She's lovely, he thinks. Emily has been a close friend for as long as Henry can remember. She's sixteen now, and he's eighteen and this feeling in his chest is confusing and scary and lovely! They sit together and it's a lovely summer day and he takes her hand. His thoughts are racing and he leans forward and kisses her, fingers threading through her hair- a platinum blonde so close to white that he's certain she's an angel. When he pull away, she gives him an apologetic smile and tells him that she's been betrothed to someone else.

Two years later and Henry has met Margaret. She's a writer, quirky and strong willed and a bit different from the other girls he's met. She laughs a lot and he loves that about her. Her smile makes him forget, even if only for a moment. They take a stroll through a park and it begins to rain. He holds his coat over her as they run under the shelter of an old tree. In the thrill, he wraps his arms around her and finds that before he can even pull away, he's on the ground and her husband is giving him the most threatening look of his entire life.

Five years more. He's gone on a good three successful dates with Jacqueline. She's brilliant and he's been helping her follow her dreams in the (very male-oriented) science field. She takes his hand and calls him 'Henry, dear' and he wants to believe that it means something. He wants to believe that she feels what he feels. After that kiss, he knows that even if he's right, it won't work. As soon as she came into his life, she moves to Berlin. She writes to him, although the letters stop after a while (and he never knows what's become of her).

Three more years and he's shy and it's not fair; he shouldn't be so taken with Jane. She's about ten years younger than he (and he's twenty-seven), and he fears that she's suspicious because no man of his standing should be unmarried at his age. He takes her on a few dates, brings her flowers, and after that first gentle kiss, her father demands that he stay away.

Another two years. Henry Jekyll is twenty-nine and he's still a bachelor and the whispers are spreading; there's something wrong with me, he thinks. There's something wrong because I'm doing something wrong, there's some reason behind this, there must be. He doesn't realize that it isn't about him at all. Sometimes, people just aren't compatible. When he ends up drinking a tad too much at a party, he ends up in a very un-gentlemanly fight behind the house with the brother of a girl that he may or may not have attempted to sweep off of her feet.

Fifteen years. Henry Jekyll has given up on love and his life has been dedicated to a pursuit that he hopes will free him from all of his pain. The freedom he has in this new form is incredible, and he knows that he'll need a new life (like this one, one where he can do anything). This new life is called Edward Hyde. Edward is like a rebellious son and Henry finds that it's difficult to control his 'devil's child'. He sits and looks to his friend, John Utterson, for any support possible. Later that night, he's sobbing in John's arms and he doesn't give a damn that he may have kissed his best friend because John's all he has right now. He hates how pathetic this life of his is-

It's midnight and John has gone home and Henry Jekyll realizes that in the end, this is for the best. He gave up on love, and it's okay because he has his own demons that will lie with him instead.