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“You've got this...this love-no, it's louder than love. It's passion and beauty built up inside you that deserves to burst out.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“I guess I'm not a very spiritual person. I don't think things always 'happen for a reason,' everything must be 'God's way,' or (and this is one of Karen's favorites) 'He only gives you what you can handle.' I simply believe, and I'm sorry to sound crude about it, that shit happens. Period.
Sometimes you are the pigeon.
Sometimes you are the statue.”
― Louder Than Love
Sometimes you are the pigeon.
Sometimes you are the statue.”
― Louder Than Love
“I have never loved like I love you. You've got to know this. My silly drunk girl.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“You are the best thing to happen to me, bar none. You, Abbey...all of this. You both walked into my life and...I never knew what I wanted until you did.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“I can't believe you quoted Shakespeare and the Doors in the same breath.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“He put a hand on each of my cheeks to cool the burn. "All the beauty in the world can't help an ugly relationship," he said softly. Pulling his fingers down along the edge of my jawbone and lingering on my chin, he tilted it ever so slightly. "This…now this is pure beauty.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“He fell next to me on the futon and curled his body against mine. “I have never been loved . . .” His words poured over me, warming every part, as I lazily kissed up the inky paws on his forearm and wrapped it around my shoulder. I heard his voice catch. “. . . like I have been loved by you,” he continued, his voice scratchy yet gentle, like a cat’s tongue, deliberate and patient, slicking over the same spot. “And I have never loved like I love you. You’ve got to know this. My silly drunk girl.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“You are glorious chaos.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“Don't try to retrace steps. We'll find new ones.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“The pure rapture was apparent, although there were glimmers of what could only be described as an exorcism. He was simultaneously reaching for something yet trying to rid himself of it at the same time as he ran through a smooth and fast legato.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“You’ve got all this. . . this love—no, it’s louder than love. It’s passion and beauty built up inside you that deserves to burst out,” I whispered against his mouth as we came up for air.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“You are drunk.” “And you”—he popped two of the curiously strong mints into his mouth—“are beautiful.” “Jesus Christ.” “I’ll sober up soon . . . and hopefully, you will still be beautiful.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“Our breath and movements flowed evenly, measured, in unison. He brought his torso up to meet mine as he heaved, hands grasping at my bra straps, my curls, anything tangible to keep him from floating into the ether. I witnessed his face speak a thousand words as his lips just uttered one: my name again. He was all at once demonic, blissful, tortured, humble and at peace.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“What was the first thing that came to your mind when you met Tree?” She blew into her half-empty beer bottle and awaited his answer. It didn’t take him long. “That she was stunning . . . and one day I’d possess her heart.” The”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“...you should’ve seen me ready to shiv security for making me take my ring off earlier.”
I frowned as I accidently lost control of my chopsticks, my California roll dropping into the little plastic cup of soy sauce. “See?Sounds like classic Bridezilla behavior to me.”
She almost choked on her wasabi-laced sushi piece. “Bridezilla? I am the least likely person to turn Bridezilla you will ever meet. In fact, I am like the Mothra of the Bridezilla world.”
“Mothra.” I tsked. “Pedestrian. Destoroyah—no, Bridestoroyah—could totally take on Bridezilla.”
“You have the chopstick skill level of a preschooler, and you dare to go around citing Japanese monster movie characters to me?” Laney seethed. “I have my reasons for choosing Mothra.”
“Yeah?” I stabbed my chopsticks straight through the middle of my errant sushi piece. “Let’s hear them.”
“Don’t, it’s bad luck!” she exclaimed.
“What, to talk to a bride about her wedding dress before the big day?” And I thought Sloane was taking the wedding superstitions too far.
“No, to stab your chopstick through the middle of your food.” She reached across the table and readjusted my sticks for me with one hand. I noticed she kept her other hand on the garment bag riding shotgun in the chair next to her. Its midnight blue sheen and fancy silver embroidery looked out of place in the middle of the airport food court.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
I frowned as I accidently lost control of my chopsticks, my California roll dropping into the little plastic cup of soy sauce. “See?Sounds like classic Bridezilla behavior to me.”
She almost choked on her wasabi-laced sushi piece. “Bridezilla? I am the least likely person to turn Bridezilla you will ever meet. In fact, I am like the Mothra of the Bridezilla world.”
“Mothra.” I tsked. “Pedestrian. Destoroyah—no, Bridestoroyah—could totally take on Bridezilla.”
“You have the chopstick skill level of a preschooler, and you dare to go around citing Japanese monster movie characters to me?” Laney seethed. “I have my reasons for choosing Mothra.”
