By Your Side

Possibilities are exciting and endless. Realities are final

Books, bringing people together.' That would make a good slogan for the library.

Even though I knew this might end in heartbreak, that he might make my life scary and complicated and unpredictable, I knew I couldn't let him walk away. Because I knew he'd also make my life happy and comforting and full.

The was something very satisfying about a smile that had to be earned.

We made a rule,” I whispered. “Unlike you, I don’t follow rules.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond. His lips met mine and stole my willpower.

Don't pretend to know what I'm thinking based on your experiences

Possibilities don’t hurt as much as realities. Possibilities are exciting and endless. Realities are final.

Are you ready for this ?" "What?" "Commitment." "You make it easy

It was hard to remember what I'd been so scared of. Being treated differently? Lack of acceptance? I was the one who hadn't accepted myself for who I was. I was the one who needed to be comfortable in my own skin. I hoped I could do that moving forward.

You don't know anything about me." "Everything I need to know is written all over your face." "Right now the only thing my face should be conveying is that it thinks you're a jerk." He bowed his head as if to say, exactly.

Possibilities are exciting and endless. Realities are final. There would be no more 'what ifs,' no more 'might bes," no more dreaming.

I especially hate cold ears. Feel them.” “Feel your ears?” “Yes.” “Why?” When it was obvious he wasn’t going to do it himself, I took him by the wrists and directed his hands onto my ears. We were now facing each other. He was half a foot taller, and I looked up to meet his eyes. His hands felt warm, so I knew my ears must’ve been as cold as I knew they would be. “See. Cold.” He didn’t say a word, just stared at me. I felt stupid so I took a step back. “Socks. Maybe I can borrow a pair of your socks.” “For your ears?

I’m sorry. That sucks.” “Could be worse.” “Could be better.” “It always could.

So now that you've committed to a girl, maybe you can go to class more, or even get a cat," I said.

I was locked in the library trying not to panic. Literally locked. As in, no escape. Every door, every window, every air vent.

Thank you,” he whispered. I smiled. He did know those words.

Why are you here?” I wanted to give him a snarky answer to compete with his responses. Something like, I wanted to eat stolen apples and read books all weekend. But I held my tongue. Maybe if he learned more about me, he’d realize I just wanted to leave.

I was not one of those girls who needed to fix broken boys.

Go sit next to him. Let him hear your voice,” his mother said. This woman had seen too many movies

I turned my attention back to the movie too—Pirates of the Caribbean—a smile on my face. “Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom?” I asked. “Johnny,” he replied, without asking me to clarify my statement. “Yeah, me too.” Johnny always plays eccentric roles, different roles, ones that help me feel like no matter what my issues, there’s a place for everyone in the world.

Oh.” I still sat on the floor and was too deflated to get up. “Well, that’s not very helpful.” “You know, before coming here, I forgot to think about you and your needs.” “Why would you pack a dead phone? Is the charger in there?” “You tell me.

What was I scared of? Letting someone close? Handing him the power to hurt me? Letting go of control? Possibilities don’t hurt as much as realities. Possibilities are exciting and endless. Realities are final.

Books! This place was full of books. I would grab a book, find a faraway corner, and read until someone found me. Some might’ve even considered this scenario a dream come true. I could consider it that too. There was power in thoughts. This was my dream come true.

Había algo muy satisfactorio en una sonrisa que debía ser ganada

No puedes controlar a nadie más que a ti.

—¿Y ahora estás invitando a mi hija a salir? —dijo mi padre con una sonrisa—. La biblioteca os ha unido. —Después levantó la vista, como si estuviera leyendo algo escrito en el aire frente a él—. «Los libros unen a las personas», sería un buen eslogan para la biblioteca.

No me molesta ser tu distracción, pero no siempre estaré aquí.