So this one… it’s weird I’m not sure I like it. It’s basically about the Seven Deadly Sins and how this one man has committed them all in pursuit of a woman. I made a stretch for gluttony and made it an overindulgence of anything instead of food in particular, but generally it mostly works I think. I felt really creepy writing it, and if you don’t feel at least a little weird about reading it… Be concerned. The sin in question is throughout the segment in italicized letters, thought I’d be sneaky about it. Enjoy!
Dress her up and have her hold my hand, she’s mine. Show her off, she’s the trophy I’ve won. Look how I kiss her, parade her around for all to see, she’s my greatest accomplishment, she chose me. “Kiss my cheek darling, people are looking.” “Look nicer dear, we want you to make a good impression don’t we?” “What’s the point of it all if there’s no one to show? You’re mine, kissing you in secret won’t do any good.” “Step away, no I’m too tired right now. Paste on a smile, sweetie, look happy.”
She began to raise her voice more often, and other times would go completely silent. “There’s a kind of intimacy in being alone, just us two. So why is it you only kiss me in front of a crowd?” “No, no, that means I love you the most, I’m proud to show you off, kiss me now, darling, we have company.” Her face fell but she complied. This happened every single night, where we’d go out and I’d watch the envy on other’s faces. Again and again. Maybe too many nights.
Her eyes lost their shine but I made sure to add some sparkle whenever we went out. I tired of the facade we had to put up at home as well. I think I got lazy. We’d sit apart and I’d watch her pretend her tears were because of the novels she read as I pretended to believe her. We’d look happy to the world, then come home and listen to the heaviness in the air.
One night I came home to an emptiness. The bed was made, the pillows fluffed, and the walls told me she wasn’t coming back. I kept her happy, I made her my queen. I dressed her up for parties and showed everyone she was mine. The air turned to fire that night. The bed lost its covers and the pillows lost their feathers and I lost her but why would she leave? I heard the blood in my ears and swore she’d regret leaving a man who doted on her so.
I saw her at a party three months later. She was in a dress that looked like evergreen covered with snow and span around the dance floor like an angel. Her eyes glitter blue again as she smiles into the eyes of another man. The world flashed shades of green that night. She belongs to me, not this other man. Every face seemed to mock me as I watched her dance the hours away without me. She was his.
“Whoever that man is, she isn’t his.” I longed for her, she should have never left my sight. The earth turned wrong, the stars weren’t aligned properly, and I needed to fix it. She belonged back with me. She was my trophy, my prize. I had to get her back.
A month later I saw her in a bar. I offered to buy her a drink and she agrees, the first words we’ve said to each other in too long. We get our drinks and sit in silence. Neither of us had anything to say to the other. I watched her sip and took note of the red on her lips. Her dress was a deep burgundy that night. She shifted, uncomfortable under my gaze, and looked away at the dirty floor near her feet. I offered to take her home and she declined. I told her she looked nice. She shook her head and left.
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