Just a Pretty Face ::: {Ariamella & November Bleeds}

"Beautiful," he breathed in my ear, turning my insides to liquid and my body threatening to do the same in his arms as we danced, his hands on my hips and my back pressed against him. He was just so... so yum. "You are so beautiful."

I could've said the same about him, but he probably already knew that. It wasn't five minutes ago that he'd come and asked me to dance, to which I'd obviously accepted. We were basically a perfect match, unlike the shy, awkward boy who had asked earlier. I kind of felt bad about what I said to him, but he needed to know the truth. I mean, I was only saving him from future embarrassment if he kept asking out girls like me. I knew I was a ten, but him? He was a four, maybe a four-point-five, but that was probably just me being really generous. In contrast, the man I danced with now was almost perfect, a real piece of man candy who had strong arms and a delectable butt. It was obvious that took the time to work on squats at the gym, and I figured that if he looked this good with clothes on, how good would he look with them off? If I was lucky, maybe I'd get to find out later tonight.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" His voice brought me back from my thoughts, lips nuzzling at my neck, and I could sense it; he was gonna ask if I wanted to go home with him. Guys always asked me after the first dance.

"Mhmm," I answered, smirking at the looks of envy from the other girls. No no no, all you bitches can stare, but you can't have him. You're obviously not me.

"Well I was wondering..."

"Yes?" I prompted him, suddenly turning around so that my breasts pushed gently against his chest as I snaked my arms around his neck. He would've liked that. They all liked that.

"Why is it that you only agreed to dance with me now that I look like this?"

I froze at the question. "What do you mean?"

It was his turn to stop now, and he took a step back from me. "You humiliated me in front of your friends when I asked you to dance earlier. You know, the whole 'girls like me are too good for guys like you' thing. Or did you already forget?" His voice was icy cold now, the chill reflecting in his eyes that had turned from a warm ocean blue to a hard blue-steel color.

"I- well- that- that was you?" My voice faltered for just a second before returning to it's usual tone whenever shit like this happened. "Come on. You and I both know that girls like me don't go for guys like him- your former self or whatever the fuck he was. I do have standards, you know. But I mean, it's okay now, right?"

He took another step back from me as I took a step forward, raising his voice so that the people around could hear. "Aren't you listening to yourself? You sound like a total bitch. No, you are a bitch, and you don't even realize it." His sharp laugh cut the air, and I was suddenly aware of the growing onlookers. He stepped close again and held me in a mock embrace, whispering, "There's more to people than physical appeal. Find what that means, or you'll find yourself in the shoes of everyone you look down upon simply because they aren't as attractive as you are."

He stepped back for the last time and walked away without even a simple goodbye, leaving me dumbstruck as the subject of gossip among the throng of people who witnessed the humiliation of my first, very open, rejection since maybe about my freshman year of high school.

I turned away then, acting like what just happened didn't affect me. Fuck him anyway.

---

Victoria King lay with her stomach on the beach towel, soaking up the California sun that had just risen to it's full height at noon. Mild waves lapped at the white sand, the blue ocean reflected the clear blue of the skies above, and distantly someone was playing some pop song that sounded like Katy Perry. But for all the pleasantries of summer, the girl could only think of the scene in the club eight months ago that still felt as if it had just happened yesterday. Of course it didn't help that he had come to visit her last night, reminding her again of the curse he set upon her: one year to fix her personality and find 'true love', otherwise her consequences included losing her own fantastic facial and bodily assets, and not being able to find love for the rest of her life. And he had come to remind her that she only had four months left to save herself.

Whatever. She had been half-tempted to tell him to go shove the details up his ass, but she held that sharp tongue of hers only because deep down, she knew the curse was real. Already she could feel the subtle signs of her beauty leaving her- acne broke out more often than it did before, keeping weight off seemed to get a little bit harder over the course of the previous eight months, and her hair was losing shine little by little. They were small things that only she noticed, but they bothered her all the same.

As she turned over on her back, a wolf-whistle from her left made her swivel her head in that direction, finding a group of guys around her age making obvious gestures about her body. One winked at her, another flashed her a grin, and another leaned over and whispered something, making them all snicker. Whatever attention they continued to give was lost on her; she had already turned away, knowing that even if she reciprocated the signs of attraction, they wouldn't come over and talk to her. That was another part of the curse: she could only attract men who cared more for subtance than looks. According to him, it was supposed to aid in fixing her own personality problems, but how was that possible when none of them would stay long enough for her to show them she was trying to be genuine?

"Sorry, you're just not my type."

"I'm sure you're a nice girl, Tori, but we don't really click."

She knew that it really meant, "Tori, you're a bitch," but all of them had been tactful enough not to say that. Only one of them had been straightforward about it.

"Tori, you're pretty, but I just prefer women with a bit more substance. No offense, but you're kind of... I don't know. Sorry."

