something borrowed by emily griffin >>
“I run my hands along my glass, marveling at how much has changed in such a short time. How much I have changed. I was a parent-pleaser, a dutiful friend. I made safe, careful choices and hoped that things would fall into place for me. Then I fell in love with Dex and still viewed it as something happening to me. I hoped that he would make things right, or that fate would intervene. But I have learned that you make your own happiness, that part of going for what you want means losing something else. And when the stakes are high, the losses can be that much greater.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“We are one of those couples I used to watch, thinking to myself that I’d never be on the inside of something so special. I remember reassuring myself that it probably looked nicer than it actually was. I am happy to be wrong about that.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“I am learning that perfection isn’t what matters. In fact, it’s the very thing that can destroy you if you let it.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“Peace and calm rush over me as I process the lack of any bad feelings: I’m not jealous, I’m not worried, I’m not scared, I’m not lonely.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“Only then do I acknowledge that what I am feeling might actually be true happiness. Even joy. Over the past several days, when I have felt the beginnings of this emotion tugging at my hart, it has crossed my mind that the key to happiness should not be found in a man. That an independent, strong woman should feel fulfilled and whole on her own. Those things might be true. And without Dex in my life, I like to think I could have somehow found contentment. But the truth is, I feel freer with Dex than I ever did when I was single. I feel more myself with him than without. Maybe true love does that.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“And I do love Dex. I have loved him from the very beginning, back in law school, when I pretended to myself that he wasn’t my type. I love him for his intelligence, his sensitivity, his courage. I love him wholly and unconditionally without reservation. I love him enough to take risks. I love him enough to sacrifice a friendship. I love him enough to accept my own happiness and use it, in turn, to make him happy back.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“Someday being with Dex will be a distant memory. This fact makes me sad too. It’s like when someone dies, the initial stages of grief seem to be the worst. But in some ways, it’s sadder as time goes by and you consider how much they’ve missed in your life. In the world.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“And suddenly, all at once, it is clear to me why I won’t force Dex’s hand. Why I said nothing over July Fourth, nothing in the time since, nothing last night. It all comes down to expectations. In my heart, I don’t actually believe that Dex is going to call off the wedding and be with me, no matter what I do or say. I believe that those Dex and Darcy wedding and honeymoon scenes will unfold while I am left on the sidelines, alone. I can already feel my grief, can envision my final time with Dex, if it hasn’t happened already. Sure, I have occasionally scripted a different ending, one in which Dex and I are together, but those images are always short-lived, never escaping the realm of “what if.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin In short, I have no real faith in my own happiness. And then there is Darcy. She is a woman who believes that things should fall into her lap, and consequently, they do. They always have. She wins because she expects to win. I do not expect to get what I want, so I don’t. And I don’t even try.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“There is no better audience for someone in love than someone in love.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“This is why you should never, ever get your hopes up. This is why you should see the glass as half empty. So when the whole thing spills, you aren’t as devastated.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“’I’m just saying you should figure it out before the wedding day. That’s what engagements are for. And in my book, by the wedding day, it’s a done deal. Suck it up and make the best of it. That’s a cold move, telling her when the gown is on.’”
“Womanizers feel either (a) impressed by or (b) competitive with fellow womanizers.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
“So to say that she has nothing to do with us is not true. To say that it’s not a contest is ludicrous. She is the measuring stick; I hold myself up against her. When we are in bed, I wonder, does she do it like this? Is she better? Do they follow a script by now or does she keep things fresh?”
“I realize that our visits are starting to run together in one delicious blur of talking, touching, dozing, and simply existing together in a warm, easy silence. Like the perfect beach vacation, where the routine is so blissfully uneventful that when you return home and friends ask how your trip was, you can’t really recall what exactly you did to fill up so many hours. That is what being with Dex is like.” - “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin
