Breaking the Rules (The Dating Playbook #2)

by Mariah Dietz

“Astra indlinant, sed non obligant.” “I know this is tough to imagine, but not all of us speak Latin.” His lips tip higher. “It translates to the stars incline us, they do not bind us.” My eyebrows hitch, my education feeling grossly inadequate as I try to make sense of the words. “And that roughly translates to?” He dips his face and kisses my shoulder. “We have our own free will. No star, god, or other power can force us to do anything.”

“Stay here, Rae, and stain it all. Stain everything.”

“Being a girl sucks,” she says, a dry chuckle following her words. “There’s this impossible balance we’re all working to find: being tough without being too masculine, smart without being arrogant, kind without being a pushover, beautiful without being prissy, and successful without being aggressive. This massive pendulum is constantly in flux, and the joke is on us women because everyone is constantly judging us—and more often than not, we’re our own toughest critic.”