Tracey Garvis Graves > Quotes

“I don't fit in your world."
"Neither do I," he said, his expression tender yet resolute. "So let's make our own. We've done it before.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“[T.J.] I pulled my arms out from underneath her body and tucked her hair behind her ears. “I love you, Anna.”
The surprised look on her face told me she hadn’t seen that coming.
“You weren’t supposed to fall in love,” she whispered.
“Well, I did,” I said, looking into her eyes. “I’ve been in love with you for months. I’m telling you now because I think you love me too, Anna. You just don’t think you’re supposed to. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I can wait.” I pulled her mouth down to mine and kissed her and when it ended, I smiled and said, “Happy birthday.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“You named the chicken, Chicken?"

She looked embarrassed. "When we decided not to kill it, I got attached.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“[T.J.] I kissed her as soon as we were inside her apartment, and I wasn’t gentle about it, holding her face firmly in my hands and pressing my lips hard against hers. She wasn’t anyone’s to own – I knew that – but right then she was mine.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“I want you to be my wife. There’s no one else I want to spend the rest of my life with. We can live out here, you, me, our kids, and Bo. But I get it now, Anna. My decisions affect you, too. So now you have one of your own to make. Will you marry me?”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“I never wanted anyone else, T.J. I just wanted what was best for you."

"You are what's best for me," he said, cradling my head in his arms, his legs intertwined with mine. "I'm not going anywhere, Anna. This is right where I want to be.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“[Anna] In February, I woke up from a nap. A bouquet of flowers gathered from the various bushes and shrubs scattered around the island lay on the blanket beside me, a small length of rope wound around their stems.
I found T.J. down at the shore. “Someone’s been checking the calendar.”
He grinned. “I didn’t want to miss Valentine’s Day.”
I kissed him. “You’re sweet to me.”
Pulling me closer, he said, “It’s not hard, Anna.”
I stared into T.J.’s eyes, and he started to sway. My arms went around his neck and we danced, moving in a circle, the sand soft and warm under our feet.
“You don’t need music, do you?”
“No,” T.J. said. “But I do need you.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“I must cry more than anyone you know,” I said. He brushed the hair back from my face and smiled. “You puke a lot, too.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“[T.J.] Without thinking, I held them out to her. She stopped laughing, and looked at me like she wasn't quite sure what I meant. I waited, and she leaned toward me and opened her mouth. I slid my fingers inside, wondering if my eyes were as big as hers. When she sucked the breadfruit off, my breathing got all messed up.

"More?"

She nodded, just barely, and her breathing didn't sound right either. I scooped up some breadfruit and this time, when I put my fingers in her mouth, she put her hand on my wrist.

I waited for her to swallow and then I lost my shit completely.

I grabbed her face with both hands, and I kissed her, hard. She opened her mouth and I slipped my tongue inside. I could have kissed her for days, and if she told me to stop I wasn't sure I'd be able to.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“What's it like being with her? Is it true what they say about older chicks?"

"She's not that much older."

"Uh, okay. So anyway, how is it?"

"It's incredible."

"What's she do"

"She does everything, Ben.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“You’re not gonna name it Dog, are you?”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“You’ve obviously hacked into my computer. How did you do it?”
“I came in your backdoor.”
“I’m certain you did not.”
“I assure you that I did.”
“Without even discussing it with me first? No preparation? No warning? Don’t you think that’s incredibly bad form?”
Ian grinned. “Are we still talking about your computer? Because I find you utterly delightful right now.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack

“I want to work at a library someday," I said. "I want to spend every waking day of my adult life surrounded by books.”
― Tracey Garvis Graves, The Girl He Used to Know

“Get out of my computer immediately. I’m willing to move past the fact that you hacked me, but it ends now.”
“No more backdoor?”
“No more backdoor.”
He appeared crestfallen. “Ever?”
“Never,” Kate said firmly.
“Not even on my birthday or like a special occasion?”
“Are we still talking about my computer?” she asked.
“You probably are.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack

