The Beauty's Beast

by Eddie Cleveland

  Who could love me.

  I don’t think my high school had weekend detention, not that I’d really know. I wasn’t exactly a troublemaker.

  “Hey, buddy! Why don’t you sit down? I can’t see the screen!” Some guy calls out from behind me and I jump back from my hazy thoughts. I awkwardly search around me for a place to sit, like a frantic owl, twisting my head from side to side.

  My eyes stop when I see her. My whole body freezes. I’m not even sure if my heart is beating or my lungs are breathing.

  Sitting on a blanket a few feet away is a woman with the prettiest smile I’ve ever seen. She’s dressed like Cyndi Lauper in a wild dress covering her full frame and torn, fishnet gloves on her hands. I love her outfit, her teased out hair, her twinkling eyes and her beautiful curves, but that smile.

  Wow.

  “Are you Jerry?” She looks right at me and I know for a fact my heart is beating, cause it’s racing in my chest.

  I want to be Jerry. I want to be whoever she wants me to be, but from the hopeful look on her face, I can see I’m about to disappoint another woman.

  “No,” I close the gap between us and stand at the edge of her blanket. Next to her is an old-school picnic basket, like the kind I remember Yogi Bear always tried to steal in the 80’s.

  “Oh,” she looks down and that sharp twisting feeling comes back to my gut. I knew she’d be disappointed. “Looks like I got stood up then,” she murmurs.

  “Anyone that would stand you up is an idiot,” I don’t mean to say it so loud.

  People around us tell me to “Shhh!” like a pack of angry cats hissing at me in the dark.

  “That’s nice of you to say,” she smiles back up at me and I suddenly don’t care what the crowd thinks anymore. To be honest, they almost disappear when I look at her.

  “Nice boom box,” she nods toward my hand.

  “Thanks, I thought it would be fun to run with the whole 80’s thing.”

  “Me too,” she sweeps her gloved hand over her dress. “I, uh, don’t know if you’re meeting someone, or whatever,” she picks at the corner of her blanket shyly, “but, if you want, I have room for you to join me.” I can feel a goofy grin spreading over my face. Before I have a chance to accept, she pats the basket next to her emphatically, “I have lots of snacks too!”

  “I’d love to,” I sit next to her and try not to let myself get drunk from her perfume. She smells like a rose garden. So perfect. She’s as beautiful as a rose too.

  “I’m Chris,” I hold out my hand and she shakes it gingerly.

  “Melody,” she answers.

  Melody. How fitting. Looking at her beautiful smile makes my heart sing.

  Chapter 2 - Melody

  Where has this guy been all my life? Just when I thought this was going to be written off as the worst night ever, Chris stepped in and saved it.

  Life is funny, isn’t it?

  I’ve been sitting here for the past half hour, waiting for a blind date that never showed. That reminds me, I’m going to have to thank my sister for setting that one up. If Chris hadn’t just crossed my path, I’d be sitting here like a loser with a picnic basket full of goodies and my best 80’s outfit I could put together.

  Lucky for me he’s really cute too. I check him out as he glances back up to the movie screen. I love how his brown hair falls across his forehead. It gives him a boyish charm. His shoes and boom box are perfect for this marathon, obviously he’s a man who pays attention to the details. And his chocolate brown eyes are soulful and sweet.

  Damn! My cheeks flame up as he catches me looking at him. “Um, would you like some Whoppers?” I dive my hand into the basket and try to pretend I wasn’t just shamelessly checking him out.

  “Sure, that would be great,” he gives me an easy smile and I melt inside. Wait, is he checking me out too? I watch his eyes slide over my body like butter. From the twitching corners of his lips turning up into a smile, I’d say he likes what he sees.

  I feel the heat in my cheeks rush through my entire body, down to my curling toes. I grab the candy and hand him a box. “Here ya go,” I hold it out for him.

  “Thanks,” his hand brushes mine as his eyes hold my gaze. A tingle runs from my fingers, up my arm and my heart beats quicker.

  Damn.

