Just a bite
Sometimes, the beast remains just a beast.
They smile at each other foolishly and lovingly. The night has shattered the reflection of the streetlight from the river directly onto her face.
He can’t believe how beautiful she is. She isn’t the most beautiful woman he has seen, not even the most beautiful one he has slept with, but she was unique.
She changed his life; she saw a light in him when he saw only darkness within. With her, he could be himself. No more need for games and masks that he used to keep other people at a distance.
What is happening between them is true, and there’s no need to hide from the truth.
Finally, he is happy.
They walk hand in hand as the wind blows snow into their faces. Still holding their intertwined fingers, he puts them in the spacious pocket of his coat. Their eyes meet, and a kiss replaces the smiles instantly.
The wind dances around them with snowflakes, and they spin with it on this crazy ball of emotions. Everything is as it should be.
The night smells like cloves and mulled wine, and the kisses taste like cinnamon. The sky bends over them as its whiteness merges with the ground. The whole world bows to their love.
The wind continues to wildly swirl snowflakes on the dance floor, as if screaming in frustration that it can’t hold them back, while they happily dance around it. In madness, it unleashes its anger on the two lovers holding hands and occasionally kissing.
It attacks them, but they are invincible, unbreakable.
She is happy. The cold and the wind, seemingly conspiring against them, don’t bother her.
While he is holding her hand in his pocket, she feels the warmth of his touch spreading throughout her body. Slowly taking her hand out of the coat, he gently presses it to his lips and then returns it.
This simple gesture makes her ecstatic. This man loves her entire being. She feels loved and secure, and nothing in the world can disturb that.
No wind, no darkness, no force can ruin this moment.
As they stroll through the night, the path leads them back to the city from the riverbank.
The wind has successfully cleared the street of people.
Of course, it worked with those lonely husks, but it won’t succeed with these two lovers. They are unbeatable.
However, as they delve deeper into the city, it’s clear they’re not walking aimlessly. They hurry to respond to the heat burning in their bodies.
They enter an apartment and finally yield to the surge of desire. The fire that burned in them can only be extinguished by complete combustion within it. The flicker that was outside in the wind now turns into a blaze that colors the room red as shadows dance on the walls.
They are perfectly visible in the dark. Their veins pulse as their bodies spin in a cloud of passion.
They make love gently, passionately, and destructively strong at the same time. Their energy disturbs the dreams of tens of thousands of people around them. Nothing can stop them. They demolish worlds, enjoying each other.
In a moment of complete ecstasy, she feels a tremendous pain tearing through her chest. She opens her eyes and sees a stranger. She sees him holding something with both hands, plunged into her chest. She sees the familiar face of the man she loves changing, becoming the embodiment of evil, and then darkness and silence follow.
As he thrusts a large knife into her chest, he feels the blade passing through, breaking the sternum, going through the lungs like butter, and burying itself in the spine, severing it. She won’t suffer for long.
The moment the blade penetrated, she opened her eyes. Her face distorted in a grimace of pleasure and fear. The ecstasy of desire and the deathly spasm create a beautiful portrait.
For a moment, the beauty of that portrait stops him. The excitement of life and the inevitability of death on one face. He should somehow immortalize this moment.
He pulls out the knife with a jerk, then stabs it into her already lifeless body several times. Blood splatters everywhere on his naked body and throughout the room.
He pulls out the heart from the torn chest that has stopped beating-the heart that gave its last beats for him. Holding it in his hand, he contemplates the irony of the situation.
While looking at the heart he just tore form the woman of his life, he has an irresistible desire to taste it. Almost unconsciously, without a real decision, his teeth tear off a piece and takes a bite. After the first bite, he continues to eat more eagerly until he devours it entirely.
He tries to wipe himself with bloody hands, but only smears the red mask even more. Using a discarded piece of her clothing, he wipes his face.
He continues to prepare in the bathroom routinely, as if getting ready for work in the morning. Twenty minutes later, he leaves the apartment where the love of his life used to live.
He takes one last look at her as he closes the door. A smile plays on his lips.
Sometimes, even the greatest love doesn’t turn a beast into a prince. Sometimes, the beast remains just a beast.