The emptiness that I feel, it isn't a normal, cliche sort of emptiness. I have no desire for a lover to squish into my heart, and hope they will stay, stay until my lips press against theirs. 
I am a virgin, and I plan on staying that way for as long as I can do so. The petals are saying on this flower. 
I haven't laid a fingertip on a keyboard in weeks. It feels unsurpassably good to be back.  ...

New York City; it’s complex, but simple. Every which way you look, you’ll see people, just minding their own business. Everyone keeps their eyes on their path; you have no way of knowing anything about them, as they go on, without a word.
No one ever expected much to come from Aphrodite Rainsford. A sweet, pretty girl, mild mannered enough as it was. At school, she got tight smiles from teachers who had looked up from their piles of work,...