My Savage Love for You

A New Friend

Jason

I woke up in a cold sweat. So cold that my nipples were about to rip through my tight-fitted, white, undershirt. I got up and shook off the bad dream with a splash of cold water on my face. I decided to change into black joggers, a black tank top, and a baggy, ripped jean jacket. As I was putting on my red, high-topped Jordans with an extra long tongue, I couldn't help but think about how much I dread going to my sister's photography exhibit. As much as I love my sister and am happy she found her passion for organizing photography events, I find photography to be as entertaining as watching spaghetti boil.

When I arrived at the park, I was immediately startled by the enormous amount of people spread throughout. It looked as if I arrived at Coachella instead of the empty, run-down playground that I was so used to.

"Jason! Over here!" called a woman's voice that I almost couldn't hear due to the loud conversations of the many people nearby. I turned my head toward the sound and saw my sister, Kim, greeting me from afar with a big smile in a long, dark red, summer dress.

I hugged Kim and kissed her on the cheek. She thanked me for coming, but I quickly changed the topic, "Is there another event happening? What's with all of the people?"

"Ackchyually," Kim replied with a sudden annoyance in her tone, "I'm sharing the space with another event today."

"What? Can they even do that?"

"I didn't think they could, but it seems that the park double-booked the outdoor event space today, and here we are. The best part is that the other event happens to be another photo exhibit," Kim said exasperatedly as she pursed her lips.

"But it's not just any photo exhibit..." sighed Kim, "It's Joseph Mannelli's photo exhibition."

"Joseph My-Belly? Who's that?" I asked.

"No, no, it's Joseph Muh-neh-lee," Kim enunciated.

She continued with panic in her voice, "He's one of the best art curators in the city. You can only attend his events through invitation, and of course, only the most respected artists get invited. Anyone who values art would be insane to turn down an invitation to one of his shows! His exhibit's theme is 'childhood' so he chose this park for his venue because he grew up in this neighborhood."

"So... what are you gonna do, Kim?"

"I don't know, Jason!" Kim exclaimed as she raised her hands into the air in hopelessness.

"I guess I'm going to try to not make my small photo exhibit look janky next to his bougie-lookin' exhibition with all of his fancy guests," Kim cried as she began to pace back and forth.

*Ring-a-ling-a-ding-ding*

"Oh, that's me, I'm sorry, Kim. I'll be right back," I said. As I quickly rushed to find a more quiet place to answer my call, Joseph Mannelli's exhibition began and many people began to crowd around me in a hurry to get to the exhibition.

As I tried to escape the trap I was in, I bumped into a slender, dark-haired man with a muscular figure, fair skin, and a chiseled jawline. We both froze in place. I met eyes with the mysterious, white man and couldn't help but maintain my gaze on his dark and mystifying, yet gentle eyes. I felt a way that I had never felt before. The feeling was so powerful that I forgot my phone was ringing.

Suddenly, we broke eye contact as I was shoved by someone who bumped into me in the crowd and I began to fall to my side, but not just any side, it was my good side. Fortunately, the tall figure grabbed me by the forearm and quickly pulled me towards the grass, away from the crowd, and into his big, strong arms. We looked deep into each other's eyes once again.

After a couple of seconds, we gained consciousness and pulled away from each other's arms, but remained just a few inches apart. The eight-course meal of a man calmly said, "I'm Penn," in his incredibly sexy, deep, low voice while continuing to stare deep into my eyes.

"I'm Jason," I said nervously. "Uh- Thanks for catching me by the way. You have some fast reflexes," I chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh, yeah I get that a lot. It's because I'm a swimmer," Penn boasted with a grin.

"No way! I swim too!" I exclaimed as I began to feel the power of Penn's eyes on mine grow stronger.

"Really? Maybe we could go for a swim together, sometime soon. Though I must say, you seem more like a runner..." teased Penn with a smile as he looked at me up and down to check out my beefy body.

I laughed lightly and replied, "Yeah, you're right. I run more often than I swim, but I would love to swim with you sometime."

"Yeah, we should do it," Penn said calmly with his eyebrows raised. He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. "Can I have your number?" he confidently asked.

"Yeah, of course!" I exclaimed as I began to type my number into Penn's phone and felt an unexpected excitement rush through me. "By the way, what brings you here? Is it Kim Derulo, or Joseph Mannalsdjflkncj?" I asked.

"Umm... if you mean Joseph Mannelli, then yes. I take it you're not a fan of photography." Penn stated with his eyebrows furrowed.

"No, not at all, actually. I'm only here to support my sister, Kim Derulo."

"Oh, I see. I took a look at her side of the venue earlier. Not bad."

"So, you're into photography, huh?"

"Yeah, I ended up taking photography in high school and have loved it ever since." Then with a sudden rush, Penn put his hand on my shoulder with a soft look in his eyes and quickly said, "Jason, I wish I could chat with you more, but the exhibition is starting, so I have to go. I wish your sister luck and I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah, no worries. Nice meeting you, Penn," I replied.

I stood there in disbelief at the incredibly fine man that I spoke to who now has my phone number. I felt excited until I realized that I don't have his number!

For the rest of the night, I anxiously anticipated any texts or calls from Penn. I replayed our encounter in my head hundreds of times, and a few thousand times, I replayed the way that Penn held a gaze so strong that it felt like– at that moment– I was chained to him.

The next morning.

*Ding*

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