It didn't make you noble to step away from something that wasn't working, even if you thought you were the reason for the malfunction. Especially then. It just made you a quitter. Because if you were the problem, chances were you could also be the solution. The only way to find out was to take another shot.

And guys don't get attached, guys don't give themselves over completely, and guys lie. That's why they should be handled with great trepidation, not trusted, and held at arm's length whenever possible.

Like a blinking cursor on an empty page, it was just the first thing. The beginning of the beginning. But at least it was done.

'I don't get it,' Caroline said, bemused. 'She's the only one with wings. Why is that?'

It wasn't about being happy or unhappy. I just didn't want to be me anymore.

I just have to be super strong when it comes to my work time. Shut the browser, ignore the email alerts, and just WRITE.

And so, while the rest of the world went on unaware, drinking their coffee, reading the sports page, and picking up their dry cleaning, I leaned forward and kissed Dexter, making a choice that would change everything. Maybe somewhere there was a ripple, a bit of jump, some small shift in the universe, barely noticeable. I didn’t feel it then. I felt only him kissing me back, easing me into the sunlight as I lost myself in the taste of him and felt the world go on, just as it always had, all around us.