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9fef6af
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T.J.] I pulled my arms out from underneath her body and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I love you, Anna." The surprised look on her face told me she hadn't seen that coming. "You weren't supposed to fall in love," she whispered. "Well, I did," I said, looking into her eyes. "I've been in love with you for months. I'm telling you now because I think you love me too, Anna. You just don't think you're supposed to. You'll tell me when you're..
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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fac727d
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I never wanted anyone else, T.J. I just wanted what was best for you." "You are what's best for me," he said, cradling my head in his arms, his legs intertwined with mine. "I'm not going anywhere, Anna. This is right where I want to be."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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7877608
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Anna] In February, I woke up from a nap. A bouquet of flowers gathered from the various bushes and shrubs scattered around the island lay on the blanket beside me, a small length of rope wound around their stems. I found T.J. down at the shore. "Someone's been checking the calendar." He grinned. "I didn't want to miss Valentine's Day." I kissed him. "You're sweet to me." Pulling me closer, he said, "It's not hard, Anna." I stared into T.J.'..
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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d5e4314
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This next part might cheer you up. So my mom told me she was gonna drive me to my appointment at the sperm bank, and she handed me one of my dad's --I had something way dirtier stashed in my closet, by the way--and she asked me, all serious, if I knew what do do." "You've got to be kidding." "No, I'm not." He started laughing. "I was fifteen, Anna. I was and expert at it, and I did not want to talk about jacking off ."
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sperm-bank
t-j
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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ad15830
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Maybe love is like a pendulum. It swings back and forth, slowly, steadily, and sometimes you don't know where it will come to rest.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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5a7573a
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I'm going to order us a drink. A bourbon sounds excellent on this crisp fall afternoon." Ian signaled for the waiter. "Against my better judgment, I'll order you a glass of wine. According to your credit card statement, you had a staggering amount of chardonnay delivered to your apartment last month. I think you might want to take one of those 'Could I Be an Alcoholic' quizzes the next time you come across one, just to see what it says."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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84cd4ba
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I want to work at a library someday," I said. "I want to spend every waking day of my adult life surrounded by books."
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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3f2b4c8
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What are you saying? That you're a thief who steals from other thieves?" He wrinkled his nose, and it was adorable. "It sounds so distasteful when you say it like that. I prefer master appropriator of ill-gotten funds. You can call me master for short."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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11d6708
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The selfish part of me, however, couldn't fathom not falling asleep in his arms or being with him every day. I needed TJ, and the thought of being away from him bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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731a3f9
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As they walked home hand in hand, Ian said, "I feel like taking a nap. And by nap I mean move in and out of your naked body at whatever speed you prefer." "And they say men don't know how to communicate." "Well, that's where they're . I was crystal clear."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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5424745
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When you have nothing, everything feels like something.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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f177196
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And when you're not happy with your own life, and yourself, you can't be happy with anyone else.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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00ee69b
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Is your life better with him, Anna, or without him? I decided right then, standing on that sidewalk, to stop worrying about things that might never go wrong.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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62e4f78
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I scrolled through your order history at Victoria's Secret." "Well, that's not at all creepy," she deadpanned. "Did you know there are items in your shopping cart? Sweaters. Lots of thick, long, skin-covering sweaters. Frankly, it confused me." "Maybe I already own plenty of lingerie. Considering I walk to work, sweaters are much more practical. Plus they're awfully cute." "I added a few things to your cart and checked out for you. I pa..
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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d8b82e8
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I'm gonna kick your ass, Callahan." "Really? You and what army?" She probably weighed about a hundred pounds. We both knew she wasn't kicking anyone's ass. "Don't get too cocky. One of these days, I'll figure out a way to take you down." I laughed and said, "Oooh, I'm scared, Anna." What I didn't admit, though, was that she could have brought me to my knees with one touch of her hand, if she put it in the right place. I wondered if she knew..
