β
Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
What would you do if I kissed you right now?"
I stared at his beautiful face and his beautiful mouth and I wanted nothing more than to taste it. "I would kiss you back.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
This was the boy I loved. A little bit messy. A little bit ruined. A beautiful disaster. Just like me.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you."
My tongue warred with my mind. "Today," I whispered.
Noah stood slowly, his body skimming mine as he rose. "Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Everyone is a little crazy. The only difference between us and them is that they hide it better.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
You could start a fire with the heat between you two."
"You're mistaking bitter animosity for heartfelt affection.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You're distracting,' I said truthfully.
'I won't be. I promise,' Noah said. 'I'll get some crayons and draw quitely. Alone. In a corner.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Youβre stronger than you believe. Donβt let your fear own you. Own yourself.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Iβll walk forever with stories inside me that the people I love the most can never hear.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
You're supposed to say, 'All I want is your happiness. I'll do whatever it takes, even if it means being without you.'"
"Sorry," Noah said. "I'm just not that big of a person.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Iβm too selfish to leave you,β I said. Noah pulled back so I could see his smile. βIβm too selfish to let you.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Do not find peace. Find passion.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
What could I say? Noah, despite you being an asshole, or maybe because of it, I'd like to rip off your clothes and have your babies.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I hate you," I muttered.
Noah smiled wider. "I know.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Did I just see you litter?'
'I'm driving a hybrid. It cancels out.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You're the girl who called me an asshole the first time we spoke. The girl who tried to pay for lunch even after you learned I have more money than God. You're the girl who risked her ass to save a dying dog, who makes my chest ache whether you're wearing green silk or ripped jeans. You're the girl that I--" Noah stopped, then took a step closer to me. "You are my girl.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You smell good," he whispered into my neck. He was warm against me. Instinctively, I arched back into him and smiled.
"Really?"
"Mmm-hmm. Delicious. Like bacon.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Sometimes, the biggest secrets you can only tell a stranger.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I was going to kiss him, and I was going to regret it. But at that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I was warned about you, you know."
And with that half-smile that wrecked me, Noah said, "But you're here anyway.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
This is a love story. Twisted and messy. Flawed and screwed up. But it's ours. It's us. I don't know how our story will end. but I know it will start. I pick up my pen and begin to write:
My name is not Mara Dyer, but my lawyer told me I had to choose something.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
And just like that, I was completely, utterly, and entirely,
His.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
We are far too screwed up for a goddamned love triangle.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I looked up at the video camera and stared. Then raised my hand and gave it the middle finger.
βI thought you were going to give it the District Twelve salute,β Jamie said.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
The villain is the hero of her own story.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
They rattled my cage to see if I'd bite. When they released me, they'd see that the answer was yes.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
In my rush, I hadnβt tied my shoelaces. Noah was now tying them for me.
He looked up at me through his dark fringe of lashes and smiled. The expression on his face melted me completely. I knew I had the goofiest grin plastered on my lips, and didnβt care.
βThere,β he said as he finished tying the laces on my left shoe. βNow you wonβt fall.β
Too late.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
That mouth. Smoking was a bad habit, yes. But he looked so good doing it.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Asscrown," I muttered under my breath as I headed to my next class. I wasn't proud of swearing at a complete stranger, no. but he started it.
Noah matched my pace. "Don't you mean 'assclown'?" He looked amused.
"No," I said, louder this time. "I mean asscrown. The crown on top of the asshat that covers the asshole of the assclown. The very zenith in the hierarchy of asses," I said, as though I was reading from a dictionary of modern profanity.
"I guess you nailed me then.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I did something brave, then. Or stupid. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Everyone's a little crazy. Some people just hide it better than others.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
You will love him to ruins.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Names?' the receptionist asked us.
βJesus,β Jamie answered.
βMary,β said Stella.
βSatan,β I said as I walked past her and pushed open the door to Ira Ginsbergβs office.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
I planted a kamikaze kiss on Jamieβs cheek.
βFUCK,β he shouted, wiping it off. βWhat if you killed me!β He threw a Skittle at my face. It hit my forehead.
