Marcus Mitchell

“I imagined them all thinking it was worth it. Telling me how much they loved me. All my life, when I thought of my future, that was what I pictured. Not a career. The things I thought would come with it. Happiness, love, safety. And that dream had been enough for a long time. What was school if not a chance to earn your worth? To prove, again and again, that you were measurably good. One more deal I struck with a disinterested universe: If I'm good enough, I'll be happy. I'll be loved. I'll be safe.”
― Emily Henry, Happy Place

“I am all fists. I am all teeth. One day, you're going to remember that and it is going to hurt me so much more when you leave me...”
― Jodi McAlister, An Academic Affair

“You want too much, Will."
These thefts, this art. A future unfolding. "What's wrong with wanting everything?" he asked.
The lights flickered on. If anyone had walked into the museum now, all they would see were these two siblings, faces turned not toward each other but to the art surrounding them. "Nothing," Irene said, but her voice was soft as a warning, "as long as you know how to get it.”
― Grace D. Li, Portrait of a Thief

“His hands root me through the floor, the room stilling.
“Sorry. I just needed …”
His eyes search mine, thumbs still sweeping in that gentle rhythm. “A nap?” he teases softly, tentatively. “A fantasy novel? A competitively fast oil change?” The block of ice in my chest cracks.
“How do you do that?”
His brow furrows. “Do what?”
“Say the right thing.”
The corner of his mouth quirks. “No one thinks that.”
“I do.”
His lashes splay across his cheeks as his gaze drops.
“Maybe I just say the right thing for you.”
― Emily Henry, Book Lovers