The Girl He Used to Know QUOTES

21 " You can't take risks like that."
"Everything turned out fine." My mom probably thinks she was right and I'm not capable of making a trip like this on my own without someone to guide me and keep me safe. But someday they'll be gone, and I'll have to live my life without their guidance. Maybe without Jonathan's, although that thought fills me with immeasurable pain and sadness. This road trip isn't my first or only attempt at independence, but it's an important step toward laying down a foundation for the years to come. And I'm not so dense that I don't know that most people are younger than thirty-two when they achieve it.
I've lagged behind everyone my whole life, so why would my adulthood be any different? "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

22 " Jonathan made concessions for me, and I didn't need Janice to tell me that. He kept me away from loud noises before they could overwhelm me. He was always kind- to people, to animals, to strangers. He made me feel special and smart. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

23 " I need to use the restroom," Sherry says. She looks at Annika. "Would you like to come with me?"
"No," Annika says, grimacing and using the same tone you'd use to turn down an elective root canal.
Sherry looks at her in confusion. "No?"
Annika pauses. Removes the napkin from her lap and smiles. "Actually, yes. I should probably go now, too."
I keep my expression blank, but inside I'm laughing. Annika's honest response to what is essentially one of the most common female conventions is priceless, but she says it so sweetly- without a trace of sarcasm- that I may be the only one who realizes she didn't arbitrarily change her mind. It just took her a few extra seconds to shuffle through her brain for the appropriate social response. No wonder she was so tired after I took her to my company dinner. It must be exhausting, and it makes me feel extra protective of her. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

24 " As the words tumble from her mouth, she looks down at her shoes, over my shoulder, toward the barista. Anywhere but at me. I don't mind. Annika's mannerisms are like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes, and though I feel bad admitting it, even to myself, her nervousness has always made me feel at ease. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

25 " Though it has been a long time, it sometimes feels like it was yesterday. I can hardly remember the names of the girls who came before her, and after her there was only Liz. But I can recall with unbelievable clarity almost everything that happened during the time I spent with Annika.
Probably because no one has ever loved me as fiercely and unconditionally as she did.
I look over at Nate. "Did you ever fall in love with a girl who was different? Not just from any girl you'd ever dated before, but from most people in general?"
Nate signals the bartender for another beer. "Marched to the beat of a different drum, did she?"
"She marched to the beat of an entirely different band. One you've never heard of and under no circumstances ever expected to like. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

26 " Are you lonely?" Jonathan asks.
How could I tell him that my loneliness was crushing? How it felt awful to be lonely but not know how to reach out to people and fill the time I always had too much of? It wasn't that I didn't enjoy being alone, because I did, and could spend hours on solitary endeavors like reading or going for long walks without ever wishing for human companionship. I could visit the animals at the shelter or write another play for the children to perform. But sometimes I craved the presence of someone else, especially if I could be myself. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

27 " The burgundy dress she's wearing stops just above her knees, showing the perfect amount of leg, but the sleeves are long and covered by some kind of lace overlay. It is the ideal attire for a corporate dinner party. Annika has the kind of body that isn't overtly noticeable. Her breasts never feel like they're in your face, but they make you wonder what they look like under her clothes. Her legs are only slightly longer than average, but they're toned. She is the most perfectly proportioned woman I've ever had the pleasure of seeing naked, and has the softest skin I've ever run my hands across. Tonight, she looks both sexy and conservative, and I look forward to introducing her to my fellow team members. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

28 " For so long, I'd envied the affection other people seemed to acquire effortlessly. Holding hands and kissing someone felt like finally being able to nibble at a buffet that had delicacies I had yet to fully sample, and I was eager to try every one of them. After years of loneliness and isolation, receiving attention and affection from another person boosted my spirits unbelievably. It was an infinitely preferable way to go about life. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