  It feels good to have a guy look at me like he is right now. Like I’m the most beautiful woman he’s ever laid eyes on. I’d be lying if I said I was used to it.

  I’m a big girl. Not that I have a problem with it. I smile when I look in the mirror instead of focusing on what other people think are flaws. I’ve never given much thought to people who don’t like my curves, because they’re not the one for me, right? I need someone who looks at me and loves every inch of my body, loves every layer of my personality, loves me. Not someone who wants to change me.

  Fuck that.

  Still, it would be nice if more people looked at me like Chris is right now, instead of sneering at me like I’ve done something wrong. To hell with those haters. They don’t know what they’re missing.

  “Who is Jerry?” Chris furrows his eyebrows together with concern.

  “Some blind date who stood me up,” I roll my eyes at the rudeness. “Were you supposed to meet anyone here?” I ask cautiously. Silently, I beg fate to let him be single.

  “No, not exactly. I thought I would be bringing someone, but it didn’t work out,” his face pinches.

  “Well, I would say I’m sorry to hear that, but I’d be lying. I’m glad you showed up here when you did,” I look up at him from under my eyelashes.

  Is he blushing? I love that!

  Chris clears his throat and opens the box of candy in his hand. I reach into my basket and pull out a couple of cans of Coke. “Want a drink?”

  “Sure,” he grabs one. “Here, have some of these,” he pours some of the chocolate covered candies into my palm.

  For a moment, we both pretend to watch the movie. Well, I can’t speak for him, but I know I’m pretending. Out of the corner of my eye, I keep studying his face. I like his clean shaven, strong jaw. I love his thick lips.

  Phew! Is anyone else feeling that heatwave? I lean into him, “Do you like the Breakfast Club?”

  “I love all of John Hughes’s work, but this one is my favorite,” he murmurs.

  “Mine too,” I answer honestly.

  “Did you know the scene where they all confess about their real problems was all off script?” He looks over at me and I can’t make myself look away from his deep, brown eyes.

  “No, I didn’t,” I don’t mean to sound so breathy. You’d think he just proposed instead of pedaled some movie trivia.

  “Yeah, John Hughes wrote the script for the movie in, like, two days. But that scene was all improvised,” he explains and I watch him like he’s the most captivating storyteller of all time.

  “That’s the best part of the movie too,” stop staring at his lips. Look away from his lips.

  “I know! It brings it all together,” his face lights up as he agrees.

  Our faces are so close now, I still can’t stop staring at his mouth. Willing his full lips to kiss me. Imagining what it would feel like to let myself be wild and free and just give in to my primal urges.

  “Hey, Romeo! Miss Piggy! Shut the fuck up, will ya? Some of us actually want to watch the movie!”

  I turn my head toward the obnoxious group behind us just as one of the guys throws a handful of popcorn at us. All of the hundreds of butterflies that were just tickling my insides with their tiny wings fluttering seem to die and sink in my stomach like lead.

  Great, just what we need, some loser who peaked in grade eleven spoiling what was turning into the best night I’ve had in a long time.

  The worst part is, Chris has pulled away from me. His back is stiff and his jaw is set. He probably won’t stay with me much longer. I can already feel the heat between us cool. The moment is ruined.

  Chapter 3 - Chris

  I take a deep breath, bu
t my blood is still boiling. Who the fuck do these guys think they are?.

  I grit my teeth together as images of jock bullies spin through my mind like a merry-go-round of sadness.

  All my life, I’ve stepped back and been stepped on by guys like them.

  Not tonight.

  “Hey, why don’t you shut up!” I jump to my feet and point at the guys behind us.

  “Excuse me?” A man in his late twenties with bleach blond tips in his otherwise dark hair and a sharp nose snarls at me. “Did you hear this guy? There’s no way this loser is talking to me, right?” He looks away from me to his friend.

  “No way,” his sidekick chirps back. He squints his blue eyes at me. I’ve gotta admit, these two could take me. They’re bigger than me and there’s more of them than me. But, I don’t care, I’m not letting douchebags like them ruin any more moments in my life.

