“What do you do when you are as ugly as sin but have a heart as big and fragile as a whale made of blown glass? I’ll tell you, you hide. You hide any romantic interest lest you spark revulsion that is so overhwhelming that it can physically make people sick. You hide your hurts because monsters must appear invulnerable. To do otherwise is to invite victimhood. Lastly, you mask your smiles turning them into grimaces or sneers. Happiness is a luxurious weakness of the good looking.”

His anger spent, Brandon deflated slightly and sat down as abruptly as he had started. He pulled his trenchcoat tight around his bulk, giving him the appearance of a goofy, morbidly obese bat.

I felt sorry for him because I knew the truth of his words. This was his life. Those words came from years of bad experiences. I felt worse because I knew he had a crush on me.
In his fantasies, he is a modern day knight just waiting to save me from a fierce dragon. I don’t have it in me to take that last remaining hope away from him.