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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830f0ea
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Maybe it wasn't about being alone. Maybe the answer wasn't about hiding from those who wanted something, but about finding those who needed help but would never considering asking.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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ea2b3d5
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I did tell you yesterday that I wasn't feeling especially pretty." "Even when you're sick, you're a solid eight point five." "How very sweet in a completely sexist way." "When you're not sick you're an eleven."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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1400525
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I made the mistake of looking down when I got ready to wash his legs. The water in the lagoon was clear enough to see that he had a hard-on sticking up in this shorts. "TJ!" "Sorry." He looked at me sheepishly. "I cant hide this one." I suddenly didn't know where to look. It wasn't his fault though; I had forgotten what would happen if you rubbed a seventeen-year-old all over with your hands. Or any man, actually."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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4d71669
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What did you wrap my hand with?" he asked. "My thong." I looked up at him. "You were right ; it's totally uncomfortable. Awesome for first-aid though." The corners of T.J.'s mouth turned up slighty. He looked at me, his brown eyes showing a trance of the spark that had been missing the night before. "It'll make for a funny story someday," I said. "You know what, Anna? It's kinda funny now."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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47552c9
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If you're going to stare at it, it's going to wake up and say hi.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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eaef30d
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Come on over to the dark side, Katie. I'll save you a seat next to me.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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322ad6b
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I've never been so scared in my life. I thought that shark was going to eat you." TJ hugged me, resting his chin on the top of my head. "It didn't though." "We're going to eat him now, aren't we?" I asked. "Oh, hell yes," he said, a big grin on his face."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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0bc13ef
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You made it so damn easy for me to love you
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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7056616
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I wonder how many marriages are fractured and damaged beyond repair by complacency rather than any single traumatic event. One day you wake up and realize that the distance between you and your spouse has grown to such an enormous width that neither of you are capable of clearing the distance. No matter how much speed you build up, or how far you can jump, it's just there. Gaping and unforgiving.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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9bf6774
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There is nothing worse than realizing you're about to watch the girl that you've fallen in love with die.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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b8ebd8a
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Don't worry," she says. "They're happy tears. There's nothing I love more than a good happy ending."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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3142bb6
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I know you've alluded to my boundary issues," he said, sitting down on the edge of the tub. "And this is probably a shining example, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. Passing out in the bathtub or shower is one of the leading causes of death while bathing. And I can't see anything because of all the bubbles. Actually, that's a blatant lie because I can pretty much make out your entire left nipple. The suds are a little disparate in t..
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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dace5aa
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It's a hard pill to swallow when you have to admit, even to yourself, that you were wrong about the person you were certain was perfect for you.
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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e4139a1
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Sometimes it's important to let the people we care about know that a single incident doesn't have to define them
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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9239eb0
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Are you free Friday night? Around six thirty? I'd like for us to go on our third date. And you know what that means." "I do happen to be available, and I'm well aware of what sometimes happens on the third date. But for your information, we're not quite there yet." "We're not?" "No." "Are you sure? Because I feel like we could be."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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4d03ab2
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The constant vigilance and my heightened anxiety that I'd screw it up anyway exhausted me, but I persevered.
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perseverance
relationships
social-anxiety
observation
communication
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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8752265
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You know that saying, 'Act now, apologize later?' I'm pretty much the poster boy.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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f29243a
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I do think we have the capacity to love more than one person at a time, and that the love we feel for someone can be displaced, transferred, shifted. Even shared with another. But not lost. At least not forever.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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eebe913
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I'll win you over eventually. I'm very charming that way.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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4d5d2fa
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Do you think it's possible to love more than one person? At the same time?" -"I think just about anything is possible when it comes to love,"
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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1b266ad
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I know what the word means even when I'm not wearing my smart glasses.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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7b06e66
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I never wanted you to leave, but I didn't know how to ask you to stay.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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92bb07f
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It was hard for me to come up with something on the fly, which is why I preferred, if at all possible, not to say anything at all for fear it wasn't the right thing.
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social-anxiety
communication
mental-health
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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0878b0a
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Life isn't easy for anyone. We all have challenges. We all face adversity. It's how we overcome it that makes us who we are.
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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72275d8
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So what is it that you do, exactly?" "I specialize in penetration testing. Pentesting for short. I'm incredibly good at it." "I've never heard of that. That sounds made up."
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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a1adeba
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You have the rest of your life to work, and taking a break from something doesn't mean you're any less passionate about it.
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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bd93225
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She preferred wearing the thong under the garter belt instead of over it because she thought it looked better, but that required unfastening the stockings in order to slip it off if he wanted to leave the garter belt on, and he always did. He didn't mind, but it did slow down the process a bit. This time, he'd circumvented the issue by choosing a thong that tied on each side. Now he yanked on the strings and pulled it right off her, leaving..
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Tracey Garvis-Graves |
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6e1b086
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the way you navigate the world will never be more important than the type of person you are.
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Tracey Garvis Graves |
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7869c7b
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Though she has trouble deciphering other people's facial expressions, her face is an open book and no one would ever have trouble understanding hers.
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understanding
expression
connection
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Tracey Garvis Graves |