Until They Met (A Twisted Meet Cute)

1. Ruri

Ruri never wanted to meet the one person who could make her change her mind. She knew he existed--somewhere. She knew that the power of said love could never be fought against once it struck her, and that terrified her.

The first time she fell in love, the boy broke her spirit. She was young, then, and she didn’t even know the first thing about intimacy. In her sheltered upbringing as the Pastor’s only daughter, sex was never discussed. But she was young and curious. She dated that one boy, Sire Parker. Even his name sounded dangerous.

He wore black leather jackets to school every day. He had tattoos of dragons and celtic symbols all over his body. He wrote deep, morbid poetry in English class every time. He had this miserable look in his eyes whenever she looked at him. He was always alone, but then again, so was she.

She was the first to make a move, to talk to the mysterious boy. He only smiled and then ignored her for the next two weeks. It was hell. That was the thing he liked about her, her perseverance. No matter how many times he ignored her, she came back to be ignored some more. He tested her will. And after many months of one-way conversations, she passed the test she didn’t know she was taking.

She could still remember the day he started talking to her. It was about something random, but she would never forget the way his eyes shone with wonder. He later told her that she mystified him. Every other girl at school would ignore the boy in the leather jacket who looked like the next serial killer of America. But her--plain, old, meek and invisible her. He wanted to figure out why the hell she wouldn’t stay away.

She wanted to know the same thing. She promised to tell him if she ever found the answer.

They kissed, made out and eventually had sex.

It all happened in one night. The same night they went on their first date. He said something about just wanting to watch a DVD at home--with her. And Ruri, being the ignorant fool, believed that his intentions were innocent. Never did it cross her mind that his cool boy pretense was just that--a pretense.

Never did she imagine that the fears of all the girls about him were true. No matter how loud she cried or how forceful she tried to push him away, he was way stronger than her. He stole all her kisses until her lips bled. He marked her body with bruises in places no one else would see if she had clothes. He ruined her for herself.

She didn’t even want to look at her reflection after that.

No one knew. No one cared anyway. She carried this burden for years, trying to love herself again all this time, to no avail. She hated the memories that haunt her mind at night. She hated that his name still brought tears to her eyes whenever someone spoke it. She hated how he could smile and laugh and continue to live on like nothing happened, while breathing even felt like dying for her.

Ruri didn’t want to feel that again. She hardened her heart at anyone who would try to get close. She didn’t need the companionship. She didn’t need the love. And she sure as hell didn’t need the intimacy. She had lived long enough without it that she didn’t want to have it.