Read this and thought of you...

Perfect Timing by Michael Faudet

Sometimes you make me feel like a clock perched on a dusty shelf, she said.

Counting down the hours, the minutes and seconds until we meet.

And when we do, the hands become my legs.

Forever stuck on 4.40pm.

"Clio, I wanted to have dinner with you because I love your company - I adore your company. You're so interesting and thoughtful--"
"Oh yes," she said, "very exciting that makes me sound. Interesting and thoughtful..."
"It is to me, you silly bitch," he said.
She stared at him. "What did you say?"
"I said you were exciting, to me. I find you very exciting. And today I was very proud of you and--"
"Yes, but what else?"
"I said you were a silly bitch. Ok? I'm sorry."
At the top of the escalator he turned and faced her.
"Look," he said, "I don't know how I can convince you that I like being with you. That I find you terribly attractive. You're driving me mad. What do you want, woman? A signed declaration? Here-" he pulled a sheet of paper out of the small Filofax he kept in his pocket, "here you are. I, Fergus Trehearne, find you, Clio Scott - I don't know what you're married name is, but if I could get hold of your husband I'd punch the living daylights out of him, for doing what he has to you, I find you incredibly exciting and interesting and desirable and I would like to remove all your clothing right here." He tore the paper off, handed it to her. "There. Will that do? Now then, we'd better go and find your bloody train."
Clio stood very still and stared, first at him, then at the piece of paper; then she said: "Fergus, I don't want to get the bloody train. And I don't have to. I want to stay with you. And I want you to remove all my clothing. As soon as possible. Only not just here, maybe."
"Well, where then?" he said, speaking very slowly. He raised his hand, tilted her face up to his.
Clio felt a lurch in what she could only describe as her guts. A strong, probing lurch. It led to part of her anatomy that had been dormant for quite a long time. It wasn't dormant now. It appeared to be on the rampage.
"I believe you've got a flat," she said very quietly. "And could you just say that once again?"
"What?"
"You know, about me being a silly bitch?"
"But why?"
"Well, because it proves you weren't just being polite. It's about the biggest compliment I ever had."
"I can do a lot better than that," he said, "you silly bitch." And he started to kiss her.

- 'Sheer Abandon' by Penny Vincenzi

Beauty and the Beast

Why is it always the woman who has to see past the beast in the man? Why does she always have to clean his wounds, even after he has damaged her beyond repair? Why is it always the man who is worthy of forgiveness for being a monster?

I want to see the beast in the beauty.

The half smile, half snarl. The unapologetic anger. I would like to see the man forgive the monster. To see her, blood and all, and love her anyway.

Literary Nonsense

It's literary nonsense month so I thought i'd dust off my 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' novel and re-read my favourite chapters:

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole
Whilst Alice is sitting on the riverbank with her sister feeling bored as hell, she notices a talking white rabbit with a pocket watch. She follows it down a rabbit hole and then she falls a very long way into Underland and lands in a big hall that has a loads of locked doors of all different sizes. She then finds a small key to a door that is too small for her to fit through, then later on discovers a bottle on a table labelled "drink me" (the liquid makes her shrink too small to reach the key which she accidentally left on the table so she eats a piece of cake with "eat me" on it that makes her grow too much).

Chapter 6: Pig and Pepper
The Cheshire Cat appears in a tree and directs Alice to the crazy March Hare's house. He disappears but his grin remains and floats on its own in the air prompting Alice to say that she has often seen a cat without a grin but never a grin without a cat.

Chapter 7: A Mad Tea-Party
Alice becomes a guest at a "mad" tea party along with the March Hare, the Hatter, and a doormouse (who falls asleep frequently only to always be woken by the March Hare and the Hatter). The guests of the tea party give Alice many riddles and stories (such as "why is a raven like a writing desk?"). The Hatter reveals that they have tea all day because "time" has punished him by eternally standing still at 6pm (tea time).

Chapter 8: The Queen's Croquet Ground
Alice finds a garden where there are three living playing cards painting white roses on a rose tree red because The Queen of Hearts hates white roses. A bunch of more cards, kings and queens and even the White Rabbit enter the garden. Alice then meets the King and Queen of Hearts. The Queen of Hearts (a difficult person) introduces her trademark phrase "off with his head!" that she utters at the slightest dissatisfaction. Alice is then ordered to play a game of croquet with the Queen of Hearts (and the rest of her subjects) where live flamingos are used as mallets and hedgehogs as balls, and Alice once again meets the Cheshire Cat. The Queen of Hearts then orders the cat to be beheaded, only to have her executioner complain that this is impossible since the head is all that can be seen of him.

"The Dana Taylor Syndrome"

'So, how far does this little game go in that sordid mind of yours?'

He smiled a slow, sexy, dimpled smile. 'You really want to know?'

Not in the cold light of day she wouldn't. But she was currently in the realms of fantasyland. The thing was, could she live with the inevitable consequences of this one night when the sun came up again? Guilt, recrimination, regret?

I think everyone has a side where they are depressed and unhappy. Some people ignore it. Some people try to change it. Some people completely show it. And some people, they deal with it.

Viktor Krum

Been re-reading some of my favourite chapters of the Harry Potter books, and y'know who my favourite character is?

Viktor Krum.

Because he was surrounded by dark magic and bad influences, treated like royalty (even without his famed seeker status), was pure-blood, never treated anyone as lesser, liked muggle born Hermione for her mind AND physical beauty, thought Harry was a great quidditch player (and never once compared Harry to his own skills because he’s humble), was genuinely flattered that Ron wanted his autograph, liked Cedric and made a point to tell Harry, was an ally in the fight against Voldermort, the list could go on...

Also...

Viktor was obviously deeply in love with Hermione... 

Remember the fact that he took her to prom, knowing that he could’ve chosen any other girl? Remember how he forgot about everyone and danced with her all night? Remember how he looked at her while saying "write to me, please"? Remember how a few years later at Fleur’s wedding, he danced with her one more time - probably being conscious that her heart already belonged to Ron?

Viktor Krum. The most underrated character in the whole Harry Potter series.