They devoured one another in the silence, not with their mouths but with their hands and hearts. They were simultaneously filled and hollowed by unadulterated, unquenchable love. He wanted her whole, her essence condensed into something he could hold, retain, and eat, but she needed him in pieces, every imperfection and sharp edge. Not out of cruelty, but out of a need so basic that it was difficult to distinguish between devastation and devotion, they tore at each other. Deeply loving this meant exposing oneself and feasting on the essence of what it meant to be alive with one another. Ultimately, they were less than one person, and less than nothing.












