Beautiful Monster

by Sara Cate

You have no place being in my thoughts, and yet, you own every single one.

If this feeling was a color, I would want to paint it all over my skin, let it seep into my pores, making it a permanent part of me.

It dawns on me when she laughs, the warmth in her voice sounding so familiar

that my attraction to Sunny isn’t just about her body, her age, her innocence but how she makes every goddamn cell in my body come to life. She defines me, accepts me, sees me, and I swear to Christ, it fucking feels like love. And it scares the ever-loving piss out of me.

“I love your scars, Alex. I know that under your skin is a whole lot of shame that you think you need to protect me from, but I won’t leave you for it. I won’t let you try and scare me away.”

Taking her face in my hands, maybe a little too hard between my fingers, I pull her lips just a breath away from mine. “I love you, Sunny.” She blinks, a tear spilling over her lashes. “I love you, too,” she croaks.