Love & Friendship

"I could practically smell the salty air, feel the ocean breeze and the sand shifting under my feet. I wondered why beach photos taken of lost loved ones always seemed so much more poignant than other photos."

"As I looked at that picture of us, I thought about everything that had happened between Dex and Rachel and me, deciding again that the cracks in our relationships had been a breeding ground for deceit. Dex and I had cheated on each other because we weren't right together in the first place. Rachel betrayed me because our friendship was a flawed one. I lied to her about Marcus because of the same negative undercurrent -- the unspoken competition that can corrupt even the best of friendship. That ruined ours."

"As much as I wanted to hold them responsible, I knew that I was not blameless. We were all accountable. We had all lied and cheated. But despite everything, I knew we were still good people. I considered the expression "Once a cheater, always a cheater" and I dismissed it as a fallacy. People generally didn't cheat in good relationships and I couldn't imagine Dex and Rachel cheating on each other. I also knew that if I were ever with Ethan, I would never cheat on him, I would be true to him, no matter what, always."

"I knew my hair was messy from the wind and that both of our noses were red and running from cold, but I didn't care. I had learned to let those surface issues go, to value content over form. I knew that every time I'd look at the picture of us on the mountain in Scotland, I would see no imperfections, and would only think of Ethan's words. I want them to make it official. I want to make it forever."


"Love and friendship. They are what make us who we are, and what can change us, if we let them."
Every summer has a story. :}

Note: Excerpts from the book Something Blue by Emily Griffin.