There's Someone Inside Your House

by Stephanie Perkins

It had been so long since Makani had felt any amount of genuine, unadulterated happiness that she’d forgotten that sometimes it could hurt as much as sadness. His declaration pierced through the muscle of her heart like a skillfully thrown knife. It was the kind of pain that made her feel alive.

Just as it was rude and invasive to ask him about his genitalia or sexual preference, it was equally rude and invasive to ask her about her ethnicity. It was the sort of information that should only be volunteered. Never asked for.

she could appreciate his goodwill while simultaneously wishing that he would also suggest something they could actually do to help support the victims’ families or catch the killer. Prayer alone wasn’t action.

“Everybody has at least one moment they deeply regret, but that one moment . . . it doesn’t define all of you.”