A cafe, one of those millennial trend types of places, She showed up and said hi nervously, and we sat down at a table near a window. While we were talking, I noticed she tapped the table with her fingers, and whenever we would stop talking she would look out the window and just stare at the people walking by. Sometimes adjusting her turtleneck’s collar and sleeves up.
She was anxious. Understandable, I sometimes look a little bit intimidating because I have a natural cold stare and I like wearing leather jackets.
When I went to get the coffee, I came back with a cookie as well. She laughed because it seemed so weird from the way I looked, It went really well. We went on a few more dates, each time she got more and more nervous. I assumed it was because she was an anxious person, I didn’t pressure her - it seemed like a difficult topic.
I asked why, and she said that she was dreading this day, She uncovered her arms and neck, revealing burn scars — it looked like snakes made of fire coiled around her arms and neck. The rest of her body also had this bizarre coil.
This is why she was so anxious, why she wears long sleeves.
And you know what I did?
I hugged her.
The most disgusting thing about this is not her scars, it’s that she has to hide them, to keep people from judging and staring, that, is what I found most disgusting.