βOw!β
βTaste the rainbow bitch.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
You told me I smelled - like bacon."
"Well," he said evenly. "That's awkward.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You can't hurt me the way you think you can. But even if you could? I would rather die with the taste of you on my tongue than live and never touch you again. I'm in love with you, Mara. I love you. No matter what you do.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I'm not sure you can appreciate how much I want to lay you out before me and make you scream my name.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I must be made of nothing to feel so much nothing.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I knew one hundred little things about Noah Shaw but when he kissed me I couldn't remember my own name.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
You are what happiness means to me. And I would rather have today with you than forever with anyone else.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
No, it isn't irrelevant. You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Wait," I said as Noah slipped a book from a shelf and headed toward the door. "Where are you going?"
"To read?"
But I don't want you to.
"But I need to go home," I said, my eyes meeting his. "My parents are going to kill me."
"Taken care of. You're at Sophie's house."
I loved Sophie.
"So I'm...staying here?"
"Daniel's covering for you."
I loved Daniel.
"Where's Katie?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"Eliza's house."
I loved Eliza.
"And your parents?" I asked.
"Some charity thing."
I loved charity.
"So why are you going to read when I'm right here?
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I want YOU to be the one wanting me first. Pushing me first. Kissing me first. Don't be careful with me," he said. "Because I won't be careful with you.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Why do you always look like you just rolled out of bed?'
'Because usually I have.' And the way he raised his eye-brow at me made me blush.
'Classy,' I said.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
As I was saying. He could never use you. You own him. You shouldβve seen the way he was looking at you while you were out.β
I smiled a little. βHow?β
βLike youβre the ocean and heβs desperate to drown.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
My girl is talented," Noah said.
My heart stopped beating.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
But when everyone tells you you're crazy and no one believes you when you swear you aren't, a small part of you will always wonder if they're right.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Je t'aime. Aujourd'hui. Ce soir. Demain. Pour toujours. Si je vivais mille ans, je t'appartiendrais pour tous. Si je vivais mille vies, je te ferais mienne dans chacune d'elles.
I love you. Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever. If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If I were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
Now you're just being cruel."
"I like pushing your buttons."
"You'd enjoy it more if you undid them first.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Let me guess. A certain unkempt bastard with a panty-dropping smile?
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
How did you get my number?" I blurted, before I could stop myself.
"It's called research." I could hear him smirking over the phone.
"Or stalking."
Noah chuckled. "You're adorable when you're bitchy."
"You're not," I said, but smiled despite myself.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Noah shifted on the bed, and the oddest crunching sound came underneath him. I looked, really looked, at the bed for the first time.
"What," I asked slowly, as I eyed the animal crackers strewn all over it, "the hell?"
"You were convinced they were your pets," Noah said, not even trying to suppress his laughter. "You wouldn't let me touch them.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Where are you going?β
βMy God, youβre like the plague.β
βA masterfully crafted, powerfully understated, and epic parable of timeless moral resonance? Why, thank you. Thatβs one of the nicest things anyoneβs ever said to me,β he said.
βThe disease, Noah. Not the book.β
βIβm ignoring that qualification.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I'll be gentle," Noah added. My breath caught in my throat as he looked at me from beneath those lashes, ruining me.
"You're evil."
"And you're mine.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
How long do you want me?" he asked.
How long can I have you? I thought.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
It doesnβt matter what we are. It matters what we do.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Fix me," I commanded him. "This thing, what I've done - there's something wrong with me, Noah. Fix it."
Noah's expression broke my heart as he brushed my hair from my face, and skimmed the line of my neck. "I can't"
"Why not?" I asked, my voice threatening to crack.
"Because," he said, "You're not broken.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Why, Noah, do you know the word for vagina in every language?"
"Because Iβm European, and therefore more cultured than you.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You shouldβve seen the way he was looking at you while you were out.β
I smiled a little. βHow?β
βLike you're the ocean and he's desperate to drown.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
I twisted my arm to curl him behind me and he unfolded there, the two of us snuggled like quotation marks in his room full of words.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Maybe sometimes we can only see the truth about ourselves if someone shows us where to look.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
I've already learned Parseltongue. What else is there?"
