Page 192 of Marcello

“And why exactly am I amazing?”

I expected him to say generic movie compliments: my hair was beautiful, and my eyes were gorgeous pools of light –

Or, if he was gonna be crude, how much he liked my tits and ass.

But instead, he threw me for a loop.

“Because you’re actually having a good time,” he said earnestly.

“What do you mean?”

“Look… you’re very beautiful. Your hair, your face, your… the rest of you.”

There they were: generic movie compliments! And an almost-reference to my body!

But I had to admit: coming from such a hot guy, it gave me butterflies in my stomach.

Then he went in a totally different direction.

“But there are a lot of beautiful women here tonight. And every single one of them is jaded. They’re here to see and be seen. They act bored – like they’re above it all. But the very first time I saw you, you were looking around with this delighted smile on your face, like you couldn’t believe how wonderful this place is. And it IS. I mean – all those ice statues – ” He pointed at the sculptures. “The phoenix, the dolphins, the angel – they’re amazing. And the fog on the ground – the lasers shooting up through it – ”

Suddenly, my enthusiasm got the best of me.

“It’s cool, right?!”

I felt like I had been seen –

Like the hot senior in a John Hughes movie had just told Molly Ringwald, You’re the most awesome girl in school.

But as soon as I spoke, I inwardly cringed.

I’m such a dork! ‘It’s cool, RIGHT?’ Oh my god –

But he came to my rescue.

“It’s very cool. I’ll be honest – I came in here like everybody else, thinking I was above it all, that it was going to be tacky… but I’ve got to say, it’s actually really breathtaking. And then I saw you, and – ”

He stopped.

By that point, I was hanging on every word. “And what?”

“I don’t want to give you another cheesy line.” He actually looked a little nervous, like he thought I might yell at him again.

It was just so cute, I had to laugh. “Then don’t.”

“Okay. You were already beautiful… but you looked like you were happy, and enthusiastic, and in love with life – and alive. And that’s what made you even more beautiful – and way more interesting than anybody else here.”

Oh my god –

Oh my god, oh my god, OH MY GOD!

The hottest guy I’d ever seen had just said one of the most romantic things I’d ever heard –

And he’d said it to me. About me.

I stared at him for a long time…

And then finally got ahold of myself.