Somewhere deep in a valley between some of the tallest mountains around, was the cave where he hid. Well, it wasn't exactly hiding... Not when he was likely the only person around for miles, but all the same, he doubted anyone knew he was there. He was that quiet, he doubted anyone would even notice him if they were aware of his presence.
Tony Benjamin had learned long ago to keep to himself. Associating with people hadn't gotten him very far in his life. All it had brought was hurt and heartache. And yet, there was still a yearning to find the special someone it seemed so many others had. So for better, or perhaps for worse, Tony wore his heart on his sleeve. Just in case- you never know right? But, he still kept his distance. Just in case.
Tony looked up and down at the man opposite him, in the mirror. He saw himself as he was, but he saw too the Tony only he knew. The Tony he hid away out of near indestructible instincts to protect himself. He saw the complex contrasts; wanting connection, yet actively avoiding it, how chill and laid back he was in the rare moments he spent with others around, compared to how internally anxious he was inside.
"You confuse me," he said, shaking his head.
"I know. I confuse me too."
No one would ever guess his age from looking at him. Whether it was his anxious ruminating, intellectual ponderings or something else. Whatever it was, the facts remained the same. His worry lines were deep and he had gone grey. If you stopped at appearances, Tony Benjamin was an old man. But, if you looked deeper and gave him a chance, you'd see how young he really was. Tony was standoffish (at times) but super soft and sweet at his core. He was incredibly smart and at the same time, astoundingly anxious. Anxious because he was smart, yet at times, a little dumb because he was anxious.. How that worked, even Tony wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he, Tony Benjamin, was a man of contradictions.
"So, knowing all of that, knowing my complex contradictions, my faults and attributes that contrast each other. Knowing all of that, would you take a chance on me?" He waits with baited breath.