  “Listen, I’m sorry if you thought we were being too loud, but throwing popcorn at Melody is a shitty thing to do. And calling her names? Not cool, guys. I think you should apologize to this beautiful woman right now,” I refuse to back down. I let my anger root my body to the spot and stare them down.

  “Go fuck yourself.” Blond tips jerks his head at me.

  “Look at these two, bullying that poor couple. Terrible!” I hear a woman next to us interrupt.

  “Say you’re sorry. Who do you guys think you are?” Another lady pipes up.

  “Guys, you’re ruining the marathon for everyone. Stop being douchebags,” another twenty-something man chimes in.

  “Yeah!” I can hear the crowd around us turn against them.

  The guys look around and shrink a little, like they’re trying to fold in on themselves. “All right, all right!” the sidekick holds up his hands and the people around us quiet down. “Listen, we’re sorry, okay?”

  I don’t answer him. Instead I glare at the bottle blond, “And you?”

  “Fine, whatever, sorry.” He doesn’t look at me or Melody, but I still feel like I won a major victory as I sit back down next to the woman who I was willing to lose a couple teeth to defend.

  I smile at Melody and she leans into me. Our lips hover for only a second and we kiss. Her lips are so soft, so sensual. My body lights up with desire as our tongues collide and I cup her face, wishing I could kiss her forever.

  When we break free from our kiss, I’m vaguely aware that we have people commenting and ‘awwwwing’ at us. I throw my shoulders back proudly, even if the tips of my ears turn bright crimson with embarrassment.

  “Hey, do you have a car?” Melody whispers, her voice hoarse.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “What do you say we get out of here?” She looks up at me and I almost feel like I might explode with happiness. That look in her eyes, the way she’s biting her lip and staring at me like I’m the sexiest man she’s ever seen, it makes me understand why men have crossed oceans, built castles and traveled to the ends of the earth, all in the name of love.

  “Sure, let’s go,” I agree.

  Melody quickly packs up her basket and I hold out my hand, helping her to her feet. With my boom box in hand and my other arm around Melody, I hold my head high as I escort her to my car.

  Finally, a win for the little guy.

  Chapter 4 - Melody

  “This is mine,” Chris nods at the navyblue car and leads me over to the passenger side door.

  My jaw hangs when he opens the door for me. “What?” He smiles down at me.

  “I’ve never had anyone open the car door for me before,” I admit.

  “No? That’s too bad for them,” he answers coyly.

  “What do you mean?” I look up into his face, only an inch from mine.

  “Because then they don’t get to do this,” he wraps his arm around me and pulls me in for a long, unhurried kiss. Thankfully, he holds me close, even when he lifts his lips from mine. I’m so lightheaded I might fall over if he wasn’t.

  “You have a great point there,” I whisper.

  Chris drops his hand from my waist and opens the door wider as I get into the car. He slams it shut and quickly gets in on his side, bringing the engine to life with a twist of the key.

  “So, where to?” He tilts his head and looks over at me. It takes all of my self-discipline not to tell him to turn off the car so I can jump him.

  I’ve never met a man who was so sweet and sexy at the same time.

  “I have an idea, how about somewhere quiet?” I propose.

  “Like where?”

  “I’ll lead the way, it’s not far. First we need to get to Robinson Drive.”

  Chris backs out of the parking spot and drives us out to the main road. The car is silent, but strangely, it’s not uncomfortable. There’s something about him, I glance over at how the moonlight and street lights flicker over his handsome face like a strobe light in a club.

  “So, are you just a fan of 80’s movies? Or do you like the music too?” Chris glances over at me and catches me checking him out again. At least now, in the darkness of the car, he won’t see me blush.

  “I love it all. It was such a fun time, you know? Well, I mean, I was just a kid so I don’t remember all the politics and stuff like that. But, there’s just so much upbeat and happy music that came from that time. So many classic movies. And, who could ever forget the hair, right?” I brush my fingers through my crimped locks and they tangle up. I can’t help but laugh. Smooth, Melody.

