Beast

by Debra Anastasia

I knew who he was before he introduced himself. Jeans and a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head. The hem of the material hid his face like he was the grim reaper. Or a dementor.

Ladies love the abs. And I had countless sets all over my body. Even on my penis. I have penis abs.

Hendrix Lemon. She went by Henry, as far as the graffiti could tell me.

met me, it will help you with the pain of the loss of my presence tonight now that you know I exist.”

I felt like she had slapped me in the feelings a little bit, but I didn’t let it show.

This fear he had that all women were falling in love with him. Because he was terrified that one never actually would.

It was how to cherish a woman. This wasn’t a drunken bar kiss. This was a kiss that told fairytales.

I owed it to her to keep trying to put myself out there. To get it right.

“Look at you. Hendrix, you’re the most gorgeous woman in the world.” And to me, right then, he was the most gorgeous man in the world. Every inch of him.

She besotted me. I saw a future, I saw kids. I saw us going at each other in a nursing home and dying on the same day. And she terrified me. This was the kind of helium love that rose so quickly I was scared it could pop.