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Rom Com Page 3


  Feel slut-shamed by those magazines

  and old ladies. Fix hair.

  [Meet cute]

  Hot neighbour knocks on the door, asks to be let in

  while I try to force a hookup to leave.

  If she just embraced her sluttiness

  there’d be a threesome during the end credits.

  Vodka pours into the morning and droops

  shame as low as his balls.

  [Dialogue]

  “If you ever want to hook up you can call me.”

  “No one likes doggy style.”

  [Character development]

  I was growing out my bangs.

  I’m always growing out my bangs.

  Bangs are a lesson in patience,

  an important personal test.

  [Dialogue]

  “Now, thanks to that finger-smelling fuck,

  I’m at 20.”

  If a magazine tells you that having sex

  with 20 men makes you a monster, burn that magazine.

  [Character development]

  20 guys is theoretically too many

  to have fucked to be marriage material.

  If this was a film about gay men

  20 would be the virgin’s number.

  I used to feel hot when I met people I used to date.

  Now I just hide behind a cake.

  [Musical montage]

  “Animal”

  by Neon Trees.

  Fact: Neon Trees headlined

  the NYLON and Starbucks Frappuccino Music Tour.

  Drinking wine and researching ex-boyfriends online

  while listening to the kind of music sold at Starbucks is actually advisable.

  [Dialogue]

  “Do you know how exhausting it was to breathe fresh air?”

  “The guy who threw up in our dishwasher?”

  [Costume]

  Why would you wear a pantsuit?

  That’s the beauty of a pantsuit.

  That pantsuit was sexy because it was hard

  to tell what was going on underneath the pantsuit.

  [Dance interlude]

  A bad cover

  of “Three Times a Lady.”

  [Character development]

  Just the tip still counts.

  Just the tip doesn’t count.

  No one likes doggy style.

  [Big dramatic fight]

  Listen, shrivelled vagina, your days are over.

  Your little art project can wait, my penis comes first.

  Leave in the middle of your sister’s wedding

  because you have terrible priorities.

  [Final speech to proclaim love]

  Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck, asshole.

  [End credits]

  “Neon Lights” by Natasha Bedingfield.

  Ana Faris and Ari Graynor

  deserved a better movie.

  She’s All That

  1

  You were a nerd with glasses,

  but no one noticed you,

  nor bet they could turn you

  into the most popular person in school.

  You just went on

  wearing your glasses,

  reading books,

  eating tuna sandwiches.

  2

  The truth is,

  if any of this shit happened to you

  in real life,

  you’d call the cops.

  50 First Dates

  You sang me a song

  but I forgot.

  You took me to the aquarium.

  I forgot.

  Took me on a boat.

  Forgot.

  I keep watching The Sixth Sense,

  over and over again, waiting for the twist.

  Every morning I wake up on a boat

  next to a man

  who tells me I love him

  on a VHS

  but I can’t remember.

  Now the ocean surrounds me

  and I never trusted

  the open water.

  Line, Please

  This is possibly the most adorable creature I’ve ever been in contact with, and if she turns out to be as good looking as a mailbox … I would be crazy enough to turn my life upside down and marry her.

  I’ll just be hanging around the mistletoe, hoping to be kissed.

  If you find somebody you can love, you can’t let that get away.

  You said you couldn’t be with someone who didn’t believe in you. Well I believed in you. I just didn’t believe in me. I love you &helip; always.

  To some people, love doesn’t exist unless you acknowledge it in front of other people.

  After all &helip; I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.

  Is it still raining? I hadn’t noticed.

  Shut up, just shut up.

  You had me at “hello.”

  Unrequited Love

  a found Wikipedia poem

  Classical times – early eighteenth century: General disease caused by unrequited love.

  Early eighteenth – beginning nineteenth century: Practice of excess physical love (akin to nymphomania or satyriasis).

  6 References

  Condition can be found in the work of Hippocrates, Erasistratus, Plutarch, and Galen[citation needed]. In the psychiatric literature it has been variously called erotic paranoia and erotic self-referent delusions until the common usage of the terms “erotomania” and “de Clérambault’s syndrome.”

  The term “erotomania” is often confused with “obsessive love,” obsession with unrequited love, or hypersexuality.

  3 History[edit]

  The core symptom of the disorder is that the sufferer holds an unshakable belief that another person is secretly in love with him or her. In some cases, the sufferer may believe several people at once are “secret admirers.” The sufferer may also experience other types of delusions concurrently with erotomania, such as delusions of reference, wherein the perceived admirer secretly communicates his or her love by subtle methods such as body posture, arrangement of household objects, and other seemingly innocuous acts (or, if the person is a public figure, through clues in the media).

  Early nineteenth century – beginning twentieth century: Unrequited love as a form of mental disease.

