You didn’t know what was more eclectic; the thrill of a public relationship and all the love and backlash accompanied with it, or the excitement of a relationship only endeavoured in shadows.

But you couldn’t deny the pure adrenaline that coursed through your veins whenever you’d sneak out of the house to rendezvous with a circus ‘freak.’ Jimmy wasn’t…normal. To you, it was everything. Ectodactyly is what he’d told it you it was- lobster hands. And god it made for some delightful nights.

Of course, his deformity wasn’t what drew you to him. Sure, it was a delightful bonus, but the thing that really enraptured you all those months ago was his eyes. Shimmering with life; they were like two orbs dipped into the liquid of the very cosmos. Beautiful. Transcendent. Perfect.

“There you are!” Jimmy lit up, arms wrapping around your waist as he hoisted you into the air, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. “I was worried you wouldn’t show.”

Every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday night was the same. You’d sit, gazing at your clock until it struck midnight, and then you’d slip on your cloak of darkness and fade off to meet him. You loved him. He loved you. That was the beauty of such a little secret. That he loved you so much he wanted to keep you all to himself— even if you often longed for the world to know your adoration for him. Jimmy wouldn’t hear it. Said it would ruin such a nice doll’s reputation. Even so, you decided to just enjoy the moment spent with him entangled in a hug beneath the freckled stars.