Okay, so, yeah…this is the stuff I hate in the world. Shallow people being insensitive and focusing on appearance which is liter the least interesting thing about any human.

"Okay," Alice says easily. "By the way, you look fantastic. How much weight have you lost already?"

"About 18 pounds."

"Wow, Bella, that's amazing. You must feel like a new person!" she says gaily.

Truth is, I don't. I feel like the same old me. The boy I like is out there right now collecting phone numbers from beautiful girls who can excite him in ways I should never allow myself to dream about.

**
It’s exactly what I thought - she feels the same, because she’s focusing on some irrelevant number instead of why she needs to love herself first. If she won’t love herself, she can’t expect anyone else to. And I’m sorry Alice - she only looks fantastic because she lost weight? People are shallow and they suck.

Skipping ahead some more in hopes I’ll find a Bella who has figured out her worth beyond shallow meat-suit crap.

Unsure about continuing…wanting to be healthier for one’s own sake is fine, but Bella losing weight now will be a Bella who still doesn’t love herself. She needs to have some self-esteem first. I’m not sure I like where this is headed…but I’ll skip ahead a bit.

I’ve actually struggled with trying to summarize my feelings about this story in a single review. It would be easier to write reviews for every delightful chapter, but that seems like overkill for a story that was finished 11 years ago, and already has over 2,000 (well deserved) reviews.

So I’ll settle for echoing what you already knows, that the slow, believable character development was just stellar. No insta-love leaps, rather two people cautiously taking baby steps opening up to each other, and growing in their own right. I was tickled to see your author’s note at the end that at least some of this story parallels your own experience, which explains the absolute believability of the characters. You have such a gift for dialog, too, including everyone's internal thoughts. And humor! And hot sex - I especially appreciated the heat in the slowly building intimacy.

I should have known just based on previous experience with the author that I would be totally immersed in this story. It’s one of those I just hated to put down to return to the demands of real life. I’m sure I will read it over and over! I even enjoyed the insights I got into the game of golf – painlessly.

My only quibble is that I witstfully wish that Bella had not gone quite so far with her weight loss / fitness. A heroine that starts out a size 16 and ends up happy as a 10 would also be refreshing. To be fair, you didn’t make a big point of her total weight loss or final size. And it’s your story, after all, to tell as you please.

Thank you so much for sharing this terrific story, and leaving it where I could find it (11 years later!).

I loved this story so much! You're an amazing writer. Thank you for sharing.

Awww totally loved this story!

Love the story like all your others. Thank you for writing it! Can’t wait for more from you.

Cute!
:)

Loved the epi. Great story. I really enjoyed how you tied everything together. Thank you
:)

Loved professor Banner. Felt like I took the class with them
:)

Oh, maybe I was thinking of Jasper. He lives in Florida. lol
:)

Question, thought on the previous chapter, Edward stated that his parents live in Florida. This one said California. Just curious. Enjoying the story so far. Thanks!

Lovely, lovely story thank-you.

Hi !
It's been a few days since I've started this fab and I love the sweetness of it all
Commenting this chapter as it's bringing back so many memory, I'm French but I did an exchange program at bc last year, lived near the eliot station on the d line so this chapter is just a trip down memory lane!
Love your characters
Charlotte

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, thank you for sharing!

I love their happily ever after; they have a great life together!