To be honest, I never was interested in romance stories. They've always made me a little sick to my stomach. And seeing people in real life madly in love was even worse. I knew it was all a sham. No one ever meets in a foggy field at dawn with romantic music playing (as in Pride and Prejudice), without tripping over a rock, stepping in mud, or having bugs try to fly up your nose. First kisses are hardly ever the kind you see in the movies. How can you not be conscious of your pizza breath? Or his? Or that your stomach is reeling, and despite the fact that you've had a great time with the guy, you really just want to go home and make a mad dash to the toilet? They just don't mention such things. Nevertheless, I found myself waking up from another one of those fleeting glimpses of a perfect world where happily-ever-after is real, and the screen doesn't fade to black when they kiss.