29 " One of the best things about reconnecting with Annika is how natural it feels to be with her. Standing on the sidewalk, I wonder if she remembers how it felt to be in love with me.
I haven't forgotten how it felt to be in love with her.
As soon as we're settled in the back of the cab, she snuggles up next to me. Her body relaxes until I can feel her melting into me. She goes limp and falls asleep with her head on my chest. I don't mind at all, and I hold her until we get home. With my arms around her, she feels like mine again.
It's only when we're inside her department that I realize the evening- and the performance required of her to endure it- has taken everything she had and there's simply nothing left.
She's done.
She walks into the bedroom, and I follow. She pulls a T-shirt out of a dresser drawer and turns her back to me, not because she's upset that I followed, but so that I can unzip her dress. I oblige, and as soon as I've lowered it, the dress hits the floor. Her bra and underwear follow, which tells me that modesty is still a completely foreign concept to her. I'm not going to ogle her like the horny college student I once was, but I appreciate the view of her naked backside just the same. She turns around and when I see the front view, maybe I ogle just a little.
I mean, I'm human. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

30 " With the amount of time I spent volunteering in the clinic, one might think I aspired to a career in veterinary medicine. Animals were one of the few things that brought me extreme happiness, especially those in need of my attention. The other volunteers might have assumed the animals provided a respite from the loneliness and isolation that surrounded me during my college years, but few would understand that I simply preferred the company of animals over most humans. The soulful look in their eyes as they learned to trust me sustained me more than any social situation ever would.
If there was one thing I loved almost as much as animals, it was books. Reading transported me to exotic locales, fascinating periods in history, and worlds that were vastly different from my own. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

31 " They'll take one look at you and forget how to play the game."
"I don't think so," I said. "These players are really good. I can't imagine they'd suddenly forget how to play."
"I meant because you're so pretty. They'll be too busy looking at you and it will blow their concentration."
"That probably won't happen."
He let out a short laugh. "Just me then, huh?"
My brain figured out what he meant a few minutes later and I yelled "Oh" loud enough to make Jonathan jump in his seat a little. "Were you flirting with me?"
"I was trying to. I thought I was halfway decent at it, but now I'm not so sure."
"Jonathan?"
He took his eyes off the road for a second and looked over at me.
"I totally thought you were flirting. I was just making sure."
Then he gave me another one of those smiles I'd told Janice about. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

32 " He seemed calmer, but he kept bringing up all the times I'd said or done the wrong thing. It made me feel like crying. But then I remembered that no one can make me feel inferior without my consent."
"Did Janice tell you that?"
"Eleanor Roosevelt did. But Janice is the one who gave me a whole book of her quotes, and I memorized all of them. I also really like the one that says 'A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

33 " It's hard to see at first because it's dark, but there's a cardboard box, and in it are a cat and five small kittens. I don't have any pets, and if I had to choose, I'd probably consider myself a dog person. But I can't deny how cute the kittens are. The love Annika feels for these tiny animals transforms her face, and I'm reminded of how protective and nurturing she can be. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

34 " I love you, Jonathan."
"I love you, too. I've been thinking about how I was going to tell you."
"If you've been thinking about it, why didn't you just say it?"
"Because the first time you say it to someone, you hope they'll say it back. And if you're not sure they will..."
"Why wouldn't I say it back? I did say it. Just now." I thought I was the one confused by relationships and everything that went along with them.
"Maybe there was a small part of me that worried you wouldn't. I don't always know what's going on up there," he said, tapping my temple gently.
"I never know what people are thinking. It's like visiting a country where you don't speak the language and you're trying so hard to understand but no matter how many times you ask for juice, they keep bringing you milk. And I hate it. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

35 " Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes," Annika says. In theory, yes, but in this case I'm pretty sure Sherry's boss has the power to say both.
"What's that?" Sherry says. She sounds hesitant, as if she's not sure where this is going.
"It's a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt," Annika says. "Are you familiar with them?"
"I know a few," Sherry says.
"My best friend bought me a book of them. 'Do one thing every day that scares you' is what got me through my twenties. 'Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

36 " All I wanted was to show you that I've changed. That I'm not the same person I was in college." She sounds defeated.
"Well, guess what? You haven't changed all that much. You're still the same girl I fell in love with at twenty-two. And here's a newsflash: I like that girl and always have, and I never once said I wanted her to change. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