“[T.J.] If she had gotten sick, the only thing I could have done was watch her suffer. Bury her next to Mick when she died. I didn’t know if I could make it without her. The sound of her voice, her smile, her– those were the things that made living on the island bearable. I held her a little tighter and thought if she woke up I might tell her that. She didn’t though. She sighed in her sleep, and eventually I drifted off.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“Sometimes it's important to let the people we care about know that a single incident doesn't have to define them”
― Tracey Garvis Graves, The Girl He Used to Know

“Life isn’t easy for anyone. We all have challenges. We all face adversity. It’s how we overcome it that makes us who we are.”
― Tracey Garvis Graves, The Girl He Used to Know

“It would be like eating your favorite food. At first, it would be great but after a while you wouldn't want it anymore. It wouldn't taste as good.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“I’ve been in love with you for months. I’m telling you now because I think you love me, too, Anna. You just don’t think you’re supposed to. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I can wait.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“So you want a nice guy, but you don’t want him to be boring.”
“Yes. Nice and not boring and not into threesomes and no cocaine. I mean, is that too much to ask?”
“No, although I feel compelled to point out that the threesome thing is pretty universal.”
“Oh for God’s sake,” she muttered.
“That doesn’t mean we’re all going to try to convince you to participate in one. It’s just that very few guys would be like, ‘Go away, extra girl,’ should one happen to climb into our bed when you’re already in it. That’s all I’m saying.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack

“This next part might cheer you up. So my mom told me she was gonna drive me to my appointment at the sperm bank, and she handed me one of my dad's Playboys--I had something way dirtier stashed in my closet, by the way--and she asked me, all serious, if I knew what do do."

"You've got to be kidding."

"No, I'm not." He started laughing. "I was fifteen, Anna. I was and expert at it, and I did not want to talk about jacking off with my mom.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“Maybe love is like a pendulum. It swings back and forth, slowly, steadily, and sometimes you don't know where it will come to rest.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Covet

“Maybe that's how it starts. You stumble upon something that helps you cope, fills a void. Makes you feel something different than what you currently feel. You know in the long run it probably won't be good for you, but you do it anyway. Tell yourself you can handle it.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Covet

“We were eating lunch when a chicken walked out of the woods.
“Anna, look behind you.”
She turned around. “What the heck?”
We watched as the chicken came closer. It pecked the ground, not in any kind of hurry.
“There was one more after all,” I said.
“Yeah, the stupid one,” Anna pointed out. “Although it’s the last one standing, so it’s done something right.”
It came right up to Anna and she said, “Oh, hi. Do you not know what we did to the rest of your kind?”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“I’m going to order us a drink. A bourbon sounds excellent on this crisp fall afternoon.” Ian signaled for the waiter. “Against my better judgment, I’ll order you a glass of wine. According to your credit card statement, you had a staggering amount of chardonnay delivered to your apartment last month. I think you might want to take one of those ‘Could I Be an Alcoholic’ quizzes the next time you come across one, just to see what it says.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack

“What are you saying? That you’re a thief who steals from other thieves?”
He wrinkled his nose, and it was adorable.
Stop! Thief!
“It sounds so distasteful when you say it like that. I prefer master appropriator of ill-gotten funds. You can call me master for short.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack

“the way you navigate the world will never be more important than the type of person you are.”
― Tracey Garvis Graves, The Girl He Used to Know

“The selfish part of me, however, couldn't fathom not falling asleep in his arms or being with him every day. I needed TJ, and the thought of being away from him bothered me more than I wanted to admit.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, On the Island

“As they walked home hand in hand, Ian said, “I feel like taking a nap. And by nap I mean move in and out of your naked body at whatever speed you prefer.”
“And they say men don’t know how to communicate.”
“Well, that’s where they’re wrong. I was crystal clear.”
― Tracey Garvis-Graves, Heart-Shaped Hack

“It's a hard pill to swallow when you have to admit, even to yourself, that you were wrong about the person you were certain was perfect for you.”
― Tracey Garvis Graves, The Girl He Used to Know