  Chris laughs too, but not at me. Not like those jerks he dealt with at the park. Damn that was hot, watching him stand up for me. My pussy clenches and my breathing grows quick and shallow just thinking about it.

  “Turn right up here,” I point to the sign ahead.

  “Sure,” Chris flashes me a grin and I can’t help but return it. I’ve never felt so instantly comfortable around anyone before. Like I’ve met someone who gets me, even though we barely know anything about each other.

  Chris navigates the road that winds up into a gravel, twisting path that’s just wide enough for the one car.

  “Ugh, where does this lead?” He doesn’t move his eyes off the bumpy road as the streetlights disappear behind us.

  “You’ll love it, I swear,” I hold my hand over my heart and purposely don’t answer his question. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

  As he slowly brings the car to the summit, it becomes clear why I chose this spot. Soon, Chris and I are dead silent as we look down onto the twinkling lights of the city below. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I look at him.

  “No, it’s great. But you’re beautiful,” his voice is thick and my nipples grow taut as his words wrap around me like a blanket.

  My blanket!

  “Hey, how about we go look outside, you’ve gotta see the stars from up here. It’s crazy.” I don’t wait for him to answer, not that he’s arguing.

  Grabbing the blanket, I unbuckle my seatbelt and go outside. My feet crunch in the rocks and dirt as I meet him in front of the car.

  “We could lay this on the ground and look for shooting stars,” I hold up the tattered quilt.

  “Nah, I’ve got a better idea,” he gently grabs it from my hand and spreads it out over the hood of his car. Chris climbs up easily and holds out his hand to me.

  I grab it and he helps me slide up beside him. It feels so natural to lie my head on his arm. Around us, we can hear nature’s music of crickets chirping a sweet song and we lay back against the windshield and stare up into the night sky.

  “I never imagined my night would go this way,” his voice is distant, like he’s deep in thought.

  “Me neither,” I admit. “I couldn’t have imagined a night this amazing,” I confess.

  “Sometimes, it just feels like things are meant to be, you know?” He asks dreamily. “Like, if you hadn’t been stood up tonight and my night didn’t fall apart, I never would’ve met you. If just one thing would’ve gone right for us tonight, the way it was planned, then we would’ve been stuck with the wrong out
come for a long time.”

  “I like that,” I muse, smiling over at him. “Because it went so wrong, it ended up so right.”

  “Exactly,” Chris leans over me and looks down at my lips hungrily. I want to taste his kiss so bad, but I love how he drags it out. How he waits until I’m begging him with my eyes to finally press his lips into mine. This time, I can feel the urgency on his tongue. Chris runs his hand over my body, sliding it up under my dress, his fingers brush over my underwear and my pussy clenches with desire.

  “I want to kiss all of you, Melody,” he murmurs.

  Before I have a chance to do anything more than nod, Chris slides off the hood of the car and wraps his hands around each of my ankles. Giving me a yank, I slide easily on the blanket to the edge of the hood and squeal with delight as he easily maneuvers me.

  Damn he’s sexy.

  Chris locks his eyes on mine and lowers his head between my legs. His fingers push the hem of my dress up and over my thick thighs until my panties are exposed. He drops his head over my pussy and blows his hot breath over me, then breathes in deep, like he can’t get enough of my natural perfume.

  I squirm with anticipation under him as he slowly drags his fingers under the edge of my underwear and I lift my hips as he guides them down over my plump ass and down still until they’re hanging off one foot.

  Chris licks his lips like he’s about to savor the most delicious dessert and brings them down onto mine. His tongue delves into my mound and I cry out at the immediate pleasure he brings to me.

  Expertly, he swirls his tongue over my clit and I throw my arms up over my head and arch my back. He licks along the inside of my lips before plunging his tongue deep into my center and then slowly sliding it back to my sensitive nub again.

  I cry out, moaning into the night, competing with the crickets and the faded noise of the city below for the attention of the moon above. Damn, his tongue game is amazing!