37 " Miss, you can't come in here like that," a voice said. I didn't realize it was directed at me until Jonathan said, "Annika, where are your shoes?" It felt like one of those moments when you're talking too loud because you're in a noisy place but then the noise stops suddenly and everyone looks to see who's shouting. Except I wasn't shouting. I was standing in line at a diner in my bare feet, and everyone was looking down at my hot pink painted toenails. I hadn't done it intentionally; I'd just forgotten to slip my shoes back on before we got out of the truck.
My face flamed, and I turned toward the door, panicking when I tried to pull it open instead of pushing. It rattled as I shook it and when I finally comprehended how it worked, I burst through it and fled to the parking lot. Jonathan caught up to me as I jerked on the door handle of his truck. "Hold on, it's locked," he said. He put in the key and opened the door for me. "Don't worry about it. Just put on your shoes and we'll go back in."
I climbed into the truck and wiped the tears that spilled from my eyes with the back of my hand. Jonathan stood patiently next to the door, waiting.
"I can't go back in there."
"Why not?"
"You go ahead. I'll wait here."
"Annika, it's no big deal."
"Please don't make me go in," I cried.
He placed his hands, palm side down, on my legs, and his touch comforted me in a way I'd never felt before. He made me feel protected, as if he'd never let anything bad happen to me. "Stay here. Lock the door, and I'll be back in a minute."
He closed the door, and I pushed down on the lock as he walked back into the diner. Through the glass, I watched him talk to the team and then make his way to the counter. He returned to the truck five minutes later carrying a white paper bag.
I reached over and unlocked his door. "I told them you were tired and that the competition really took it out of you so we decided we'd head back. They were totally cool. Wanted me to tell you again how great you did today. I got sandwiches and pie. Do you like pie?"
I no longer had any doubt about the kind of guy Jonathan was. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

38 " Do you want to go out with me Friday night?"
"Go out with you where?" I asked.
"On a date. We can go wherever you want."
I couldn't believe he still wanted to be seen with me, let alone take me someplace willingly. Jake had never asked me to go anywhere with him, and the food Jonathan had just shared with me had been the closest I'd ever come to having a meal with a member of the opposite sex.
It was the closest thing I'd had to a date of any kind.
"Why would you want to do that?" Why would anyone? My humiliation felt palpable by then, and I instantly regretted asking the question. Why heap more embarrassment on top of what I'd already brought upon myself?
"Because I think you're really pretty and I like you." When I didn't say anything, he dropped my hand and shoved his into his pockets. "I feel like I can be myself with you."
All my life, I'd been waiting for someone I could be myself with. It had never occurred to me that I could be that person for someone else. His words choked me up and made me feel like crying. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

39 " I liked that he didn't seem to mind taking things slow. Sometimes we'd read books, my head in his lap as he played with my hair or stroked my head. Jonathan had started to alleviate some of the loneliness I faced on a daily basis, and the time I spent with him highlighted how much better it was to experience things with someone who cared about you in a way that was different from your roommate or family. For years, I'd ordered my hamburgers plain and never entertained the possibility of eating them any other way until Janice gave me one with ketchup, and I realized how much better it tasted. "You're like the ketchup in my life," I'd told Jonathan one night on the phone, and he laughed.
"I don't know what that means, exactly, but if it makes you happy, I'm honored to be your condiment." That was another thing I really liked about him. He never made me feel stupid about the weird things that came out of my mouth. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know

40 " Jonathan had started leaning over and kissing me every time he captured one of my pieces, and this time, he pulled the collar of my sweater aside and kissed his way from my mouth, down the side of my neck, and finally to my collarbone.
"Is that okay?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Every time you lose a turn, I'm going to do it again."
"I won't lose," I said, because I believed it. But then I realized I wanted Jonathan to keep doing it. Not enough to lose on purpose, because the concept of intentional deception wasn't something that would have occurred to me. It was only the next day when I recounted the whole thing for Janice and she asked me if I was tempted to lose on purpose that I realized I could have pretended. "

― Tracey Garvis Graves , The Girl He Used to Know