--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He catches my face between his hands, his…" description: "\"“He catches my face between his hands, his painted fingernails twinkling like stars, and when he kisses me it feels a bit like fear and tastes a bit li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg" --- # He catches my face between his hands, his painted… ![“He catches my face between his hands, his painted fingernails twinkling like stars, and when he kisses me it feels a bit like fear and tastes a bit like tears, but it’s as bright and sweet as sherbet, and I decide to call it joy.” quote by Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg) > ““He catches my face between his hands, his painted fingernails twinkling like stars, and when he kisses me it feels a bit like fear and tastes a bit like tears, but it’s as bright and sweet as sherbet, and I decide to call it joy.”” [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a kiss that mixes fear, tears, and joy, likening it to bright sherbet. **In simple terms:** A kiss feels both frightening and sweet, like sherbet. Key Takeaway Embrace complex emotions in love. Themes love emotion paradox Mood romantic introspective Type poetic sensory When to use this quote - intimacy - personal relationships - self‑reflection Key Concepts sensory imagery romantic expression Questions to Reflect On - What emotions do you associate with love? - How do you reconcile fear and joy? A Different Perspective Joy may mask underlying fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss/) [Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kisses/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“Whatever the internal mechanism that moderated the human capacity for joy, mine had long been broken beyond repair. And I knew this was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/whatever-the-internal-mechanism-that-moderated-the-human-capacity-for/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“Across the moon-pale scar that marred my forearm, Darian danced in dark ink, the gracefully curving edges of his name unravelling into a spill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/across-the-moon-pale-scar-that-marred-my-forearm-darian-danced-in/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“In the past, I walk between green lawns, surrounded by golden stone. In the past, I am brilliant and I am happy and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/in-the-past-i-walk-between-green-lawns-surrounded-by-golden-stone-in/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“...I would have told a thousand lies to have him, and a thousand more to keep him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/i-would-have-told-a-thousand-lies-to-have-him-and-a-thousand-more-to/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“I’m not here because I’m broken. I’m here because I’m whole. Difficult, potentially undeserving, but whole. And I don’t need you, I just want you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/i-m-not-here-because-i-m-broken-i-m-here-because-i-m-whole-difficult/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“He kissed me. And it was the most Oliver kiss. His hands cupping my face gently to draw me to him, and his lips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-kissed-me-and-it-was-the-most-oliver-kiss-his-hands-cupping-my/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“How long has it been since you and me? Hugs and kisses. Blankets and snuggles. Our sparks smoldering without a fireplace. Losing time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2019-fidelis-o-mkparu/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-and-me-hugs-and-kisses-blankets-and/) 2019 Fidelis O Mkparu > [Unexpected kisses are the best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unexpected-kisses-are-the-best/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I wrap my uninjured arm around him, pulling him against me. My fingers find the hem of his T-shirt, and slide beneath it, spreading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wrap-my-uninjured-arm-around-him-pulling-him-against-me-my-fingers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Happiness is…tender puppy kisses on my nose...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-squires/happiness-is-tender-puppy-kisses-on-my-nose/) Terri Squires > [I like kisses that aren't too fast or rushed - that's what makes a good kiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-tomlinson/i-like-kisses-that-aren-t-too-fast-or-rushed-that-s-what-makes-a-good/) [Louis Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-tomlinson/) > [“ Peter! Were you looking for a horse-shoe?" "No; I was expecting the horse, but the shoe is a piece of pure, gorgeous luck."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/peter-were-you-looking-for-a-horse-shoe-no-i-was-expecting-the-horse/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“When this man kisses like this, he doesn’t just kiss you, he owns you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-ashley/when-this-man-kisses-like-this-he-doesn-t-just-kiss-you-he-owns-you/) [Victoria Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-ashley/) > [“Don’t,” he murmurs, then kisses me lightly. “Why don’t you like to be touched?” I whisper, staring up into soft gray eyes. “Because I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/don-t-he-murmurs-then-kisses-me-lightly-why-don-t-you-like-to-be/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [That moment when the long kisses become pecks... when long talks become one word sentences.. when long nights together gets replaced by her friends...