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/happiness-isn-t-something-this-island-yields-easily-the-ground-is-too/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

[Explore all 1,564 Maggie Stiefvater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

## More Kiss quotes

> [I'd rather argue with you than kiss someone else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/i-d-rather-argue-with-you-than-kiss-someone-else/)

[Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/)

> [And my words speak for themselves Through each kiss we share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-my-words-speak-for-themselves-through-each-kiss-we-share/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I only want 3 things: See you. Hug you. Kiss you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shruti/i-only-want-3-things-see-you-hug-you-kiss-you/)

[Shruti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shruti/)

> [You can kiss me or hug me but what you can never do is hurt me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/you-can-kiss-me-or-hug-me-but-what-you-can-never-do-is-hurt-me/)

Author Name

> [One time I was hanging out with a girl and I wanted to kiss her. I was too nervous to do it, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/one-time-i-was-hanging-out-with-a-girl-and-i-wanted-to-kiss-her-i-was/)

[Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods… But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-as-great-as-the-gods-but-even-the/)

[Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/)

> [Kiss me with your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/kiss-me-with-your-eyes/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“When this man kisses like this, he doesn’t just kiss you, he owns you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-ashley/when-this-man-kisses-like-this-he-doesn-t-just-kiss-you-he-owns-you/)

[Victoria Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-ashley/)

> [There are not too many places I can go without someone saying, 'Hey, can I take a picture of you with my daughter,' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-not-too-many-places-i-can-go-without-someone-saying-hey-can/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Hi haters, kiss kiss ill see you later!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher-lloyd/hi-haters-kiss-kiss-ill-see-you-later/)

[Cher Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher-lloyd/)

> [A Kiss Without A Smile Is Not A Kiss. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-kiss-without-a-smile-is-not-a-kiss/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“You don’t understand,” Mairelon said dully. “Kim doesn’t want to marry a toff.” Was that what was bothering him? “Well, of all the bacon-brained,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/you-don-t-understand-mairelon-said-dully-kim-doesn-t-want-to-marry-a/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [“We kiss until the alarm sounds off on my phone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/we-kiss-until-the-alarm-sounds-off-on-my-phone/)

[Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/)

> [“Employment is an employee’s kissing of an employer’s ass. A salary is the employer’s pretense to be cleaning his ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/employment-is-an-employee-s-kissing-of-an-employer-s-ass-a-salary-is/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

[Browse all 2,714 Kiss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and watching it, nowhere near the cavity of the tree. The Blue that was before her stood inches from a boy in an Aglionby sweater. There was a slight stoop to his posture, and his shoulders were spattered darkly with rain. It was his fingers that Blue felt on her face. He touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Tears coursed down the other Blue's face. Though some strange magic, Blue could feel them on her face as well. She could feel, too, sick, rising misery she'd felt in the churchyard, the grief that felt bigger than her. The other Blue's tears seemed endless. One drop slid after another, each following an identical path down her cheeks. The boy in the Aglionby sweater leaned his forehead against Blue's. She felt the pressure of his skin against hers, and suddenly she could smell mint. It'll be okay. Gansey told the other Blue. She could tell that he was afraid. It'll be okay. Impossibly, Blue realized that this other Blue was crying because she loved Gansey. And that the reason Gansey touched her like that, his fingers so careful with her, was because he knew that her kiss could kill him. She could feel how badly the other Blue wanted to kiss him, even as she dreaded it. Though she couldn't understand why, her real, present day memories in the tree cavity were clouded with other false memories of their lips nearly touching, a life this other Blue had already lived. Okay, I'm ready- Gansey's voice caught, just a little. Blue, kiss me.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maggie Stiefvater"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in-her-body-and-watching-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Kiss"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in-her-body-and-watching-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b7/maggie-stiefvater-76_kiss_when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in_1310419.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When she opened her eyes, she was both in her body and watching it, nowhere near the cavity of the tree. The…” — Maggie Stiefvater",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Maggie Stiefvater",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When she opened her eyes, she...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in-her-body-and-watching-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/when-she-opened-her-eyes-she-was-both-in-her-body-and-watching-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