  Erotomania is especially in patients with schizophrenia, delusional disorder, or bipolar mania.[1] Any denial of affection by the object of this delusional love is dismissed

  by the patient as a ploy to conceal the forbidden love from

  the rest of the world.[2]

  The assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan by John

  Hinckley Jr. was reported to have been driven by an

  erotomanic fixation on Jodie Foster.[3]

  Late night TV entertainer David Letterman and former

  astronaut Story Musgrave were both stalked by Margaret

  Mary Ray.[4][5]

  In one case, erotomania was reported in a patient who

  had undergone surgery for a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.[2]

  History [hide]

  Delusional belief of “being loved by someone else.”

  Unrequited Love 2

  Even More Unrequited

  a found Wikipedia poem erasure

  Classical times – love

  Early eighteenth – physical love

  (nymphomania or satyriasis)

  6 References

  d’amour

  erotic/a

  Prominent examples

  love

  love

  hypersexuality

  love

  3 History

  core unshakable belief

  love

  secret admirers

  love

  body posture, arrangement of household objects, and other seemingly innocuous acts

  (or, if the person is a public figure, through clues in the media)

  Early nineteenth century – love

  love

  admirer

  aff
ection

  special glances, signals, telepathy, or messages through the media

  letters, phone calls, gifts, and visits

  affection

  love is a ploy to conceal the forbidden love from the rest of the world.[2]

  5 Notes

  fixation.[3]

  cerebral aneurysm.[2]

  4 See also

  Early twentieth century – present: being loved by someone

  [hide]

  Morning Wood

  The 40-Year-Old Virgin

  Your morning wood wakes up before you do,

  tells you to start the day, pisses all

  over the bathroom linoleum floor.

  Your morning wood cooks

  breakfast for one, then rides his bike

  to work, checks in, checks out.

  Your morning wood mutters when

  women ask you questions about

  television sets, mumbles answers.

  Your morning wood surrounds itself

  with plastic men, whose strengths

  are mystical, but clear cells contain them.

  Your morning wood reminds you

  that shame is hermetically

  sealed in a box overlooking your bed.

  Your friends take vigil around your

  morning wood, every night. Pour

  drinks down throats as an amen.

  Some Like It Hot

  But some are very wary of heat, fear

  feeling confused by some woman like her,

  some blonde, some singer, someone with really

  great comedic timing. Some like it flat.

  Some men are way too concerned with being

  mistaken for a woman, even if

  it’s on purpose. Some like it insulting.

  Some savour the way a saxophone tastes,

  compare playing an instrument to

  licking pussy. Some men don’t use euphemisms.

  Some man dressed in demure women’s clothing

  sails away with a man, wig in hand. Some

  woman ends up with the “fuzzy end of

  the lollipop.” Some sigh. Nobody’s perfect.

  Romantic Opposites-Attract Comedies

  Your preferences created this row.

  for Netflix

  He’s a carnivore and she’s a vegetarian: Meat Cute?

  He’s a vampire and you’re a young girl: Sometimes Love Bites.

  She’s an executive and he’s a plumber: Plumb Love II.

  They met online, but he doesn’t even own a computer: will their binary codes match up? XOX010

  He’s an ex-dinosaur and she’s a figment of his imagination: T. R-ex.

  He’s Jennifer Aniston and she’s Brad Pitt: The Love Pitt.

  They met on a cruise and he didn’t tell her he was just a crew member: Lietanic.

  He’s a Republican known for his huge penis and she’s a Democrat who runs a farm: Donkey Lover.

  He’s a DJ and she’s deaf: I Only Hear You.

  He’s a baseball player and she’s a reporter: What Is Glove?

  They meet at the ocean’s edge: There’s No Place Like Foam.

  Screwball Mix ’N’ Match

  BEGINNING

  An upper-crust private eye

  A dotty spinster

  A hapless scientist

  An unstoppable heiress

  A runaway socialite

  A brash sportswriter

  A headstrong political columnist

  A love-struck teenager

  A crooked foursome

  MIDDLE

  is invited to spend the weekend at the estate of a munitions mogul

  helps lonely old gents by poisoning and then burying them in the cellar

  whose dog steals his prize dinosaur bone, and her pet leopard is mistaken for a zoo escapee

  is about to get hitched to a dull insurance agent – that’s if her ex-husband, a ruthless newspaper publisher, doesn’t succeed in winning her back

  in a string of zany misadventures that lead them to realize they’re madly if reluctantly in love

  prepares to marry, but her ex and a tabloid reporter have other ideas as they converge on her home for a fateful visit

  accidentally witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, then get out of town the only way they know how: dressed as women

  trade barbs in print, then meet, fall in love, and walk down the aisle together

  sneaks into the apartment of playboy artist

  commits the heist of the century

  END

  But things heat up on the road when they meet a curvy blonde who plays the ukulele then balancing work and marriage turns out to be a problem and he agrees to date her until her infatuation subsides and soon he’s spouting teen slang and she is affecting an air of sophistication and is about to get away with it all until the London Police arrest one of them, but can the three on the lam persuade their comrade’s lawyer to reveal the stolen loot’s location?

