Looks Can Be Deceiving

I looked down at my outfit, making sure it looked alright, despite what just happened. Tally and Ryan’s loud voices echoed through our room as they made it to our bedroom.
“Pandora!” Tally shouted, “Do you like the room?”
“I really do. Thank you so much for saving us the best one. It has a killer view.” Austin winked at me from behind his two friends.
“Now,” Ryan stood next to Austin, “don’t get too attached to this guy. He comes with the room, and there’s a daily fee of one hundred dollars for every day that you rent him out.”
“One hundred’s a little high. He’s a bit of a letdown…” I frowned. Austin’s mouth dropped open as he stuck out his bottom lip.
“I know, I know, but he was the only rental we had available for the night. He doesn’t exactly meet our qualifications, but he’s the only one we could find with a decent looking face,” Tally admitted, playing along.
“Yeah, we found him working on the corner,” Ryan shook his head, patting Austin on the shoulder.
“I’ll cut the price down to fifty,” Tally offered.
“Still a bit much… is there any way I can exclude him from my room package? Or does he come with every purchase?”
“No can do buttercup. He’s mandatory,” Ryan sighed.
“Screw you guys!” Austin laughed, crossing his arms. “I’m worth way more than a hundred dollars. You’re lucky you’re getting me for that much! I’m usually much more, but that’s only for the people who can afford it,” he smirked.
“Did he just call us poor?” Ryan whispered to Tally.
“I think he did,” Tally nodded.
“Well, I think we’ll leave you to it with this cocky peasant. He doesn’t deserve to be in our presence,” Ryan stood up, smiling at Austin. “Enjoy your room guys’.”
“Thanks, man,” Austin hugged his two friends, looking back to me. “I’ll be right back, love,” he smiled. I nodded as he left, showing Ryan and Tally out to the door. I lie down on the comfortable hotel bed and closed my eyes, replaying the image of Austin hovering above me. He was so gentle and patient with me. The bed sunk down a little as Austin lie down next to me. I could feel him watching me. I opened my eyes and smiled up at him in the dark. He ran his fingertips down my arm, keeping his head propped up on his hand. “You’re so perfect, you know?” I laughed, looking up to the ceiling.
“No…” I shook my head. “You’ve got me all wrong.”
“Do I?” he raised an eyebrow. “Explain it to me, then.”
“I wasn’t going to explain it to you at all. I didn’t want you to know.”
“If I don’t know, then how will I ever get to know you better?”
“What if it’s not something that will draw you closer to me?” I whispered.
“I don’t care. It’s a part of you. And to me, you’re wonderful despite it.”
“How can you say that and not even know what it is?”
“Because whatever it is won’t change how I feel about you.” I had never told anyone about my illness besides two close friends who’d ran from me when I did. Only my family knew and that was from experience. I’d rather have Austin hear it from me than observe it from me. Warm tears fell from my eyes, rolling down my face and into my hair. “Pandora, there’s no reason to cry,” Austin frowned, wiping away the salty drops with his thumb.
“I don’t want you to think I’m sick… I’ll scare you off and you’ll leave...”
“No, I’m not going anywhere. If you’re sick, I’ll take care of you.”
“You can’t,” I sighed, finally looking up to him. “You can’t fix me or make any of it go away.”
“I may not be able to, but at least you won’t have to go through it all alone,” he smiled. His arm was now draped across my stomach, comforting the sick feeling that had taken place.
“Sometimes my conscience brings company.” I scanned Austin’s face for some sort of realization, but he remained silent as he analyzed my words. “They say things I don’t want to hear and I end up fighting with them; with myself. Does that make sense?” He seemed to understand, but he remained calm.
“Why would that make me run from you, Pandora?”
“Because who wants to be around a freak, Austin?” I pressed my brows together, my gaze meeting his. He slowly shook his head.
“No, that’s not what you are at all.”
“Yes it is,” I fought, blocking out his words.
“Stop, Pandora. A part of you may be off at times, but you’re not a freak. You’re not locked up like an animal. You’re lying in bed with me, carrying on a conversation, just like a normal person.”
“But I’m not normal…” I cried, hiding my eyes behind my hands. Austin lay down beside me and pulled me into his chest as I sobbed.
“Look at me,” he whispered, moving my hands from my eyes. “Don’t worry about me leaving. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. As I said before, this doesn’t change how I feel about you. I don’t look at you any differently or see you as a different person. You’re still Pandora and you’re perfect to me.” He leaned down to kiss me. “Okay?” I nodded, too tired to argue. He proceeded to move down my neck and shoulder, to the spot he was at before his friends arrived. He buried his nose in my hair, pressing his lips to the skin behind my ear. I closed my eyes, feeling sleepy as he left kisses on my body. “Get some sleep, alright?” he whispered. I nodded, pressing my hand to his warm chest.
“Are you… staying in here with me?” I slurred, trying to stay awake. He smiled and nodded before getting up. I listened to him shuffle around the room to turn off the lights. I rolled my head over and opened my eyes to see the city lights bright outside the window. Austin got back in bed behind me, wrapping one of his arms around me, pulling my back to his chest. I smiled, knowing I had found a perfect man.
“Austin?” His name barely came out of my dry throat.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Thanks for understanding.”
“Of course… don’t ever feel like you can’t tell me something, though.”
“I just was afraid of what you’d think.” He laid his chin in the crook of my neck.
“Don’t worry about it anymore, just close your eyes and get some sleep.” I laced my fingers with his and closed my eyes, feeling his heart beat against my back.

Notes