Shira ☾’s Reviews > Playing with Fire > Status Update

“I think what made me fall in love with her, was that every time we were together, we smashed each other’s walls with a hammer. She put a mirror to my face. I put a mirror to hers. We saw each other at our best and worst. We made each other face our fears and insecurities and loneliness. At the end of it, I was so completely, ridiculously, pathetically in love with her, I couldn’t even see straight.”

“But then Grace Shaw, was working as a stage assistant for the play, and I was interested in her, and she was interested in it, so I decided to read it. I wanted to know what enchanted her. And I get it. I truly do.
The burning desire to call some place—any place—home.“

“I want everything. The fairy tale. The romance. I want a man who will parade me around like I’m the most beautiful girl in the world—precisely because, fixed or not, I will never be pretty in my own eyes.”

Damn

‘The most vulnerable secret a person could tell.
“I love you. I’m terrified of loving you, but I do, nonetheless,” I admitted gruffly.

“You heard her. I’m ugly. The Devil’s daughter.” “You’re beautiful. My girlfriend,” he countered.

I actually can’t explain what this did to me… very specific to me.

Also he is so good, he immediately went to help her, take care of her in whatever way he can. And she is so good to him. I love this

‘Her skin was a continent of explorations I wanted to unveil, and kiss, and nibble. To learn her stories—her fears—by tracing my lips along all the places of her that hurt once.’

“Not so fast, birthday boy. I would like to make a toast.” He sat up, listening intently. Seriously. He looked like a curious kid all of a sudden, about to be given a very important lecture about his favorite subject. It broke my heart to see him hungry for my words, because it was clear he didn’t want to celebrate his birthday.

The whole birthday speech was very important to me

‘I felt like I was my old self again, and I didn’t know why, but I thought he felt the same about himself, too. That for some reason, we brought out in each other the previous people that we were and missed terribly.’

I am loving this and them

‘I'd never had anyone burst into my life, kicking the door down on their way in, and stick around after realizing how truly broken I was.
West was the first person to insist on being my friend, whether I was interested or not. It was unchartered territory for me. My instincts told me to push him away before he did the dumping, but every single cell in my body screamed to let him in.’

She’s just like me

“So, you’re mad at me for sticking up for you?” His eyebrows pinched together.
“I can fight my own wars.”
“Bullshit. You’ve never once shown up for battle.” “That’s none of your business.”
“You are my business.”

This hits personally