Marie was a lonely outcast. She was 18 and had just started university, studying literature and history. She enjoyed reading; this was her escape and solace. She had always felt a need to escape from a seemingly lonely, desolate reality. Nobody seemed to like her, she always felt invisible--or worse, often she had been the subject of the cruel taunts young people can dish out to the weaker or more unusual among them.
She was about 5'7", extremely thin. Unhealthily so, really--she looked quite bony and gaunt, and had a fine downy hair on her body if you looked closely, typical of underweight young women. But she wasn't anorexic, she just seemed naturally to have this body type. She had very small breasts, maybe the size of large grapes, and she was quite embarrassed about them. She always hid her figure under her usual attire of second-hand sweaters, which usually had that dank smell of clothing stored in a basement for years. She had straight light brown hair, just past her shoulders. Her face was pale and a little bit sickly-looking, and had a flatness to it which reminded one of a character from a medieval painting. She had blue-grey eyes, which could have been more striking were it not for her unhealthy palor. She tended to have a slightly stooped posture, not from a physical cause, but mainly due to the way her diminutive self-regard translated to her physical movements. She had a small mouth with delicate rosebud lips, but her teeth were very crooked, including one front tooth that jutted forward quite a bit.
She had a shy and quiet personality, and thought herself ugly. She really had no close friends, and so she retreated to the world of her books. She liked to read in a secluded chapel found in one corner of the university campus. Very few people ever visited the chapel area, so she could be guaranteed a quiet, peaceful, private place.
This past Thursday night she noticed to her surprise that someone was sitting behind her, a few pews back, in the chapel. She had been so absorbed in her book that she hadn't noticed him come in. A pang of anxiety struck her, and she felt like leaving. But he must have noticed her concern, and gently rose, approached, and introduced himself.
"Hi" he said. "I'm David."
"Hi" she replied timidly, a slight waver in her voice. Exchanging "hi's" was usually the limit of social contact for Marie. But she felt comforted by the gentle kindness in his voice, and she couldn't help noticing that he was physically a striking beautiful man, 6 feet tall, lean, muscular, blonde hair, deep brown eyes, a dazzling smile, and a look of confidence but gentleness on his face.
"You must be Marie" he said. "Do you mind if I join you for a minute?"
She was shocked that he new her name. How did he find out?
She blushed and nodded awkwardly. He sat down beside her on the pew.
He smiled and looked deeply into her eyes. "I noticed you a few weeks ago, and I asked your locker partner what your name was...I have to confess I have a bit of a crush on you..."
She blushed again and was trembling a bit. She bit her lower lip habitually.
"I think you're very beautiful. And I love how you're always reading, I wish I could be one of your books, you look at them with such love..."
His voice was so sincere, warm, and genuine. And he maintained eye contact the whole time, with a gentle smile.
She didn't quite know what to make of this situation, but she decided right then and there that for once in her life she would ACT, to say "yes" to something, rather than letting opportunities go, or missing them altogether. She didn't understand how anyone could be attracted to her, but this situation somehow felt amazingly right.
She leaned towards him, and smiled a little bit, her face still flushed. He understood the signal, and reached to touch her hair, brushing it gently off her forehead. He bent towards her, cradling her head with his hands, and he kissed her.
She had never kissed anyone before and really, frankly, didn't know what to do.
