Character Introduction A

When I first met them, my first thought was one of jealousy. Their skin was a flawless marble carved into the shape of someone out of a storybook, high cheekbones and a small sharp chin. A pointed button of a nose and angular brows colored to match their effervescent hair. Their eyes were a deep, old mahogany that spoke of years unseen and tales untold. They were eager and kind and quick to learn anything put before them, leaving their mouth to curl up at the edges like pages caught alight. Light spilled from everything they did in a harsh sterility that left everything dazzling and laid bare.

My skin told me I couldn’t trust someone who appeared so effortless. My bones insisted there was more beneath that would show the cracks within them. My eyes chose to look away, waiting for the moment that light would dim and my own glow would stop being swallowed up by theirs.

When I first met them, I was certain they would never truly like me and that I would never be good enough to be accepted the way they so readily were. The littlest things they did to get in my way left my blood streaking through my hands and coloring my eyes. I hated knowing someone else could be so much more likable, more honest, more wanted than I had ever contrived to be.

When I met them again the air felt shifted. My simmering emotions had cooled in the face time and so had theirs. Without the glare, we could see each other and in the reflection of their eyes I could not see their depth but mine.

When I saw their hand reach out, I took it and have not let go.