“
And then I kiss him for real, and he kisses me back, and his hands fist my hair. And we're kissing like it's breathing. My stomach flutters wildly. And somehow we end up horizontal, his hands curved up around my back.
"I like this," I say, and my voice comes out breathless. "We should do this. Every day."
"Okay."
"Let's never do anything else. No school. No meals. No homework."
"I was going to ask you to see a movie," he says, smiling. When he smiles, I smile.
"No movies. I hate movies."
"Oh, really?"
"Really, really. Why would I want to watch other people kissing," I say, "when I could be kissing you?
”
”
Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1))
“
Even if he likes me, I’m not sure he’d like me naked. I hate that I’m even thinking that. I hate hating my body. Actually, I don’t even hate my body. I just worry everyone else might. Because chubby girls don’t get boyfriends, and they definitely don’t have sex. Not in movies—not really—unless it’s supposed to be a joke. And I don’t want to be a joke.
”
”
Becky Albertalli (The Upside of Unrequited)
“
I remember exactly how it felt to see that first message from him in my inbox. It was a little bit surreal. He wanted to know about me. For the next few days at school after that, it felt like I was a character in a movie. I could almost imagine a close-up of my face, projected wide-screen. It's strange, because in reality, I'm not the leading guy. Maybe I'm the best friend.
”
”
Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1))
“
Except, if I'm totally honest, I do believe it. Reid likes me. And I like that he likes me. But I'm not used to this game. It's this totally new way of seeing myself. Like I'm some hazily lit dream girl from a movie. I've never been that girl before.
”
”
Becky Albertalli (The Upside of Unrequited (Simonverse, #2))
“
You in the mood for a movie tonight?" Kate asked him a couple days later. Matt was working, and she was sitting on her customary bucket taking a break, drinking bottled water, and surreptitiously admiring him from every angle.
"I could pick something up on my way over tonight."
"Sure."
"How about Pride and Prejudice?"
"What's that?" he asked warily. It's not one of those movies where they all wear old-fashioned clothes and walk around talking in British accents, is it?"
"That's exactly what it is."
Matt groaned.
"It's romantic! Maybe one of the most romantic stories ever.
”
”
Becky Wade (My Stubborn Heart)
“
I don’t know what I even expected. A big final act kiss? A scorching rejection? It’s the kind of thing that makes sense in movies but it falls apart when it’s real. When it’s Ben. When his bedroom floor is covered with moving boxes. When he’s telling me to hang out as long as I want to but not begging me to stay. I wonder how many love stories end like this.
”
”
Becky Albertalli, Adam Silvera (Here's to Us (What If It's Us, #2))
“
I can’t help it. I’m thinking about sex. Sex with Will Haley. Sex in general. The thing is, I can’t make my brain turn the idea into something sexy. Isn’t that ridiculous? It’s sex. It’s inherently sexy. But not to me. Because in hazily lit movies, when the girl pulls her shirt up over her head, she stops being me. The hazily lit girl is never me. She has a flat golden stomach and cute little boobs, and you can see the boy falling for her. You can read it on his face. Under my shirt, there’s no flat stomach, and there are no cute little boobs, and there’s no hazy lighting. It’s just a lot of me. Way too much of me.
”
”
Becky Albertalli (The Upside of Unrequited)
“
When you make a decision you believe in but you know will upset your child, you might say as much to your kid: “Two things are true, sweetie. First, I have decided that you cannot watch that movie. Second, you’re upset and mad at me. Like, really mad. I hear that. I even understand it. You’re allowed to be mad.” You don’t have to choose between firm decisions and loving validation. There’s no trade-off between doing what feels right to you and acknowledging the very real experience of your child. Both can be true.
”
”
Becky Kennedy (Good Inside: A Practical Guide to Resilient Parenting Prioritizing Connection Over Correction)
“
You in the mood for a movie tonight?" Kate asked him a couple days later. Matt was working, and she was sitting on her customary bucket taking a break, drinking bottled water, and surreptitiously admiring him from every angle.
"I could pick something up on my way over tonight."
"Sure."
"How about Pride and Prejudice?"
"What's that?" he asked warily. "It's not one of those movies where they all wear old-fashioned clothes and walk around talking in British accents, is it?"
"That's exactly what it is."
Matt groaned.
"It's romantic! Maybe one of the most romantic stories ever.
”
”
Becky Wade (My Stubborn Heart)
“
What are you guys going to do?” she asked.
“Snort cocaine.” Dylan gave her the first genuine grin she’d seen out of him all day.
“Absolutely no cocaine, any other kind of drug, alcohol, or girls.”
He pretended astonishment.
“Movies are fine.” She’d set parental controls. “So are the video games we already own.”
“What about board games?” Sebastian asked her wryly.
“More like bored games,” Dylan answered, taking a clunky stab at humor.
“Board games are allowed. As are puzzles. You can cook anything except meth. And, of course,
arts and crafts are always a wholesome option.”
“They could make jewelry,” Sebastian suggested, deadpan.
“Or tie-dye shirts,” Leah said.
“They could color.”
“Or do macramé.”
Dylan shook his head and took a few steps back. “Can I, uh . . .” He gestured to his room. “Go
now?”
Delightful child. Such an open, winning, sunny personality. “Yes.
”
”
Becky Wade (Let It Be Me (A Misty River Romance, #2))
“
What are you guys going to do?” she asked.
“Snort cocaine.” Dylan gave her the first genuine grin she’d seen out of him all day.
“Absolutely no cocaine, any other kind of drug, alcohol, or girls.”
He pretended astonishment.
“Movies are fine.” She’d set parental controls. “So are the video games we already own.”
“What about board games?” Sebastian asked her wryly.
“More like bored games,” Dylan answered, taking a clunky stab at humor.
“Board games are allowed. As are puzzles. You can cook anything except meth. And, of course, arts and crafts are always a wholesome option.”
“They could make jewelry,” Sebastian suggested, deadpan.
“Or tie-dye shirts,” Leah said.
“They could color.”
“Or do macramé.”
Dylan shook his head and took a few steps back. “Can I, uh . . .” He gestured to his room. “Go now?”
Delightful child. Such an open, winning, sunny personality. “Yes.
”
”
Becky Wade (Let It Be Me (A Misty River Romance, #2))
“
Except I keep thinking of the line Nadia said that I’m still pretty sure she stole from a movie: “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want that life to start as soon as possible.
”
”
Becky Monson (The Wedding Jinx)
“
But while Becky put aside household goods for the future, she and Jeremy had far less success with the obvious way to smooth their consumption: building up a financial stockpile in a savings account. During most of the study year, while Jeremy fixed trucks on commission, they could predict reasonably accurately how his paychecks would rise and fall with the seasons. They knew in principle to save during the months with bigger paychecks, but in practice they had little success. Eventually, they simply closed their savings account. “It’s tough for us. I don’t know why,” Becky conceded. “The discipline for us to not dip into that rainy-day fund—for entertainment or something fun—is too much.” So Becky instead built up a rainy-day fund composed of toiletries, frozen pork chops, and boxed cereal and thus avoided the temptation to spend on something fun; you can’t buy movie tickets with eight tubes of toothpaste.
”
”
Jonathan Morduch (The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty)