Hannah Sorenson’s Reviews > Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend > Status Update

^Sean thinks about, notices, serves me, chooses me every day. He’s helped me find a community of people who love me.

And I’m worried about fitting in with people who … don’t?

I’ve been so busy trying to prove I belong that I forgot who I belong with.^

^My brothers and Dad join us, and Hunter slings his arm around me. Hunter, of all people. “I like him a lot, Kay. He’s like the brother I never had.”

“We’re right here, dingus,” Wes says.

“My point exactly,” Hunter says.^

Not gonna lie, I love Hunter 🤣🤣

cont’d

And then I want to carry whatever I can, too, not because she needs it, but because I love her too much to let her do it alone.”^

😭😭😭

^“She cares deeply, and she hurts deeply, too. Do you think you can protect a heart that carries burdens like hers?”

I set down the knife. “I don’t know. I don’t want to just protect her from the heavy stuff. I want to make her strong enough that the weight doesn’t crush her.

^It’s funny how trust isn’t always a feeling, but a decision. A choice of faith over fear.

An act of courage.^

^“It was … what people expected. Curated and monochromatic. I never sat on the couch without smoothing the pillows afterward. I never burned anything in the oven or left dishes in the sink. It was perfect.”
[…]
“I hated it. That’s not how a woman should feel in her home. Like she’s not safe to make a mistake.”^

^The fireflies drift lazily around us, unconcerned by our presence, like they’ve claimed this space as theirs but don’t mind sharing. All around, soft pinpricks of gold float in the dark, suspended like stars that got tired of the sky but can’t bear to touch the ground.^

^My brothers are all big sports fans, but being the oldest sibling has some perks, namely that they didn’t dictate my activities or interests (sorry, younger sisters everywhere).^

I take offense
but also true

^I refuse to be bothered by the opinions of people I wouldn’t invite to dinner.^

^See how much I’ve learned about baseball? I could practically write a book at this point.

A picture book.^