The Fall Up Quotes
"Isn’t that the way all great love stories start? And also usually end?"
"The midnight air was cool against my skin as I stared off that bridge."
"Bruises from the night before painted my legs while fresh scabs covered my knees, but it was the hollowness in my chest that hurt the most."
"I didn’t look like myself any more than I felt it."
"You want me to call God? We had a bad breakup recently, but he might be willing to do me one last favor."
"You think that hurts? Imagine falling twenty-five stories then crashing into the water, which might as well be concrete, at speeds upward of seventy miles per hour."
"The stairs…and whatever inanimate object you’re blaming for those bruises you’re hiding behind sunglasses at one in the morning."
"He was insanely sexy, but nothing like the men I was accustomed to."
"Everyone has the occasional one-night stand with the ex."
"How about we both just leave? Then neither of us have to worry about the other plummeting to their death."
"The moment that splintered wood had sliced my palm open, the whole world had begun to spin."
"My life was fine. My job was fine. My house was fine. My love life was fine. My friends were fine. God, I was sick of fucking fine."
"She was fun and carefree. She loved going out and dancing at nightclubs until the very last song played."
"My career was soaring while, personally, I was plummeting."
"I’m going to stop you right there. Listen up, because you obviously need to hear this—again. I do not love you. I have never loved you. I will never love you."
"I lose my fucking mind when you mention her name. Big difference."
"Just because you’re helping people doesn’t mean you aren’t hurting yourself."
"I’d always loved working with my hands; it had been ingrained in me at a young age."
"You used everything until you couldn’t possibly use it anymore."
"Overwhelming dread filled my gut and bile rose in my throat."
"I couldn’t even pretend to stifle the laugh that escaped my mouth."
"The amount of money he’d spent on parts and the time researching how to make the repairs was insane."
"I had exactly one piece to show people when I opened the doors."
"Suddenly, I had orders flooding in from all around the world."
"I couldn’t afford to give him my usual friends and family discount—free."
"It spoke wonders to me that I’d become physically ill at just the idea of doing my job."
"And for that alone, I squeezed her even tighter."
"I was desperate to console her, but I was already forcing my company on her."
"I wasn’t even sure whose wall it had been to begin with—hers or mine."
"It’s just a jacket. If you are hell-bent on making it up to me, then tell me your name."
"I'm a big girl, Sam. I'm allowed to do whatever—or whoever—I want."
"I've never in my life wanted to lose myself inside a woman more than I do with you. In my driveway. In my bed. In my car in the middle of a hospital parking lot. Anywhere, Levee."
"I've also never wanted to make something work with a woman more than I do with you. So, if talking is what I have to do, then let's do it. But, after all of that's settled—and I swear to God it will be settled—we'll get back to this."
"It’s my house. I bought it two years ago and have been fixing it up ever since."
"I got him at the pound a few years back. I saw the name tag on his kennel and took it as a sign."
"I’m not perfect, and I’d like to pretend you aren’t, either."
"Whether it was on the bridge or in a hospital room not even two hours ago, your tears have always told me the truth."
"My fondest memories from when I was a kid are when I was with my dad."
"You’re right, this is going to be a struggle for me, but while I have no idea what issues you do have, I do know you’re not my dad or Anne."
"You need someone you didn’t meet on the top of a bridge."
"No one ever does. It’s the beauty of taking risks."
"I have no idea what to do here. I like you, but you’re right. You can’t be with someone like me."
"I want to go home with you, Sam. I’ll see a therapist if that’s what it takes to make you feel comfortable, but I want to end every night with you."
"I’m not using them against you. I repurposed them."
"You’ll always be beautiful, Levee. But you were too thin before. This"—he guided a hand over my stomach then up to my breasts—"is perfection."
"No matter how overwhelming my life was from that point forward, there was no way I’d ever be willing to give up those moments with Sam."
"I love you," Levee whispered against my lips.
"I’m not equipped for this. I thought I could do it, but I was wrong."
"You really traded up for me. You know that, right?"
"It’s the right thing to do. No matter how it affects me."
"I love you so much," I murmured into his neck.
"You ungrateful bitch," he snapped before stumbling off-balance.
"I love you too. I’ll be back with the crew at four."
"I’ve been drowning for a long time, and your son not only breathed air into my lungs, but he dragged me from the water altogether."
"I think I’m ready for the world to try to steal you from me."
"You still planning to step away for a little while? Yeah. I really think I need to."
"I’m in this with you one hundred percent, and if it means you get to stop hiding and we get to live a life…together, I’m ready for it all with you."
"She was just a sad girl who liked to write songs. And I was nothing more than a simple guy who was lucky enough to have made her fall in love with him."
"Quitting smoking was the hardest thing I’d ever done."
"Every night, we spent at least an hour on the phone, talking about everything under the sun."
"I knew her heart. And I knew it belonged to me."
"I want to help people, but you’re right. I have to make my life a priority. But why can’t I do both?"