“YOU'RE IN MY MOUTH, I said. GET OUT OF MY MOUTH.”

“and I get refill number three or four and the wine is making my bones loose and it's giving my hair a red sheen and my breasts are blooming and my eyes feel sultry and wise and the dress is water.”

“You're the perfect girl', he said, rubbing his chin. 'You expect nothing.”

“My eyelids are my own private cave, he murmured. That I can go to anytime I want.”

“Many kids, it seemed, would find out that their parents were flawed, messed-up people later in life, and I didn't appreciate getting to know it all so strong and early.”

“I've noticed this: when it's the first date, and you fuck, the guy hold you much better than he does the next few times. The first date, you're sort of the stand-in for whomever he loved last, before he fully realizes that you're not her, and so you get all this nice residue emotion. I felt cherished, tucked into his belly, like we'd known each other for years and I was his wonderful girl and we both slept great.”

“I loved my brother, but relying on him was like closing a hand around air.”