  Sex Scene

  INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT

  An hour or so after MAN and WOMAN have consumed watery-looking wine.

  Dark. So dark. Subtle lighting symbolizes hidden lust. No one sees. Moans uttered. WOMAN’s mouth was previously spouting off on loneliness. MAN’s mouth was chewing rib-eye.

  MAN enters. Or does he? This is rated PG-13. It’s so dark. Heavy breathing. It’s a joke. WOMAN flips a light switch. DOG sits panting heavily. MAN and WOMAN wear artfully rumpled clothing. They smell of fraud and regret.

  MAN

  You make me want to make love

  like a better man.

  WOMAN

  Make the bed. It’s filthy.

  Fade out. Because it’s not time yet. This is a misstep. The real sex scene will happen later in a trailer on a lot with crew smoking nearby.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. PARK – DAY

  Yes. Day. Too light. Too sunshiny for anyone to have a hard-on.

  It’s days after they’ve discovered their friends have been talking to each other about them.

  WOMAN

  I don’t feel beautiful and/or sexy for

  a variety of reasons that are both personal

  and systemic

  societal issues.

  MAN

  I am going to make mistakes

  that will make

  my penis look appealing.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. MEN’S UNDERPANTS – NIGHT

  This is months after a searing misunderstanding between MAN and WOMAN drove them to opposite corners of the office.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. WOMAN’S BRA – NIGHT

  One second after the shot of the underpants.

  CUT TO:

  INT. MAN’S MOUTH – NIGHT

  A few seconds after the bra is discreetly removed.

  CUT TO:

  INT. VAGINA - NO TIME MARKER

  No one is allowed to film inside here.

  CUT TO:

  INT. – NIGHT? SOMETIME LATER IN THE PITCH BLACK

  EXT. – TWO PAIRS OF GLISTENING LIPS

  INT. – UNIDENTIFIED CROOK IN THE BODY

  EXT. – DUVET TOO EXPENSIVE FOR CHARACTER TO AFFORD

  INT. – BRAIN – UNSURE OF TIME, CONFUSED

  EXT.

  INT.

  EXT.

  MAN

  . . .

  WOMAN

  . . .

  Fade out. Out of pity. Nothing to see here.

  Sex Scene (revision)

  INT. BEDROOM – NIGHT

  An hour or so after MAN and MAN have consumed watery-looking wine.

  Bright, under the fluorescents.

  MAN weaves hand through hair, makes it worse, messes the comb’s work.

  MAN

  I’m not clean.

  MAN

  I know.

  Camera blurs until the only thing in focus is the television screen.

  CUT TO:

  A FRUIT BOWL.

  Claymation of the banana peeling itself.
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  MAN

  I’m really into symbolism.

  MAN

  They based my character on the dad from ______________.

  CUT TO:

  EXT. MEN’S UNDERPANTS

  CUT TO:

  EXT. MEN’S UNDERPANTS

  CUT TO:

  EXT. MEN’S UNDERPANTS

  CUT TO:

  JOCKSTRAP.

  No one is allowed to film inside here.

  CUT TO:

  INT. – PITCH BLACK

  EXT. – PITCH BLACK

  INT. – ARMPIT HAIR

  EXT. – MEN’S UNDERPANTS

  INT. – PITCH BLACK

  EXT.

  INT.

  EXT.

  MAN

  (quotes something from Mean Girls)

  MAN

  I miss Lindsay Lohan.

  Fade out. Out of pity.

  Your Boobs

  must be covered up

  must have retractable nipples

  must be dealt with in post

  must not be seen by teens

  must wear a bra during all sex scenes

  must be held up by a slightly out-of-date bra

  must pretend to find comfort

  must appear happy

  should bounce around just enough to make them appear happy

  should be alluded to

  should be invisible

  may be used as a comic element

  may be used as a sex prop

  may give a man a black eye for comedic effect

  are abusive

  are offensive

  are the cause of MPAA ratings restrictions

  are changing into fatty monsters

  are twisting dicks into fleshy pretzels

  are taking down whole cities

  are crushing men

  are destructive

  are great orators capable of compelling other breasts to join their cause with powerful speeches, commanding hand gestures, and threats of genocide

  will increase and decrease in size at will

  will increase and decrease in aggression at will

  will ruin the world

  will cause the end of civilization

  Asshole

  this is a compliment in the world of romantic comedies because if you’re interesting you must also be full of something: could be yourself, could be alcohol, could be a particular feeling like rage or despair or regret and you’re almost certainly full of that hilarious bitterness that affects people who blame all of their problems on some person who wronged them, a woman who wanted a hug or a coffee or a declaration louder than a sigh, or a man who couldn’t quite keep quiet even when the point was not to talk about himself or to talk at all, just full, and full of excuses for why things didn’t turn out, why they were dumped unceremoniously, why they are a GOOD GUY, a GOOD GIRL, just human sphincters holding back so much shit.