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-teal/that-moment-when-the-long-kisses-become-pecks-when-long-talks-become/) Devin Teal ## More by Alexis Hall > [“Behind my eyelids, I saw him dancing in spirals of coloured light, emerald, blue, and brilliant purple, enfolding him like the wings of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/behind-my-eyelids-i-saw-him-dancing-in-spirals-of-coloured-light/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“He kissed me. And it was the most Oliver kiss. His hands cupping my face gently to draw me to him, and his lips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-kissed-me-and-it-was-the-most-oliver-kiss-his-hands-cupping-my/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“All sense, all judgement, overthrown by a h-dropping, glottal-stopping glitter pirate, and I didn't have to care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/all-sense-all-judgement-overthrown-by-a-h-dropping-glottal-stopping/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“Shut up. For the love of Jesus fucking Christ on a moose , shut up. I'm trying to get off here." He fell on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/shut-up-for-the-love-of-jesus-fucking-christ-on-a-moose-shut-up-i-m/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“When I was lost in the fog, it was as though nothing else existed. And, afterwards, it seemed incomprehensible that I had ever really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/when-i-was-lost-in-the-fog-it-was-as-though-nothing-else-existed-and/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“Are we going to kick arse and take names, Miss Kane?" "I was thinking we'd maybe just ask them some questions. Politely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/are-we-going-to-kick-arse-and-take-names-miss-kane-i-was-thinking-we/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“So, lemme get this right. We're gonna make a go of it. You and me? Togevver? Even though I'm orange and you're mental?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/so-lemme-get-this-right-we-re-gonna-make-a-go-of-it-you-and-me/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“You're late," said Death. "Something came up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/you-re-late-said-death-something-came-up/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“He grinned, teeth and dimples and freckles moving like dust in a ray of sunlight. "Ayup, petal." Oh ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-grinned-teeth-and-dimples-and-freckles-moving-like-dust-in-a-ray/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“Bitter experience has taught me that you don't engage with intellectually superior wankers who make long speeches about moral relativism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/bitter-experience-has-taught-me-that-you-don-t-engage-with/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“Did happiness always used to be this complicated?" Amy asked after a bit. I shrugged, " I have no idea. Happiness and I are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/did-happiness-always-used-to-be-this-complicated-amy-asked-after-a/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“But I would fight for Darian. Sacrifice be damned, selfish or not, hopeless or not, I would fight for Darian. I had not expectations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/but-i-would-fight-for-darian-sacrifice-be-damned-selfish-or-not/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“My world was one of only broken images, like I was standing always on the threshold of a mirror, unable to tell the reflection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/my-world-was-one-of-only-broken-images-like-i-was-standing-always-on/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“I knew how to be a friend, a lover, a partner. I knew how to make someone feel cherished and seen and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/i-knew-how-to-be-a-friend-a-lover-a-partner-i-knew-how-to-make/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) > [“When you say together . . ." "It'll help if I'm close to you physically." "I bet you say that to all the girls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/when-you-say-together-it-ll-help-if-i-m-close-to-you-physically-i-bet/) [Alexis Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) [Explore all 99 Alexis Hall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He catches my face between his hands, his painted fingernails twinkling like stars, and when he kisses me it feels a bit like fear and tastes a bit like tears, but it’s as bright and sweet as sherbet, and I decide to call it joy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexis Hall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his-painted-fingernails/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his-painted-fingernails/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87a/alexis-hall-3236_fear_he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his_1754565.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He catches my face between his hands, his painted fingernails twinkling like stars, and when he kisses me it…” — Alexis Hall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexis Hall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-hall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He catches my face between his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his-painted-fingernails/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-hall/he-catches-my-face-between-his-hands-his-painted-fingernails/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```