"Elvish.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Weβre mutants now?β
βDonβt tell Marvel. Theyβll sue us.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
My brother cleared his throat. "I wish she knew that I think she is the most hilarious person on Earth. And that whenever she's not home, I feel like I'm missing my partner in crime."
My throat tightened. Do not cry. Do not cry.
"I wish she knew that she's really Mom's favorite--"
I shook my head here.
"--the princess she always wanted. That Mom used to dress her up like a little doll and parade her around like Mara was her greatest achievement. I wish Mara knew that I never minded, because she's my favorite too.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Noah acted like he felt nothing because he felt everything. He seemed not to care because he cared too much.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Rubbish. The Taj Mahal is only a hundred eighty-six square feet. This house has twenty-five thousand."
I stared at him blankly.
"I was kidding," he said.
I stared at him blankly.
"All right, I wasn't kidding. Let's go, shall we.?"
"After you, my liege.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
If I truly loved him, she said, I would let him go.
I wish I loved him enough.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I can't bear to look at my bed without seeing you in it.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I know what I can do to a girl with a word, a look, a touch. And I want to do them all to her.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
You like them," I realized.
Noah's eyebrows lifted in question.
"Like as people."
"As opposed to...furniture?"
"They're my PARENTS."
"That is my understanding, yes.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
And then you show up with the voice from my nightmare, and you call me an asshole.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You always have a choice.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I feel something, I do it. I want something, I take it.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
They lie, you know. It's not easier to ask for forgiveness. Not even a little.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
I donβt have a favorite color, though I strongly dislike yellow. Horrid color.β
I resolved to wear something yellow the next time I saw him. Yellow from head to toe, if I could manage it.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I'll love you to ruins.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
Have you kissed many boys before?" he asked quietly.
His question brought my mind back into focus. I raised an eyebrow. "Boys? That's an assumption."
Noah laughed, the sound low and husky. "Girls, then?"
"No."
"Not many girls? Or not many boys?"
"Neither," I said. Let him make of that what he would.
"How many?"
"Whyβ"
"I am taking away that word. You are no longer allowed to use it. How many?"
My cheeks flushed, but my voice was steady as I answered. "One."
At this, Noah leaned in impossibly closer, the slender muscles in his forearm flexing as he bent his elbow to bring himself nearer to me, almost touching. I was heady with the proximity of him and grew legitimately concerned that my heart might explode. Maybe Noah wasn't asking. Maybe I didn't mind. I closed my eyes and felt Noah's five o' clock graze my jaw, and the faintest whisper of his lips at my ear.
"He was doing it wrong.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Have you made any other friends since we've been here?"
I gave him the death stare. "Yes, actually."
"Who? I want a name."
"Jamie Roth."
"The Ebola kid? I heard he's a little unstable."
"That was one incident.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
No, I got it,β he said. His voice was weird.
βReally?β I felt a nervous thrill in my stomach. βWhat was it?β
Jamie hesitated before he spoke. Then he said, βMarashaw.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
I find it hilarious that whenever I light up, Americans look at me like I'm going to urinate on their children.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and all that jazz. Anna use to be the abstinence poster girl, but post-Shaw you could write a comic book about the many adventures of her vagina. It could wear a cape.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
There will come a moment when there's nothing you want more than us. Together. When you're free of every fear and there is nothing in our way.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
The people we care about are always worth more to us than the people we don't. No matter what anyone pretends.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
There's nothing I want. There's nothing I can't do. I don't care about anything. No matter what, I am an imposter. An actor in my own life.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Is there any point asking what you're going to make me do on Sunday?'
'Not really.'
Okay. 'Is there any point asking what you're going to do to me?'
He grinned wickedly. 'Not really.'
Fabulous. 'Does it involve the use of a safe word?'
'That will depend entirely on you.' Noah moved impossibly closer, just inches away. A few freckles disappeared into the scruff on his jaw. 'I'll be gentle,' Noah added. My breath caught in my throat as he looked at me from beneath those lashes, ruining me.
I narrowed my eyes at him. 'You're evil.'
