Happy Place

by Emily Henry

The most important friendships in my life all came down to a decision made by strangers, chance.

We were loud. I’d never been loud before. I grew up in a quiet house, where shouting only ever happened when my sister came home with a questionable new piercing or a new love interest or both. The shouting always gave way to an even deeper silence after, and so I did my best to head the shouting off at the pass, because I hated the silence, felt every second of it as a kind of dread.

My best friends taught me a new kind of quiet, the peaceful stillness of knowing one another so well you don’t need to fill the space. And a new kind of loud: noise as a celebration, as the overflow of joy at being alive, here, now.

An ode to female friendships

Ordinarily, I would consider myself to be a superb seatmate. I’m more likely to get a bladder infection than to ask a person to get up so I can use the lavatory.

me-on-my-worktrips-core

“You look thirty years younger. Not a day over newborn.” “Oh, no, it wasn’t a medical procedure,” I say. “It was an Etsy spell.”

CACKLING- THEM ETSY WITCHES ARE LEFT FOR DEAD

She digs a spare scarf out of the center console and tosses it at me, a thoughtful if ultimately meaningless gesture since my bun of chaotic dark curls

CURLY HAIR MS HENRY JUST SAY U LOVE ME

“What am I like?” “I don’t know how to explain it,” he says. “I’m not good with words.” “If you’d rather, you can act it out,” I say. He turns onto his back again, waves his arms in a circle. “A gigantic orb,” I guess. He laughs. “I guess I’m not good at charades either. I mean it in a good way.” “A gigantic orb in a good way,” I say. “So.” He faces me once more. It’s easier to meet his eyes in the dark. “Are they gigantic orbs too?”

???... ok

“You did four body shots.” “Why didn’t anyone stop us?” I ask. “Probably because Cleo went to bed early, Sabrina and Parth were having the time of their lives, and every time I came near you, you’d rub your ass on my crotch until I left you alone.”

???...ummm ok???

“I don’t need water,” I say. “I need a time machine.” “I’m not made of money, Harriet. Water’s all I’ve got.”

this made me laugh quite loud ngl

“I love all grocery stores.” Sabrina wheels our cart around an endcap toward the Crayola-bright produce section.

Sabrina is me I love her deeply.

“Hey,” I say. “Are you okay?” “Why wouldn’t I be?” That’s a weirdly evasive reply for Cleo.

Why does everyone have a secret on this trip omg.. where did this secret beef come from - its realistic but babes

“I picked this because the Wall Street Journal gave it such a cranky review I needed to read it myself. It’s by this married couple who usually publish separately. One of them writes literary doorstop novels and the other writes romance.”

Gus' name will never leave a emily henry book, my mouth or my head

“Don’t you dare break my delicate angel’s heart.”

Parth & Sabrina carrying

Sabrina leans forward and flashes a thumbs-up at us from the far end of the row.

Sabrina has a special place in my heart right next to Nora

“So I guess,” he says, “some things change and stay the same.”

:(

“No,” he says quietly. “In every universe, it’s you for me. Even if it’s not me for you.”

Would've hit more if I heard it from Gus 😩