LAST TRAIN HOME

You can rebalance that equation to "Previous times that I read this, I didn't get everything out of it that could be got" and then follow the idea back to the source, which must be: "The first time I read this, I didn't get even half of it."

1. When you are always saying this (factually correct)

2. When this is actually the opposite of what you're always saying (it's satire)

3. When you have never said this before in your life (how would they know!!)

4. When no one else in the world has ever said this and everyone knows that (very funny)

Hinako’s Notebook.

Spin the wheel to find out your weakness!

there was a knock from outside his dorm room sometime around dinner. harvey had been packing his things for a long night in the library, but paused in doing so and said, loudly, “yeah?”

“it’s me.” bruce’s voice was muffled by the door.

harvey pursed his lips. they had fought the last time they’d spoken; he didn’t remember what exactly it had been about, which was strange. usually every word of their fights stuck to him like a bruise he couldn’t stop pushing on. but he’d been overtired lately, most of his thoughts darkly circling the lsat like a whirlpool at their center.

“harvey?” bruce asked.

harvey realized he had gone very still, hand frozen around the strap of his messenger bag, breath stuck in his throat. he exhaled. “door’s unlocked.”

bruce entered, in an unusual-for-him burst of color. he was carrying two different floral arrangements, one under each arm, and they stood out against his black peacoat as brightly as a neon sign. harvey raised his eyebrows, silently.

“i wanted to apologize,” bruce said, offering a lopsided smile. his face was pink; impossible to tell if it was from embarrassment or from the chill outside. “i feel bad about how we left things the other night–i know you’ve been working hard–”

“nobody’s ever bought me flowers before,” harvey said.

“well,” bruce said, effectively stopped in his tracks. “i guess i ought to do it more often.”

he offered one of the bouquets, hand outstretched, and harvey took it. he didn’t have to be a genius to know they weren’t grocery store flowers. each arrangement looked like it had been done by hand, at some florist bruce had gone off campus and paid god-knew-how-much to–

“okay,” harvey said, making up his mind. “i forgive you. let’s not be mad at each other.”

bruce smiled wider, more sincere. “okay. let’s not.”

“two bouquets might be overkill, though.”

“i got talked into it,” bruce said. he was lying. harvey knew his tells. probably he was embarrassed about having gone too far, about spending in excess. “i couldn’t decide what kind of flowers you’d like…the florist gave me a deal on them, anyway.”

The protagonist digs her heels in and says no, she never knew her biological father and by the way the demon explained the situation, evidently her father also doesn't know that he already has a daughter, so therefore the man who had made no contribution to her life after he bred and fled has no claim to her as something he could barter.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

A Jewish peasant girl turned moneylender, Miriam, ends up stuck married to the fae king of winter. The daughter of a duke gets stuck married to the emperor, who is possessed by a demon.