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I suppose I owe you an explanation. I guess you already realized that wasn't just an ordinary bottle of water.
(Long pause.)
How can I explain so this will make sense to you? I mean, I hardly know you, and you hardly know me at all... and I'm not even sure it makes sense to me.
Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic.
Maybe I'm just hopeless.
Well...
Sometimes I categorize women I see. You know, like, Jane isn't worth a second glance. Maria is worth a second glance. Amy, she's worth a good long look. Colleen's worth following for a while just to keep seeing her, as long as she's not going too far out of my way. Natalie is worth going out of my way to keep in view.
And then there's you, Jessica... you, whose face I could happily gaze upon for all eternity. You are just so fantastically lovely, so impossibly beautiful, so utterly perfect...
I know it's chilly. Can you still feel it, Jessica?
Well, I guess it's silly of me to ask. I know you can't speak anymore. You still can move a little, I see. You're still breathing, and swaying a little. And I think your hand was farther down, near your hips, a minute ago, wasn't it? I don't know how much longer you'll be able to move at all. Certainly not for much longer. Already your fingers are frozen in place, and your expression hasn't changed a bit -- I'm glad about that. I guess you're probably frightened, inside, but you don't look it. You look confident and cheerful, just the way I always want you to be.
You don't have to be frightened, you know. I won't do anything to hurt you. I don't think I could bring myself to do anything to hurt a girl as lovely as you are even if I wanted to. No, I've got it all planned out. You'll be well taken care of. And you'll never have to worry about anything. Think of it, Jessica! Nothing you have to do, no hard decisions. You'll never fail to live up to somebody's expectations, never say the wrong thing -- not that I'm saying you ever did, of course. No need to get up early for class, or put up with people you hate. All you need to do is look beautiful, and you can't help but do that.
Can you feel my touch against your cheek? Your skin is so soft, so perfect. You have no idea how long I've wanted to touch you like this. It feels even better than I thought it would. And your eyes... such a beautiful blue. I wish you were wearing that light blue sweater you wore a few days ago; it sets off your eyes so prettily. But you look lovely in this pink one too. You look lovely whatever you wear, Jessica.
I love your hair, Jessica. Such a perfect shade of yellow. I'm glad I don't have blond hair like yours. I like to fade into the background, but you can't help but be noticed. But you're so worth noticing! And the way you wear your hair all fluffed out, you're like... like a beautiful smiling sun, bringing me warmth even on the coldest days.
I wonder what you'd have done if I'd ever told you any of this before now?
I guess I'll never know.
Not that I ever could have said it to you, before. I never talk to anybody like this. I wish I could, but... I can't.
I hope it makes you feel good, Jessica. You should feel good. I want you to always feel good, to feel loved. The way I'm embracing you now. This is how I've always wanted to hug a girl I love. It feels so wonderful just to have you here in my arms, with your body pressed up against mine, thinking that if you could move, you might put your arms around me, and love me the way I want to love you...
But why am I standing here feeling sorry for myself? I have what I want now. I have you, all to myself now, forever. God, but your lips are pretty. Do you ever notice them, I wonder? How they curve just so around the corners of your mouth? I'm glad you're smiling now. I mean, I hope you're as happy as you look, but I'm also glad I get to see your smile. And I can kiss your lips... Mmmm. What a delightful taste! Again... I wonder if that's enough?
If only a girl like you might have fallen in love with me... but it's too late now.
You know, when I was thinking about doing this to you, I thought I might undress you. I know, it would be incredibly rude to undress you without your consent, but it isn't as if you'd be able to do anything about it. You might even enjoy it. But now that we're standing here and I have the power to do it, I don't think I will. It's not that I don't want to, it's just... well, it seems wrong. And besides, I think maybe your face is all the beauty I can stand. Even if all I could see was your left eyebrow, it would be enough, I think.
Speaking of your eyes... I really like it when that one curl drops down across your face, like this. You always brush it back eventually, but I like the way you look when it hangs down. I hope you don't mind if I leave it like that.
Wow. I'm starting to feel it myself. Slower than it affected you, but then, I only got a little bit. I'd drink it myself if I needed to, but I'd rather have what was left on your lips. But I guess it is enough. My legs are starting to get stiff. Let me go toss out the rest of the bottle. I wouldn't want anyone else to drink it by mistake.
Whew! I thought I might not be able to get back. I can hardly move my legs at all now. Actually, I cheated -- I dipped my finger in the bottle before I spilled it out. I wasn't completely sure I got enough from you, and I couldn't spill it out before I knew I had enough to affect me completely. There. Now I know I can be with you forever.
I hope you didn't think I was going to leave you like this, frozen and helpless, while I went back to my normal life! I couldn't do that to you. No, we're in this together, you and I. Not that anybody's going to get worked up about looking at me, of course -- you're the beautiful one. I'm just... well, I'm just the guy who gets to spend eternity gazing on the beautiful one.
You're not even breathing anymore now, are you? You're perfectly still, perfectly motionless, perfectly... perfect. In another hour or two your skin will harden, and by morning you'll look like just another mannequin, like all the others around here... but the loveliest of them all. And I'll be just one more mannequin, maybe the ugliest of them all, but with my arm around you... like this... so we can never be separated.
I'm really starting to freeze up now... just like you did, but slower. I don't want to look away from your face even for a second now. I might not be able to look back.
Let me take your hand in mine, Jessica. It will make it harder to separate us.
Your hand already feels stiff, like soft plastic instead of skin.
I won't be a-ble to talk much long-er. While I still can -- Thank you, Jess-i-ca. I don't know if you would have cho-sen this, but you will make me ve-ry hap-py.
I. Hope. You. Will. Be. Hap. Py. Too. For. Ev. Er.
I. Love. You. Jessss... i... caaaaa...
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