Charlotte Weather had always been unsure of the man she had met a month ago, wary of her rapidly growing fondness of the tall man. His turtleneck sweaters had always seemed too tight for him to breathe in, his hair always seemed wet, and his skin so cold and clammy. Whenever his fingers would ghost upon her cheek, she would shiver and instinctively shift away from his touch. He felt dangerous.
Charlotte had never encountered many men, for her mother would always find one way or another to keep her away from almost all of them in the small fishing town at the edge of Delaware. Her elder, more attractive sister, Renee, was more lenient about having her meet men, though she was picky when it came to going near one. She'd already known many men who would just marry her to keep close to Ruby, but her sister was far smarter than that. She had her meet people that she knew vaguely but knew enough to keep her baby sister safe. She hadn't met this man through her sister though. Her sister hadn't known this man.
On a trip to the beach to attract new men that Renee had never met, Charlotte had attracted a dripping wet, shirtless, long haired man who always seemed to have his hair slicked back.
"Good evening, starfish," he greeted. He had come out of no where, standing over her as she sat on her towel. Renee had walked away to the water to attract a man to bring back to her, but it seemed it was not needed. This man was ten times more attractive than the boy she was roping in. Although his name choice was confusing.
"Starfish?" she asked. "Why Starfish?"
"Because you merely lie there, observing. Much like a starfish," he said. Charlotte blushed. "I don't just lie here!" she cried indignantly. "I am...watching my sister's stuff." "I do not believe you." It had seemed more a threat than a mere statement. "I am Deveroux, may I have your name, little starfish?"
She shifted her feet in the sand. She felt self-conscious in her black and blue bikini. "Charlotte Weather." Deveroux smiled a wide toothy smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Weather." He knelt down beside her and took her hand, kissing her knuckles. It was in no sense gentle, but pressed a feeling of want into her skin. Charlotte blushed, wishing Renee back to her side. A side wards glance to the shoreline informed her that Renee was far too engrossed in the muscular blond flirting with her.
Deveroux followed her gaze. "Have any of these men told you they long for you?" he asked. "I would imagine all of them do."
Charlotte turned away and kept her eyes forward. "They all probably like my sister more," she said. Not that she's been exposed to a mass amount like this before. Actually, it was quite scary. Sitting all alone watching men, handsome and ugly alike, prance around with friends and girlfriends, flirting, drinking and dancing.
The stranger spoke again, gathering her away from her thoughts. "No, she seems far too open to be interesting. Secrets and the unseen are far more worth delving into," he said. He had gotten closer, but he hadn't pushed the boundaries of the towel Charlotte sat upon.
She looked over at him. He had already been looking at her. "I disagree," she said. "Sometimes they aren't secrets that people want to know. They can be pretty psychotic, from what I hear."
"It is still a thrill to learn, despite the content of the mystery. Although the end may not be as wonderful as we may wish it to be, like a concealed and guiltful murder, it is still an alluring idea to be let into the darkest corners of someone's mind."
Before Charlotte could respond, her sister came to her rescue. "Charlotte, who are you talking to?" she asked as she walked up. Her hair was dripping salt water into the sand as she gazed upon this man that had seemingly appeared out of no where. "You know this guy?" she asked, pointing to Deveroux.