The worst part was that she could only say, "I know," and let them go. It had gone on like that for eight months, and now here she was, sitting alone and getting uglier by what seemed to be like the goddamn minute. This all seemed to be like a twisted version of 'Beauty and the Beast,' except in her world, she happened to be Beauty who was turning into the Beast. What kind of sicko would make that happen? Oh, right. Dual-personality men who thought it was funny to give a girl an ultimatum. It's not like all she cared for was how a guy looked... She appreciated intelligence... Humor... Sex... But admittedly, all of that was dependent on how she felt about his face. Internally, she cringed. It was easy now to see her faults, but it was hard to correct them. Having a deadline made things even harder, and having a large consequence for not meeting that deadline only doubled the difficulty. Her failures only succeeded in making her more bitter toward men, but she couldn't help it. Maybe that's why Beast always seemed so angry with the world, because he was alone without a chick to love him.

Tori sighed and sat up on her towel, putting her arms behind her to slightly lean back, and she closed her eyes. God, at some points she just wished she could pick a guy and tell him to love her, but unfortunately that wasn't how it worked. She didn't own a castle that she could trap dudes in, and she didn't have enchanted singing pots or candle sticks that sang about how awesome she was. With only four months left on the clock, it occurred to her that it may be useful to just throw everything out the window and opt for desperation, but... Nah. She liked to think she wasn't that pathetic.

Two years had passed since the last time he'd spoken a word to her. The one girl in his life he thought it could last with. A girl he'd gotten down on one knee and proposed to. Told her how much he'd loved her and how badly he wanted to be with her. But in the end, it never worked out. Regardless of her acceptance to his proposal and his confessions the two were meant to drift apart. They were not meant to stand side by side in this life together and push forward. It was unfortunate but all too true. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, no matter what lengths he'd gone to; he never got her back. She turned a blind eye to him. A mistake he had made causing a disruption in his somewhat perfect life at the time. But really, it was all his fault. It was no wonder his life was going in a downwards spiral, a horrible spiral that was ready to crash into the ground at any given time. Love had truly been a difficult and painful emotion and it caused him the most heartache he'd ever found possible in his lifetime.

AJ Synder had been a novelist since a rather young age. Something he kept hidden and under the radar. At first, it started off as just a hobby, something he found himself writing every now and again that he didn't think had physical potential. Perhaps it was his ex's fault that he'd actually gotten some attention and his novel and writing ability had been recognized. Receiving what seemed to be a rather fantastic editor who put up with a lot of his stubborn movements. Who told her what he wanted and how he wanted the novel to be. The two of them played tug-of-war more often than not with decisions. What the company wanted versus what he wanted. It was a very difficult bounce back. But truthfully he had been in the spotlight because of someone else. Not that AJ had been well known or globally famous. No instead he went by his real name in hopes others would not catch on. The name Aiden, which was his biological name had branded him faceless within the community. It was nice to know there weren't pictures of him or descriptions flying all over the internet. Not doubting that there would be an image or two on Google of him but so help him, he hoped not. Avoiding all possible contact with interviews unless they promised he'd be faceless. But again, his book was not universally known but had steady sales even if it had been two years since the release, just as it had been the last time he'd seen her.

The beach was normally somewhere AJ would not often find himself, but today was a day where walking would help his mind all the more and the fresh air would keep his brain motivated and all his ideas moving. Having been a natural blonde, AJ had never kept his hair that colour. Instead, he found interest in dying it a rather deep red, not dark by any means, but also not neon. It was a gentle red that used to work a little bit too well with his look. His bangs coming down to roughly his eyebrows and sometimes below depending on how he styled his hair, the sides were rather long but he'd cut them as of recent and his hair got shorter as it got to the back, a little shaggy but he was never exactly tidy with his look. Two piercings that trapped his lower lip of real silver. Rectangular shaped glasses that sat gently on his face kept him from using his contacts which were irritating his eyes these days. Black seemed to be his favourite colour, defining him to a T. A maroon shirt that hugged his body and a baggy black sweater over top, lined with a warm fabric that would have been more plausible to wear during the winter, not so much the summer and yet he had zipped it up. Black cargo pants with a set of fairly decent boots he wore on his feet to imitate a style he'd long forgotten about in his past, a style he never dressed as any longer. On a day like today, he'd seem much out of place, not only with his style and obvious sticking-out nature but with his heavy clothes.

Although AJ stood at about six feet tall he was not as intimidating as he seemed. Although people may have thought he seemed like some brute asshole who may have taken them down, it was the complete opposite. His voice was usually fairly quiet and talking was rather rare for him to do, at least in bundles. AJ had never determined himself as a social person, having social anxiety was a possibility but he had never officially gotten checked to know for certain. All he knew was that he'd rather others ramble on for hours while he stayed quiet and listened, it was just in his nature.