“Yeah?” I stabbed my chopsticks straight through the middle of my errant sushi piece. “Let’s hear them.”
“Don’t, it’s bad luck!” she exclaimed.
“What, to talk to a bride about her wedding dress before the big day?” And I thought Sloane was taking the wedding superstitions too far.
“No, to stab your chopstick through the middle of your food.” She reached across the table and readjusted my sticks for me with one hand. I noticed she kept her other hand on the garment bag riding shotgun in the chair next to her. Its midnight blue sheen and fancy silver embroidery looked out of place in the middle of the airport food court.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
“So. Food? My treat.”
I touched my belly. It wasn’t exactly full, and neither was my wallet. I hoped my mom would take five minutes out of her prewedding bliss to remember to run payroll on time. “I don’t know. That yogurt really filled me up.”
“Oh, bull. You totally had asparagus envy.” He had me there. “Sushi in the food court?”
I could roll with that.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
I touched my belly. It wasn’t exactly full, and neither was my wallet. I hoped my mom would take five minutes out of her prewedding bliss to remember to run payroll on time. “I don’t know. That yogurt really filled me up.”
“Oh, bull. You totally had asparagus envy.” He had me there. “Sushi in the food court?”
I could roll with that.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
“Love is like a soldier, Dani. Even if it comes back, it’s never the same.”
― Courtship of the Cake
― Courtship of the Cake
“We spent the next two hours holding each other, Adrian's fingers kneading his history across my skin. My vertebrae became pinpoints on the time line he lingered upon, as I kissed my questions along his shoulders and neck.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“He grabbed me in a tight hug. “Hey now, is that a rolling pin in your front pocket, or are you happy to see me?” He had obviously recovered fast, as his lame baker joke mechanism was intact.
“Offset spatula, actually.” I thumped on his back. “Good to see you, man.”
― Courtship of the Cake
“Offset spatula, actually.” I thumped on his back. “Good to see you, man.”
― Courtship of the Cake
“Of course my van had broken down two weeks into the tour. Mean Mistress Mustard had given a shudder and a sigh as I coaxed her toward a hilly stretch along Route 321 between Boone and Charlotte, North Carolina, as if to say, “Girlfriend, you want me to do what ? Please, bitch. I’m forty-two years old.” I had stood by her bumper, cursing Jax and his entire unborn line of privileged progeny.”
― Courtship of the Cake
― Courtship of the Cake
“Wasting away
Waiting to be found
Hard to find the words
When I can’t hear a sound
Lost in the fray
Stumble to the ground
Cannot be heard
When you’re not around
Faking your way
Leading me along
Dying each day
As I sing you my song”
― Courtship of the Cake
Waiting to be found
Hard to find the words
When I can’t hear a sound
Lost in the fray
Stumble to the ground
Cannot be heard
When you’re not around
Faking your way
Leading me along
Dying each day
As I sing you my song”
― Courtship of the Cake
“Without Mick, this place would just be . . . bed,” Bear joked, back to grab the last suitcase. “Or bed-and-make-your-own-damn-toast.”
― Courtship of the Cake
― Courtship of the Cake
“As much as I hated flying, I hated the anticipation of flying more. And all the waiting around was making me squirrelly. One and a half hours already shot. Couldn’t we just drive there at six hundred miles per hour? We can send a man to the moon, but no one has figured out how to build one long runway across the country? Gas up the plane and just drive that sucker. So it would take a little longer. So what? At least we’d know what we were up against. Currently, we were involuntary captives.
Tarmac delays sucked.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
Tarmac delays sucked.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
“I have never been loved . . .” His words poured over me, warming every part, as I lazily kissed up the inky paws on his forearm and wrapped it around my shoulder. I heard his voice catch. “. . . like I have been loved by you,” he continued, his voice scratchy yet gentle, like a cat’s tongue, deliberate and patient, slicking over the same spot. “And I have never loved like I love you.”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
“Without warning
Dawn slices through the night
I said I’d stay
Till the morning
You know I tried with all my might
Don’t blame me for leaving
Blame the time, the place, the night
How was I to know
Without warning
Something would start to feel so right”
― Courtship of the Cake
Dawn slices through the night
I said I’d stay
Till the morning
You know I tried with all my might
Don’t blame me for leaving
Blame the time, the place, the night
How was I to know
Without warning
Something would start to feel so right”
― Courtship of the Cake
“We’d get through this little arrangement of ours better if you didn’t lie to me, Nash.”
