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“I like the scars because I like the stories. Bravery, stupidity, pain—none of them come free.”
― Virtuosity
― Virtuosity
“That's to British," I countered.
"What is?"
"Making sweeping generalizations about Americans because that makes you feel better about having a national inferiority complex the size of the Atlantic Ocean. I was just trying to be helpful, but if folding your pizza threatens you sense of patriotism, you probably shouldn't do it.”
― Virtuosity
"What is?"
"Making sweeping generalizations about Americans because that makes you feel better about having a national inferiority complex the size of the Atlantic Ocean. I was just trying to be helpful, but if folding your pizza threatens you sense of patriotism, you probably shouldn't do it.”
― Virtuosity
“The violin wasn't alive. It wasn't a baby or an animal, not living.
But that would be easier to believe if I hadn't felt it breathe and sing.”
― Virtuosity
But that would be easier to believe if I hadn't felt it breathe and sing.”
― Virtuosity
“That church . . . it reminds me of one in downtown Chicago. Do you remember? That beautiful one with the courtyard near the Drake."
Jeremy took a newspaper from a stack behind him and sat across from me. "I know the one you're talking about, but that church," he gestured out the window, "is older than America."
I sighed. "Of course it is. Did I really just try to compare British and American architecture? How insensitive of me.”
― Virtuosity
Jeremy took a newspaper from a stack behind him and sat across from me. "I know the one you're talking about, but that church," he gestured out the window, "is older than America."
I sighed. "Of course it is. Did I really just try to compare British and American architecture? How insensitive of me.”
― Virtuosity
“How about I give you a hin instead?"
"Sure. I'm sure a hint's all I need anyway."
"You think you're pretty smart then?" he said, his voice somewhere between playful and cocky.
"I only have to be smarter than you think I am, right?"
"...well now I'm in a position where I have to make it impossibly hard if I don't want to insult you. That wasn't smart at all."
"Oh, wow, just give me the hint already.”
― Virtuosity
"Sure. I'm sure a hint's all I need anyway."
"You think you're pretty smart then?" he said, his voice somewhere between playful and cocky.
"I only have to be smarter than you think I am, right?"
"...well now I'm in a position where I have to make it impossibly hard if I don't want to insult you. That wasn't smart at all."
"Oh, wow, just give me the hint already.”
― Virtuosity
“Cute kid. Dimples, curls, he’s like a male Shirley Temple.”
― Virtuosity
― Virtuosity
“He probably hadn't written it. I knew that. I certainly hadn't written mine. But after yesterday, his pompous sneer was permanently imprinted on my brain, and I could just picture him sitting at a computer and stringing together sentences like, "His golden tone and tender touch have moved audiences across the continent to tears." I was half-surprised it didn't claim his vibrato could cure cancer.”
― Virtuosity
― Virtuosity
“I don’t know a thing about jazz.”
“That’s okay.” He pulled me toward the door and opened it. “You know music. Jazz will explain itself.”
― Virtuosity
“That’s okay.” He pulled me toward the door and opened it. “You know music. Jazz will explain itself.”
― Virtuosity
“Lots of things could kill you. Fire. Ice. Why not sadness?”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“I wait. I don't know how long it will take his reproductive organs to decide life is worth living again, but I'm stuck here until they do.”
― Kiss Kill Vanish
― Kiss Kill Vanish
“He'd said all the right things today. He'd been exactly who I needed him to be, dug through all the layers to get to me. Why couldn't he really be that guy?”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“It's only November, and I can't remember the last time I was warm. If someone had a gun to my head and was forcing me to choose between braving the five-minute walk to Soupe au Chocolat and murdering a kitten, I'd have to think long and hard. I'd probably end up under the frozen cafe awning, but only because I want to play Emilio's mandolin more than anything else in the world right now, and I don't even know where to find a kitten. In Miami they're everywhere, but here, I think they've all been murdered by the cold already.”
― Kiss Kill Vanish
― Kiss Kill Vanish
“I have to close my eyes as the flavors burst in my mouth - gentle heat from the pepper, salty tang of the pork, sweetness of pomegranate, the velvety-rich walnut sauce. He's waiting, but I don't know what to say. 'I love you; can I have your babies' might scare him, but it's my most sincere thought.”
― The Vow
― The Vow
“He's looking at me. I can feel his eyes from across the yard, where he's losing a game of croquet to his niece, Piper. He's only pretending to try, I think, but it's hard to tell because I'm definitely not looking at him.”