With his hands in his heavy hoodie he'd take look around for some inspiration. The beach wouldn't be too promising, it was usually only around for rather sad memories he knew he didn't want to remember. But how could he not think about his past when it revolved around coming to areas such as these? How did he even think about coming here and having the inspiration to write? Impossible. But as he took his precious time walking down the pathway next to the sand behind a group of immature assholes that he could hear all too well. His headphones rung around his neck, not wanting or needing to listen to his mp3 player which took place in his hooded pocket, gently tapping against his hand as he walked behind them. It was rather annoying to hear their constant babbling and he wasn't able to pass them without walking in the sand so he kept behind them for now, trying to find a place to sit. It wasn't until their few comments to a girl nearby that had him grow curious as to who they were talking about. His eyes leering over towards the girl as he'd find his footing slow down as she looked at the men who were cat-calling. Annoying...

A gentle sigh and he'd take step onto the sand, walking over to the girl who was more than obviously bothered by what the men had said. There was a point where he probably could have yelled at them and told them off, but he didn't. Deciding that a three verse one was not the way to go and he had been in that situation...more than enough times and with the horrible scars to prove it. Shivering at the reminder he'd take a breath before taking seat a couple of feat from the girl in the sand, pulling out a small notepad with pen from his hooded pocket. Turning his head to look at her he'd give a gentle nod, but he wasn't just going to stay silent, especially not that he was invading her space. Honestly he felt bad for the guys who were treating her so horribly. What the hell was wrong with them anyway?

"Hey," A simple comment was due. "Don't mind them, some people are just ignorant assholes." Upon first appearance she seemed like a normal girl to him. He didn't see why some people had to be rude. Perhaps that was just the feminist side of him. All people were equal and letting them wear whatever they wanted to wear was fine by him. But maybe that also had an impact from his ex-girlfriend who had been a rather infamous model. Looking around he couldn't help but notice there hadn't been another towel next to her anyway. "Coming to the beach alone? I don't know if that's such a good idea.."

Even after she turned away, the group of young men continued to mutter lewd and suggestive comments about her body, but Tori tried her best to ignore them. It wasn't often that she got a break from work - being an assistant screenplay writer and editor for one of the major television networks was a demanding job that rarely ever allowed for personal vacations or time off. Most of her weekdays, weeknights, and weeknights were spent alone in her penthouse apartment, reviewing script after script. It wasn't even that she wrote them - her junior job title ensured that she never had any input more than a line of dialogue or two - so she was always left with the boring task of editing them. And for that reason, her time at the beach was vitally important for her stress-relief and possibly even her sanity.

The first indication that someone had approached her was the darkening of her vision from the dull red of her closed eyelids to black as the shadow blocked out whatever sunlight she had been soaking up. At first she felt a surge of annoyance at the thought that it was one of the douchebags from earlier who had come to finally pester her into taking her out, but then it dawned on her that it wasn't possible. No, it wasn't possible because the only men she would be able to attract were those who cared for substance and personality. Was this one of those men? She cracked her brown eyes open just as she heard a male voice say, "Hey, don't mind them, some people are just ignorant assholes." She simply stared at him, taking in his odd dress, and he continued. "Coming to the beach alone? I don't know if that's such a good idea.."

Victoria stayed silent for a few more moments as she assessed her thoughts of him, thinking to herself that he was definitely not one of the men that usually approached her, even those who were placed substance above personality. She found him attractive in a way that wasn't her personal preference, and while she stared, it registered somewhere in the recesses of her mind that it was rude to not talk to someone. But rather than answer his question, she pointedly responded with her own question: "God, aren't you hot? The sun is fully out, it's humid as hell, and you're in a hoodie and boots." Bluntness had always been Tori's way of conversing, though when she was younger, it was due to her growing up privileged and spoiled. As she reached late adolescence and adulthood, bluntness had just become part of her personality. It helped in the shrewd business world, and it definitely helped shape her reputation as a hardworking employee who never took shit and never gave it out either. But the one area of life that it seemed to be completely useless in was the area of relationships and love. Even guys who she had just met thought she was being a bitch for no reason, and this would likely be no different. The comments on the man's clothing had been the first thing to come to mind, and she remained unapologetic for the way it came out. Tori shrugged nonchalantly as she now remembered to answer his actual question, toying with the ruffle on the front of her deep violet bikini top.

"Yes, I'm alone. Why? It's not like those guys would have done anything anyway. They're just a bunch of irrelevant people to my life." She waved her hand about as if to emphasize her lack of interest in the group of boys who had now turned their attention way once they saw her engaging in conversation with the odd-looking man. She looked him over once, twice, then in a tone that indicated she had found something to be extremely obvious, she offered him a seat. "Well? Are you going to stand there or sit down?" The young woman rolled over on her towel to make room, sitting up and pulling on a cover-up that didn't really cover anything at all because of it's sheerness. "I'm Victoria, by the way. Or Tori, if you prefer to call me that."