“Christ, Dani. I needed to get out of town for a few hours today, okay? Quinn’s got me running so many chores in her mom-wagon, I can feel my balls shrinking in daily increments. So I went to get a little girlie-action. So what? That was never verboten in our agreement. Unless you want to amend your anti-sex-with-me stance?”
I glared at him, not appreciating his suggestion, or the fact that he used Mick as an excuse for girlie-action-getting. “Fine!” He held up his hands in surrender. “I went with Sindy, if you must know.”
“To pick up girls in Atlantic City?”
“No.” He hung his head in shame. “It was a little pony-action. She likes the horse races, okay? It’s just a little embarrassing to say I drove an old lady down there.” I planted my hands on my hips. “Okay, so she drove! I hate the traffic on the turnpike.”
― Courtship of the Cake
“Christ, Dani. I needed to get out of town for a few hours today, okay? Quinn’s got me running so many chores in her mom-wagon, I can feel my balls shrinking in daily increments. So I went to get a little girlie-action. So what? That was never verboten in our agreement. Unless you want to amend your anti-sex-with-me stance?”
I glared at him, not appreciating his suggestion, or the fact that he used Mick as an excuse for girlie-action-getting. “Fine!” He held up his hands in surrender. “I went with Sindy, if you must know.”
“To pick up girls in Atlantic City?”
“No.” He hung his head in shame. “It was a little pony-action. She likes the horse races, okay? It’s just a little embarrassing to say I drove an old lady down there.” I planted my hands on my hips. “Okay, so she drove! I hate the traffic on the turnpike.”
― Courtship of the Cake
“I’m in another time zone
I’m zoned out
I’m shut in.
My mind is reeling
I wish it’d shut up
What I’m feeling,
I wanna shut down.
All I have to do is
Forget you
Not say your name
Not take your call
It should be easy to
Hate you
’Cuz
All you had to do was,
All you had to do was tell me
After all.
It’s not fair
It ain’t right
I still want to hold you through the night
Want you to whisper all the things you never told me
In my ear
Now all you have to do is
Forgive me
Say my name
Will you take my call
It should be easy to break me
’Cuz
All you ever did was love me
After all.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
I’m zoned out
I’m shut in.
My mind is reeling
I wish it’d shut up
What I’m feeling,
I wanna shut down.
All I have to do is
Forget you
Not say your name
Not take your call
It should be easy to
Hate you
’Cuz
All you had to do was,
All you had to do was tell me
After all.
It’s not fair
It ain’t right
I still want to hold you through the night
Want you to whisper all the things you never told me
In my ear
Now all you have to do is
Forgive me
Say my name
Will you take my call
It should be easy to break me
’Cuz
All you ever did was love me
After all.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
“This ends now. You had no right to change the date without consulting me first.”
“Enough with the dramatics. I get it. You don’t want to marry me in June. We’ll move it. Point made,” she snapped at me.
“No, you don’t get it! I don’t want to marry you. Not in June. Not in July. Not two years from now. Not anytime.” I felt like I was reading from the Dr. Seuss book Laney had quoted to the little girl at Jughead’s Diner. Not in June, not on the moon, not in socks, not in a box. Never, never! “I’m done, Sloane.”
There was a pause. Who was being dramatic now? “You can’t do this to me!”
“Me, me, me!” I seethed. “Just because marriage starts with an m and ends with an e , it’s not all about you!”
“Well, the word mistake does, too, but you can’t blame me for the one you’re making, mister. Just wait until my father—”
My cab careened past Ruel’s and the other cars idling along the curb for departures and swung into the first free space. I had caught up with Laney. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Have a nice life, Sloane.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
“Enough with the dramatics. I get it. You don’t want to marry me in June. We’ll move it. Point made,” she snapped at me.
“No, you don’t get it! I don’t want to marry you. Not in June. Not in July. Not two years from now. Not anytime.” I felt like I was reading from the Dr. Seuss book Laney had quoted to the little girl at Jughead’s Diner. Not in June, not on the moon, not in socks, not in a box. Never, never! “I’m done, Sloane.”
There was a pause. Who was being dramatic now? “You can’t do this to me!”
“Me, me, me!” I seethed. “Just because marriage starts with an m and ends with an e , it’s not all about you!”
“Well, the word mistake does, too, but you can’t blame me for the one you’re making, mister. Just wait until my father—”
My cab careened past Ruel’s and the other cars idling along the curb for departures and swung into the first free space. I had caught up with Laney. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Have a nice life, Sloane.”
― Dictatorship of the Dress
“as he”
― Louder Than Love
― Louder Than Love
