Picture 2
Jen DeSantis’s Picture Choice: 2
Title: Confessions
An ice cube cracked and floated to the top, displacing the others as the straw bobbed in the soda. A pregnant drop of condensation trailed lazily down the side, collecting in a pool at the base of the glass.
“Are you going to drink it?” Ron asked.
“No.”
He drummed his fingers on the table in annoyance. Waste of any food or drink made him angry; now I understood why. He couldn’t enjoy it himself, being what he was, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat or drink anything. My brain raced with all of the new information.
“Look, this doesn’t change anything,” he insisted.
“Seriously?”
Ron sat back in the booth, his long, jean-clad legs sprawled out in front of him, encroaching on my personal space. He looked the same as he had yesterday when we’d had a leaf fight in my dad’s backyard. It seemed impossible, but nothing about him had changed since he told me the truth. Except everything had changed, at least in my head.
“How can you even say that with a straight face?” I pressed. “What you told me … what you are … how do I even get past that?”
“You either do or you don’t. There’s nothing more I can say.”
I pushed the plate of fried food away from myself and crossed my arms. Ron sighed, pursing his lips.
“You didn’t have to tell me,” I whispered.
His strange, blue eyes faltered for a moment and he sat up. His hand snaked through the litter of plates on our table, navigating its way to my side. I stared at it, resting palm up in surrender. The lines I loved to trace when he slept – pretended to sleep, I reminded myself – were the same. My eyes traveled up his arm, noting the fine golden hairs and the deceiving blue veins below the surface. Not human, my mind whispered harshly.
“No. I didn’t.”
“Then why?”
Despite my fear, my fingers sought out his. The thrill of his touch rushed up my arm, making the hair on my arm stand on end. He curled his powerful hand around mine and pulled me closer, until our noses were almost touching.
“Because even a demon like me desires to be known by the one he loves.”
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Jen DeSantis is a Horror and Paranormal Author and host of the #FridayPictureShow. She lives near Philly with her family. In her spare time, she is an aspiring ninja.
#DailyPicspiration
Nice job, Jen! Like the descriptiveness and the fact that Ron offered the information rather than being "found out."
ReplyDeleteSarah
I love this, Jen. The details made the image so clear, I felt like I was sitting there with them. Opening the soda...so misleading. I couldn't have expected the end, even though I suspected he wasn't human midway through. Lovely dialogue, believable interactions, great emotion. Perfect start for #Picspiration.
ReplyDeleteThat was brilliant. Him being a demon was wonderfully unexpected, though it was obvious that he was something not human even before you told us, but demon? Lovely. I also really liked the detail that he is bothered that he can't eat or drink. That one small detail tells us much about him.
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much. :) I have a soft spot for demons and think they're one of the traditional "monsters" that are really underdone these days. I'm so glad you liked Ron; I'm sure these two will be back in future weeks.
ReplyDeleteJen, this is terrific!! Loved all the little details that showed us the world was still the same, even if her reality had just been irrevocably altered!! You kicked off Daily Picspiration in high style!! :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting us off to such a great start...
ReplyDeleteGreat start. Who hears the confessions of demons, anyway?
ReplyDeleteYou and your demons. LOL I loved this. You've humanized the demon a little, but in a good way.
ReplyDeleteWow, Jen. Great stuff! Loved the characters and the tension between them had me power-reading to the end. :D
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