He reveled in her beauty as he sliced off a bite-size portion of the meat on his plate . She sat across the table from him , frozen in ageless grace .
“ We had good times , you and I ,” he said , placing the morsel in his mouth . “ I know . I know . They weren ’ t all good , but you have to admit , when they were good , man were they ever good !” he mused between chomps . Her unwavering scrutiny caused him to lose his train of thought , not an uncommon occurrence . Her eyes were the palest blue he had ever seen , the kind that made you think of springtime and candy .
He thought back to the night when he lost himself in those eyes for the very first time . He had memorized every angle of her face . Her blonde bangs brushed the edges of her perfectly crafted eyebrows . Her pixie-like musculature animated her flawlessly porcelain skin . The bow of her lip seemed to caress every word she spoke . Downloading a dating app was the happiest event of his life .
“ Do you remember how we met ?” he asked . She remained silent as he incised another bite . “ I answered some stupid questions on a website and it spit out your name . Nothing serious was supposed to come from it , just fun ; but I knew as soon as I saw you that you were the one .” He giggled to himself , nibbling on the succulent gobbet .
He trimmed off more pieces of meat as he continued reminiscing . “ You know , I remember every detail of our first date . The roll of your hips as you walked into the restaurant . The musical tones of your laughter when I made some snarky joke . You wore a sparkly black sweater that made you itch like crazy . You even dribbled a little sauce on it as you slurped up your noodles . You were my dream girl .” Her stoicism prompted his brow to furrow as sadness set in .
A meaty chunk dangled from his fork . He consumed it slowly , letting the hush between them fill the void . Lingering in the reality of their present situation , he swallowed hard . “ You are mine .” he growled , glaring into the dish before him . “ You always have been , always will be .” Anger seeped into his voice as he slashed into the unfinished wedge of bloody flesh .
The end of their date was the turning point . He walked her to a taxi parked outside the restaurant , like a gentleman should . They hugged and he felt goose bumps prickle his spine . He buried his nose in hair , inhaling the scent of wild berries and she pushed him away . She was so playful . The connection between them was palpable ; he felt it deeply and he knew she did too . He gathered his confidence and went in to give her a kiss . She turned away and his lips grazed her ear .
The memory infuriated him . He impaled a massive lump of meat with his fork . “ You certainly knew how to play hard-to-get , didn ’ t you ?” he seethed bitterly , shoving the large portion into his mouth as experienced emotions rushed through him .
He had felt so confused and dumbstruck . She got into the cab and rode away as if they didn ’ t just share the most life-altering evening of their lives . Together they created the kind of magic you read about in fantasy novels . There had to have been some mistake or miscommunication . He waved down a taxi of his own and instructed the driver to follow her .
She lived in a decent part of town ; He had to admit that he was impressed . He wasn ’ t expecting squalor by any means , but judging by their last interaction on the sidewalk , he didn ’ t exactly expect the type of neighborhood where sensibility would be a necessity . His cab caught up to hers as she was getting out in front of a utilitarian looking three story , brick apartment building , the kind that might have once been an old high