Look the Part

by Jewel E. Ann

“When people touch, they no longer feel like strangers. It’s a feeling. When humans share feelings, they connect on an intimate level. It’s why I love music. It can go deeper than words. Rhythm is the heartbeat of your soul.”

Flint embodies the opposite of every man I’ve known. I don’t want the familiar—because it broke me. I don’t want the predictable—because it’s nothing more than a heartbreaking illusion.

My brain shuts down as I fist his hair with one hand and slide the crotch of my panties to the side with my other hand. To hell with death. I refuse to die until I’ve truly lived. I lean into his body, searching for the ultimate connection.

I can’t look at him because if this is goodbye, then I want to feel it. I want to remember this rhythm that my heart falls into only when he touches me.

“Sometimes the world ends and forgets to take you with it. I get it.”

“And you’re the first breath of oxygen that’s touched my lungs in ten years,” he whispers in my ear.

“Feelings are our greatest compass. They will always lead you to the truth.”

“Never regret loving someone. Do it for you, not for them.”

I want to be his greatest strength—and his greatest weakness. I want to be where he hides his lies and finds his truth.

I love being in Flint’s world. It’s tragic. It’s complicated. It’s filled with obstacles. But … It’s passionate. It’s addictive. It’s the deepest kind of love. It’s everything.