Hardwired

“You lose yourself, Erica, because with the right person, who you become together is something so much greater, more than you could even realize right now.”

“You were right. I'm going to make you want things you never knew you wanted.”

“He shook his head and raked his hands through his hair. "I'm sorry, Erica, but I'm going to fix this. I promise."I nodded, trusting he would.Said by Blake to Erica”

“Baby, this is who I am. I'm hardwired this way. And if I'm trying to take control over the situation, please understand that I have very solid reasoning for it.”

“I love you, and I'm going to do whatever I need to do to protect you. Do you understand?”

“Jesus, Erica, I'd walk through fire to make sure you were safe.”

“Because it's true. Erica, one horrible experience doesn't define you. If it did, I doubt you'd want to be with me either. "I do," I said.”

“You’re allowed to want different things in bed than you do in your normal everyday life.”

“Landon? The door flug open, and I forgot how to breathe. Holy shit.”

“I want you too. I'll probably lose my mind if I can't be inside you tonight." He exhaled a shaky breath. "I just don't want to...freak you out.”

“I love you and I want to do this for you. I trust you to take me as far as you think I can go.”

“I miss my mother every day,” I said. “But this is my life and everything that has made me who I am, so I can’t dwell on what might have been.”    I’d always be out of step with most people my age who’d been given many more chances to get it right, whose parents were there to scoop them up when they faltered and to point them in the right direction when indecisions were met.    I had quickly learned that my own safety net had sizeable gaping holes in it, which likely explained why lately I felt like I was at sea without a life preserver.”

“Love can sneak up on you in a heartbeat, even when you aren’t looking for it.”

“you wer right. im going to make you want things you never knew you wanted”

“her love echoed through me, a wordless melody that held my heart through time and distance.”

“you were right. im going to make you want things you never knew you wanted”

“Boston was a hard city sometimes. The winters were hell, but the people here were strong, passionate, and often painfully direct.”

“for the”

“There's no doubt in my mind that you will be successful, one way or the other. If not with this, there will be something else. None of us know where life will take us, but you're making sacrifices and working hard for your dreams. As long as you stay true to those dreams, keep them at the forefront of your mind, you're moving in the right direction. At least that's what I tell myself.”

“Because it's true. Erica, one horrible experience doesn't define you.”

“At first I couldn't understand how she could spend so much energy on her appearance, but eventually I came to realize that fashion had a lot more to do with feeling good on the inside than impressing anyone else on the outside, though it certainty helped.”

“Listen to me. You can't play master of the universe and refuse help from the people who care about you.”

“I searched his eyes for clues, hoping what I saw in them wasn’t pity. Mine wasn’t the happiest of stories, but feeling sorry for myself had gotten me nowhere.”

“But this is my life and everything that has made me who I am, so I can't dwell on what might have been.”

“I've been staring at screens for fifteen years. Eventually it occurred to me that I get some of my best ideas when I'm offline for extended periods of time.”

“But I don't want to lose myself, Marie. I've come this far, and this is who I am. I like my life and my independence, just like you. Why would I want to change all that and lose myself for someone I barely know?You lose yourself, Erica, because with the right person, who you become together is something so much greater, more than you could even realize right now.”