The Character Study of a Romance Novel Hero with a Really Stupid Name

Big eyes shifted back and forth harmlessly. He was the Dr. Jekyll of the Mr. Hyde. I watched from across the table, taking in what I could casually. Allowing the gaze to linger would have been too suspicious and distracting—the true nature of a character awakens when not watched.

Charisma. Some of us have it, and the rest of us are drawn to the ones that do like a moth to a flame. Sometimes the charisma is like a bright beautiful white light, and you badly want to bathe in it. If you soak up enough of that white light, maybe you too could be bright and beautiful. You can’t, but it’s worth a shot.

Then there is the dark charisma. The mysteries of life are all wrapped up in those shadows. Its touch is stimulating like the feeling of a feather traced down your bare back—it gives you goosebumps. It is naughty words and the freedom to be bad packaged up prettily by fear or anger.

The perfect creature is a bit of both. A prime example is the idea behind your standard romance novel hero. He is a rake of some sort sporting his dark charisma, but then he meets her and suddenly he has all sorts of sterling qualities of the white light variety—loyalty, chivalry, etc. These sort of combination characters are a rare find outside of the romance novel department of the bookstore. But there I was, sitting across from one.

Dr. Jekyll and the White Light

I watched his gaze mildly rest on the window. A gentleness covered over that handsome face. He let out a bored sigh, but did not seem entirely discontent. His eyes settled on the swaying trees in the distant breeze outside the windows, with those bright golden brown eyes.

There was a slight twitch to the skin along his cheek. For a moment there looked to be almost the beginnings of a happy expression there, as though a happy thought passed through his head. It reminded a person of the impact that smile had on a room. It lit it up, in a come-hither sort of way, drawing people toward him like a moth to a flame, so eager to touch those moths would be. Everyone likes the look of happiness.

The good manners and the pleasant disposition make a person think, Let’s roll around in all this beautiful happiness together.

Mr. Hyde in the Dark

Then there was a momentary twitch again, like an involuntary reaction to the first instant something less shiny and beautiful passed through the mind. And then another twitch, with very little interval between. His eyes narrowed, growing less happy, and more intense. In another moment he exhaled a deep breath before dragging in another sharply. He was almost panting as the anger began to rise up from somewhere deep within, drawing closer and closer to his brain, where the great transformation would take place.

The eyes fixed on one point outside of the window, on someone stepping away from an open car door. It was someone recognized, but not welcome. Someone that was hated. As those eyes stayed fixed, the temporary insanity took over. He had tunnel vision. He had one simple thought that was rolling through his head as his body stiffly held its exact position and his eyes strained to burn holes in his enemy. Remove the threat.

I sat idle, as there was nothing to be done once the temporary insanity stepped in. He was seeing red. Although the pretty white light was gone, there must have been something barbaric in me—some of that freedom to be bad packaged up in fear—because to me he looked as charismatic as ever.

Then Two Big Paws Slammed onto the Glass Window

With a snarling, teeth gnashing, hair-raising, vicious junk-yard growl, Big Dog gave that delivery man a proper scare.

Now wouldn’t it be interesting if this was about a human? One with a little less animalistic dark charisma? I would like to meet such a character, just so I could study him. Although I would probably find out he had some stupid romance novel name like Raine or Rhyder.

“For god’s sake, we are done here!” I would shout while throwing my pencil down in frustration.