In response, Noah smiled, and raised his finger to gently tap the tip of my nose. 'And you're mine,' he said, then walked away.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Mara, I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. And when you're ready for me to show you," he said, brushing my hair to the side, "I'm going to kiss you." His thumb grazed my ear and his hand curved around my neck. He leaned me backward and my eyes fluttered closed. I breathed in the scent of him as he leaned in and kissed the hollow under my ear. My pulse raced under his lips.
"And I won't settle for anything less.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
I laughed as I twisted to face him and raised my arm to hit in one move. He caught my wrist and my laugh caught in my throat. A mischievous grin curved my mouth as I raised my other hand to hit him. He reached over me and caught that wrist too, gently pinning my arms above my head as he straddled my hips. The space between us boiled my blood.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You have no idea what you do to me," he said as he stood. "I could barely keep my hands off you last night, even after seeing what you'd been through this week. Even after knowing how wrecked you were when you told me. And I"m going to spend an eternity in hell for that dream I had about you on your birthday. But if I could call it up again, I'd spend it twice.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
You don't have to pick me up," I said in a rush.
"Considering you have no idea where we're going and I have no intention of telling you, I'm quite sure that I do."
"I can meet you somewhere centrally located."
Noah sounded amused. "I promise to press my trousers before meeting your family. I'll even bring flowers for the occasion."
"Oh, God. Please don't." I said. Maybe honesty is the best policy. "My family is going to screw with my life if you come over." I knew them far too well.
"Congratulations-- you just made the prospect all the more enticing. What is your address?
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Dead end after dead end. Did you find the answers you were looking for in that book?β
βI havenβt had a chance to read it yet,β I said nonchalantly.
A half-smile tugged at Noahβs mouth. βYou fell asleep, didnβt you?β
I lifted my chin. βNo.β
βWhat page?β
βI didnβt fall asleep.β
βWhat page?β
Busted. βSix,
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
It has been said that there must be a villain for every hero, a demon for every angel, a monster for every god. Despite what we are, I do not believe this. I have seen the villainous act heroic, and men called heroes act villainous. The ability to heal does not make one good any more than the ability to kill makes one evil. Kill the right people, and you become a hero. Heal the wrong ones, and you become a villain. It is our choices that define us, not our abilities.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #3))
β
I opened my eyes and focused on his. βIβd be happier without you,β I lied as convincingly as I could. βToo bad.β Noahβs mouth curved into the half-smile I loved and hated so much, just inches from my navel. My head was foggy. βYouβre supposed to say, βAll I want is your happiness. Iβll do whatever it takes, even if it means being without you.β β βSorry,β Noah said. βIβm just not that big of a person.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Two seconds later, the sound of an alarm filled my ears.
''What did you do?'' I said over the noise as he backed up towards the bathroom door.
''The girl who gave you the note?''
''Yes...''
''I caught her staring at my lighter.''
I blinked. ''You gave a child, in a psych ward , a lighter?''
His eyes crinkled at the corners. ''She seemed trustworthy.''
''You're sick,'' I said, but smiled.
''Hey, nobody's perfect. '' Noah smiled back.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
You like me,β he finally said. βYou like me, like me.β He was trying not to smile.
βNo. I hate you,β I said, hoping that saying it would make it so.
βAnd yet, you draw me.β Noah was still smug, completely undeterred by my declaration.
This was torture; worse somehow than what just happened, even though it was only the two of us. Or because it was only the two of us.
βWhy?β he asked.
βWhy what?β What could I say? Noah, despite you being an asshole, or maybe because of it, Iβd like to rip off your clothes and have your babies. Donβt tell.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
Noah's eyes held my face. I swallowed hard. The juxtaposition of him sitting in a room full of people while staring at no one but me was overwhelming. Something shifted inside of me at the intimacy of us, eyes locked amid the scraping of twenty graphite pencils on paper.
