October 21, 2019 | New York, NY

“You’re sophisticated,” he said, taking a bite of his salad.

She considered this. A lifetime of studying magazines, movies, and TV shows had taught her there are things it’s better to be a little of (shy, clumsy, cynical) and things it’s better to be a lot of (witty, ballsy, good-smelling).

‘Phisticated’ by itself was never enough.
You had to be a lot of it.

She’d been trying really, really hard and now, look at her – so phisticated. She swirled her wine, took a sip, tasted the tannins, and graciously accepted the compliment.