― The Vow
― The Vow
“And where's my ring?
She laughs, drops her fists in her lap. 'Your Ring? Where's my ring? And why aren't you down on one knee?'
Because I'm driving and because you're the one who asked me. Everybody knows the asker supplies the jewelry.
'Everybody knows? You made that up- how would everybody know? The guy always buys the ring.'
Moneys tight. How about Junior Mints and a Coke instead?
'Deal,' she says.”
― The Vow
She laughs, drops her fists in her lap. 'Your Ring? Where's my ring? And why aren't you down on one knee?'
Because I'm driving and because you're the one who asked me. Everybody knows the asker supplies the jewelry.
'Everybody knows? You made that up- how would everybody know? The guy always buys the ring.'
Moneys tight. How about Junior Mints and a Coke instead?
'Deal,' she says.”
― The Vow
“I could feel myself shrinking. I couldn't move, not even to blink or breathe. Soon I'd be nothing at all.”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“You live in your own world, don't you?" he says.
"What do you mean?" He says it like it's not an insult, but I've heard too many versions of the same comment to take it any other way. Spacey, dazed, out of it - this is how people see me. I should be used to it.
"I mean you seem like you're thinking hard about things that aren't in this room.”
― The Vow
"What do you mean?" He says it like it's not an insult, but I've heard too many versions of the same comment to take it any other way. Spacey, dazed, out of it - this is how people see me. I should be used to it.
"I mean you seem like you're thinking hard about things that aren't in this room.”
― The Vow
“She had white-blond hair cut pixie-short, and a black rose tattoo on the nape of her neck. From behind I could see she had one of those dainty cartoon frames: curvy hips, tiny waist, and mysteriously, no shoulders. I could probably bench-press her.”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“He laughed. 'I thought you said you weren't scared of her.'
'I said I wasn't nervous, and I'm not nervous because I know not to do anything stupid, like make out, for example, in front of my grandma.'
'My fingers touching your fingers is making out?”
― The Space Between Us
'I said I wasn't nervous, and I'm not nervous because I know not to do anything stupid, like make out, for example, in front of my grandma.'
'My fingers touching your fingers is making out?”
― The Space Between Us
“So we have a deal,” she says.
“We have a deal.” I take my right hand off the steering wheel, spit in my palm, and hold it out. “Shake on it.”
The smile disappears, and she shrinks back toward the window. “Absolutely not.”
“Don’t be a wuss. Just spit in your hand and shake.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“It’s like signing a contract. We made a deal; now we swap spit.”
“It’s nothing like signing a contract.”
“There are other ways to swap spit. Do you want me to pull over so we can make out instead?”
She spits in her hand, takes mine, and shakes it firmly.
“Note to self,” I mutter. “Threatening to kiss the fiancée yields immediate submission to my will.”
“Ha,” she says, and wipes our spit on my shorts. “Gross. ”
― The Vow
“We have a deal.” I take my right hand off the steering wheel, spit in my palm, and hold it out. “Shake on it.”
The smile disappears, and she shrinks back toward the window. “Absolutely not.”
“Don’t be a wuss. Just spit in your hand and shake.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“It’s like signing a contract. We made a deal; now we swap spit.”
“It’s nothing like signing a contract.”
“There are other ways to swap spit. Do you want me to pull over so we can make out instead?”
She spits in her hand, takes mine, and shakes it firmly.
“Note to self,” I mutter. “Threatening to kiss the fiancée yields immediate submission to my will.”
“Ha,” she says, and wipes our spit on my shorts. “Gross. ”
― The Vow
“Yeah? What're you planning?"
"She nixed the keg and the strippers, so I don't know. Maybe we'll have a bonfire and torch some furniture.”
―
"She nixed the keg and the strippers, so I don't know. Maybe we'll have a bonfire and torch some furniture.”
―
“I glance away from the road to her face again. She’s got that look—the I don’t care if it’s bad for me, I’m drinking the poison look”
― The Vow
― The Vow
“Which color?” he asks, holding up a green and a yellow ball. His knuckles are flecked with a different-colored paint now. Eggshell blue.
“What if I say red?”
“Then I guess I’ll have to go wade through the creek and find the red ball.”
“You’d do that?”
He looks down toward the creek, his hair flashing gold in the sun. “You’d make me?”
I hesitate. “Yellow.”
He drops both balls at the starting post, and they make a satisfying clunk against each other. “Why’d you choose yellow?”
“I’m an artist,” I say. “Yellow is sunlight.”
“Sunlight? I don’t know. I think of lemons or butter before I think of sunlight.”
“But you’re a chef.”
“I am a chef.”
“Lemons and butter are nice but not exactly essentials. I can’t live without sunlight.”
He puts his hand over his chest. “And my chef ’s heart is breaking right now”
― The Vow
“What if I say red?”
“Then I guess I’ll have to go wade through the creek and find the red ball.”
“You’d do that?”
He looks down toward the creek, his hair flashing gold in the sun. “You’d make me?”
I hesitate. “Yellow.”
He drops both balls at the starting post, and they make a satisfying clunk against each other. “Why’d you choose yellow?”
“I’m an artist,” I say. “Yellow is sunlight.”
“Sunlight? I don’t know. I think of lemons or butter before I think of sunlight.”
“But you’re a chef.”
“I am a chef.”
“Lemons and butter are nice but not exactly essentials. I can’t live without sunlight.”
He puts his hand over his chest. “And my chef ’s heart is breaking right now”
― The Vow
“We watch the chef slice eel and octopus, delicate operations of dismemberment and amputation. For some reason it makes me think of poetry.”
― Kiss Kill Vanish
― Kiss Kill Vanish
“Richard would freak if I smoked in the apartment. He kind of thinks I quit last year. I did quit last year, I just still occasionally need a cigarette. Like a few times a day.”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“When does she leave again?' He'd taken my hand now and was drawing me into him.
I pulled back but let him keep holding it. 'One week. Maybe we should go over appropriate topics of conversation.'
'Right, because otherwise I might bring up my career as a porn star or those years I spent in juvie.”
― The Space Between Us
I pulled back but let him keep holding it. 'One week. Maybe we should go over appropriate topics of conversation.'
'Right, because otherwise I might bring up my career as a porn star or those years I spent in juvie.”
― The Space Between Us
“He's kind of cute,' Charly said. She was still sideways on the couch, face-planted in throw pillows. 'You should go for him. He has that same serious, never-say-what-I'm-thinking thing as you. You guys would be perfect together. You could just sit around being broody together.”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“For all her cute-as-a-button-ness, Bree had a laugh that reminded me of the noise Charly had made that time she shredded her fingertips on the cheese grater.”
― The Space Between Us
― The Space Between Us
“I can’t be the only one. There have to be other people out there who see the Mr. Twister mascot for what he is: Hitler. A grinning, cartoon, twisty-cone version of the Führer himself, advertising to the world that this place is secretly Nazi central. There is no other logical reason to put one of those little black smudge mustaches on a custard mascot.
Of course, I’ve got Annie in my head—Chill out, Mo. It’s obviously supposed to be Charlie Chaplin—so fine, where’s the cane? And the hat? Exactly. Hitler.
This truck is an oven. I am pot roast.
I’d go in, but I’m already throwing up a little in my mouth just thinking about the assault of peachy-ness behind those doors. Peach walls, peach aprons, peach countertops, peach chalk on the blackboard menu. And of course, Annie is in there smiling and faking brain-dead. I’m better off as pot roast, and besides, the Spanish Inquisition isn’t going to learn itself.
I turn back to the previous page, the one that I’ve already read and forgotten three times this hour, and start over. The picture of Ferdinand II of Aragon is freakishly distracting. It’s the way he’s glaring. I close my right eye and glare back at him and his unapologetic scowl. I bet nobody told him to quit being cranky.”
― The Vow
Of course, I’ve got Annie in my head—Chill out, Mo. It’s obviously supposed to be Charlie Chaplin—so fine, where’s the cane? And the hat? Exactly. Hitler.
This truck is an oven. I am pot roast.
I’d go in, but I’m already throwing up a little in my mouth just thinking about the assault of peachy-ness behind those doors. Peach walls, peach aprons, peach countertops, peach chalk on the blackboard menu. And of course, Annie is in there smiling and faking brain-dead. I’m better off as pot roast, and besides, the Spanish Inquisition isn’t going to learn itself.
I turn back to the previous page, the one that I’ve already read and forgotten three times this hour, and start over. The picture of Ferdinand II of Aragon is freakishly distracting. It’s the way he’s glaring. I close my right eye and glare back at him and his unapologetic scowl. I bet nobody told him to quit being cranky.”
― The Vow