I shaded his face out of nothingness. I smudged the slope of his neck and darkened his delinquent mouth, while the lights accented the right angle of his jaw against the cloudy sky outside. I did not hear the bell. I did not hear the other students rise and leave the room. I did not even notice that Noah no longer sat at the stool.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1))
β
The boy is destined for greatness, but with you, he is in danger. You are linked, the two of you. You must leave him. This is what I have seen.β
I grew frustrated. βIs he in danger because of me?β
βHe will die before his time with you by his side, unless you let him go. Fate or chance? Coincidence or destiny? I cannot say.β Her voice had turned soft.
Soft and sad.
A fist closed around my heart. I tried to let him go once before. It didnβt work.
βI canβt,β was all I said to her, and quietly.
βThen you will love him to ruins,β she said, and let my hands go.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
Ladies and gentlemen, Jamal Feldstein-Roth.β
I blinked. βWait, Jamal?β
βSuck it,β he said with a grin. βMy parents are liberal Jews from Long Island, okay? They wanted me to have a connection to my heritage.β Jamie made air quotes with his fingers.
βIβm not judgingβmy middle name is Amitra. Iβm just surprised.β
βAmitra,β Noah amused. βMystery solved.β
βWhat is that?β Jamie asked me.
βSanskrit? Hindi?β I shrugged.
βRandomly?β
I shook my head. βMy momβs Indian.β
βWhat does that mean?β Jamie asked me.
βWhat does Jamal mean?β I asked him.
βPoint taken.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
What do I sound like?" I asked, more breathily than I intended. God, so predictable.
He considered his answer for a moment before he gave it. "Dissonant," he said finally.
"Meaning?"
Another long pause. "Unstable."
Hmm.
He shook his head. "Not the way you're thinking," he said, the shadow of a smile on his lips. "In music, consonant chords are points of arrival. Rest. There's no tension," he tried to explain. "Most pop music hooks are consonant, which is why most people like them. They're catchy but interchangeable. Boring. Dissonant intervals, however, are full of tension," he said, holding my gaze. "You can't predict which way they're going to go. It makes limited people uncomfortable - frustrated, because they don't understand the point, and people hate what they don't understand. But the ones who get it," he said, lifting a hand to my face, "find it fascinating. Beautiful." He traced the shape of my mouth with his thumb. "Like you.
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))
β
What are my options?"
"You could read obscure poetry while I play the triangle, I suppose. Or we can smother ourselves in peanut butter and howl at the moon. Use your imagination."
"Fine,"I said. "You take my hand and back up toward the bed."
"Excellent choice. What then?"
"You sit down, and pull me down with you."
"Where are you?" he asked.
"You pull me onto your lap."
"Where are your legs?"
"Around your waist."
"Well," Noah said, his voice slightly rough. "This is getting interesting. So I'm on the edge of your bed. I'm holding you on my lap as you straddle me. My arms are around you, bracing you there so you don't fall. What am I wearing?"...
"What do you usually wear to bed?" I asked.
Noah said nothing. I opened my eyes to an arched brow and a devious grin.
Oh my God.
"Close. Your. Eyes," he said. I did. "Now, where were we?"
"I was straddling you," I said.
"Right. And I'm wearing..."
"Drawstring pants."
"Those are quite thin, you know."
I'm aware.
...
"Right," he said. "So what are you wearing?"
"I don't know. A space suit. Who cares?"
"I think this should be as vivid as possible," he said. "For you," he clarified, and I chuckled. "Eyes closed," he reminded me. "I'm going to have to institute a punishment for each time I have to tell you."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Don't tempt me. Now, what are you wearing?"
"A hoodie and drawstring pants too, I guess."
"Anything underneath?"
"I don't typically walk around without underwear."
"Typically?"
"Only on special occasions."
"Christ. I meant under your hoodie."
"A tank top, I guess."
"What color?"
"White tank. Black hoodie. Gray pants. I'm ready to move on now."
I felt him nearer, his words close to my ear. "To the part where I lean back and pull you down with me?"
Yes.
"Over me," he said.
Fuck.
"The part where I tell you that I want to feel the softness of the curls at the nape of your neck? To know what your hipbone would feel like against my mouth?" he murmured against my skin. "To memorize the slope of your navel and the arch of your neck and the swell of your-
β
β
Michelle Hodkin (The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #2))