The edgy, brooding artist you just met might seem mysterious. But the real mystery lies in just how 'normal' he really is...
By Ayanna Guyhto
We all love bad boys. Men with sleeve tattoos and lip piercings. Edgy guys with intimidating stares and dark pasts. They come in all sorts of packages. But they all represent the same thing: the challenge of taming a wild soul. Perhaps it's the idea of having something you're not supposed to have. It's the ultimate hand-in-the-cookie-jar sensation that comes along with capturing the attention of an enigmatic man. But if you've happened to get up and close and personal with one, you'll be amazed by a few discoveries ...
They're not so tough.
You might be surprised to find that the tough guy you've started seeing is deathly afraid of mice. This may not seem like such a big deal. But if you don't know Mr. Tough Guy so well yet, you might wonder whether his machismo is just an act. It is at this point that you discern between quirks and true character flaws. Sure, your guy probably has exactly what it takes to protect you in your hour of need. But that doesn't mean you won't first be shocked by his intense fear of spiders.
They like romance, too.
Your hunky roughneck might seem like the type to fling you over his shoulders like a Neanderthal. But your rough and tumble guy just might surprise you with slow caresses and tender pillow talk. When the two of you are alone, he knows that no audiences exist (one hopes)—and he can fully embrace the affectionate aspect of your relationship. We might have programmed our brains to believe that tough guys don't have feelings. But when you discover how deeply some of those feelings run, it's hard not to be smitten.
They weren't always bad boys.
Guess what? The man candy with the ripped abs and bad boy attitude might have been the school bullies' prime target in ninth grade. And that edgy drummer you met last weekend? Oh yeah, he was a "band nerd." (Not that there's anything wrong with band nerds.) It's kind of hard to say exactly how these oft-overlooked boys turned into such brooding male muses. But dig a little deeper into your stud's past, and you'll discover the little nugget of innocence that lies beneath his rugged exterior.
They marry nice girls.
Have you ever thumbed through a gossip magazine, only to stumble upon your favorite hunky actor—on the arm of his amazingly innocent-looking wife? Sure, she's cute. But she's not exactly whom you imagined your man of steel to claim as his soul mate. This is perhaps the thought that any of Jesse James' exes had when they realized he was marrying Sandra Bullock. (The same sentiment might have existed when Valerie Bertinelli married Eddie Van Halen in the 80s.) It is true that edgy, brooding men do hook up with sexy, mysterious women; they also marry them. But there is something about that counterbalance that makes settling down that much sweeter.