Hey everyone! This is the first time I've written a story that's not fanfiction. But I've put my heart and soul into writing this and I know that you'll absolutely love reading it because I love everything I've put into it.
I absolutely adore the characters and I've laughed and I've cried with them and I hope that you will go through the same feelings I did while writing it all. Let me know! Happy reading!❤️😁
------------------------------------------------------------
She left the ballroom hurriedly as she tried to control her tears. A lot of her mascara had already started blotting.
Cliche. She thought once she was out and looked at herself. Dressed in a body-hugging off-shoulder red dress with a slit starting mid-thigh to show off her legs, here she was in a golden costume mask crying her eyes out like a beautiful but weak damsel in distress.
She wasn't as sad as she was angry. She was steaming as tears of helplessness streaked down her face. She wanted to become invisible. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.
She walked to the back of the ballroom to the courtyard which was interspersed with a few trees and was seemingly isolated. There was a wide bench at its center. She sat down on it and removed her heels. They were killing her.
"I can't believe it! I just can't!" She spoke to herself in anger. "If it were up to me, I would have taken a bottle of champagne and broken it on his head!" She huffed.
"And I'm sure he deserved it." Observed a voice from behind her.
She was startled by the voice and turned around to see a man coming out from behind the trees with a glass of champagne in his hand. Tall and sturdy, he too was wearing a mask as was the custom in such functions. Only he wore a black mask unlike her's which was golden, though it went well with his black suit, white shirt, and bow.
Her guard went up immediately as did her etiquette appropriate of a lady at such functions. She slipped her feet back into her heels as she replied.
"I must apologize. I thought this courtyard was empty and forgot my manners."
"Oh no. Please don't apologize. This was probably the only interesting thing that has happened at this function since it began. Here's to you." He says the last part raising his glass as a toast to her.
She laughed politely as would be appropriate for a lady at this function. "It is quite tiresome, isn't it?"
"I don't think tiresome covers it," he says emphatically as he moves to sit beside her on the bench. "May I?" He asks.
"Of course" she replies as she moves to make a place for him.
"But now I am curious. Who has done what to deserve a bottle of champagne broken on his head?" He asks curiously.
She can hear his amusement.
"Sir, I don't think it will be appropriate of me to talk ill of the important people that are invited to this event. I am merely accompanying one such person."
"Oh yes. Of course. It would not do well for you to spoil someone's name especially if they have the influence to completely destroy yours." He shrugs.
She smiles politely.
"I'm sure even you yourself are one such important person, sir. I am a bit surprised that you should find the event boring. Isn't it customary for people such as yourself to regularly attend such events?"
"The only reason I attend them, dear is because they are customary. I would rather be anywhere else than smile and make polite conversation with people who don't care anymore for me than I do for them."
She nods. "Which company do you represent?" She asks out of curiosity.
"Let's keep that a secret, for the time being, shall we? If I tell you which company, you will know who I am. I might as well take out my mask."
She smiles at this as she realizes that whether influential and physically strong or humble and beautiful, we all find refuge in hiding behind masks, whether that mask is one of etiquette or an actual costume mask.
"What are you thinking?" He asks as he notices her smile.
"Just wondering." She replies. "We both find it necessary to hide behind a mask irrespective of who we are."
He nods in thought. "That's a good observation. I say, would you agree to a proposal where you tell me about the bottle of champagne but keep the identities concealed and keep your own mask on so I have no idea who you are or who you are talking about, and in return, I will mock all the guests, their dresses and their pretentious practices, individually." He says laughing almost breaking the character he is supposed to depict at this event.
She laughs heartily too - louder than appropriate. "I say let's go for it!" She says enthusiastically.
He raises his glass as a toast again and grinned.
"So the 'important person' I arrived with.." she uses air quotes, "told me to wait by myself for a while as he met and interacted with the others here. That in itself was extremely derogatory because he made me feel as though I wasn't important enough to be on his arm when he met the others..."
He nods understandingly.
"I did not complain though because I did not want to create a scene. But a few minutes turned into an hour and then some more and it became extremely awkward for me to stand all by myself and not know anyone at all. It felt as though everyone was starring at me and one of the servants almost asked me if I belonged here."
He places his hand on his forehead at this.
"So I set out to find him and I do find him....with another woman! Having the time of his life! He was with her!" She moans the last part.
"Yeah, I got that. He shouldn't have left you for another's company"
"No, you don't get it. He was with her." She pauses for effect.
The man paused for a while before it dawned on him. "Ohh"
"Yup. Ohh."
"In the ballroom? Really?"
She shrugged.
"That was highly inappropriate. And extremely unhygienic for the rest of us!"
She shrugged again. "There's that too." she agreed.
"Weirdly enough that's not the end of the story" She speaks again.
"Oh, there's more?" He says excitedly as he leans in with interest.
"You're enjoying this!" She accuses.
"Of course, I am. I told you I'm having a dull evening!" He replies mimicking her tone.
She laughs. "So anyway, when I approached him..." She paused hesitantly.
"Well?"
"He slipped me a 20 and...told me to take a cab back home as he didn't need me for the rest of the night" She mumbled the last part as her cheeks turn red.
"He what??" he raised his voice, aghast.
"Shhh shhh," she gestured with her hands to calm him down.
"I'm sorry", He drops to a whisper. "HE WHAT??" he whisper-screams.
The red blush leaves her face as she chuckles at his reaction, "Yup".
"Now I want to break a bottle of champagne on his head!"
"Well, if wishes were horses..."
"..They would have trampled on him." He laughs, a mixture of shock and amusement.
She laughs. "Thank you for turning this dreadful experience into a...well, tolerable one"
She chuckles as he gestures a broken heart with his hand.
"Oh, I'm sure I can do better than tolerable"
"Oh yeah? Shoot" She challenges as she slips off her heels once more.
His eyes hover over the crowd in the ballroom, the size of stick figures, far from the courtyard as he searched for his target.
He soon found a pair. "You see that couple over there", He points at a couple taking turns whispering in each other's ear on the ballroom floor as they danced. "Want me to guess what they're saying?"
"Yesss" She replies enthusiastically.
He starts speaking in a high-pitched nasal voice as the woman whispered something again in the man's ear, "Oh honey, what is that awful smell?"
He then shifts to a deep voice as the man whispers back, "Oh, I'm extremely sorry honey. I'm afraid that would be me."
The woman slaps her hand on the man's chest playfully which the man in the courtyard interprets as, "Oh you, I told you to stay away from the shrimp. It always fills you up with gas"
"Well, I'm sorry dear, they're just so irresistible, just like you" They kiss each other, and the woman in the courtyard breaks into an uncontrollable laugh.
"That was incredible!" She almost shrieked. "That was brilliant!" She says as she gasps for breath between laughs.
The man takes a bow, "Told you I could do better than tolerable"
"You were absolutely right." She replies without skipping a beat.
He chuckles in response.
"I had fun today evening." She smiles. "Now I kinda wish the evening wasn't over just yet."
"Yeah, I feel the same. Thank you for keeping me company." He replies.
"Would you be interested in..." She stops mid-sentence, "...Never mind, it's silly."
"More silly than everything we just did?"
"I don't think anything can beat what we just did." She chuckles.
He nods in agreement. "Then just say it."
"What do you say we meet here once every week. Masks on...and just..have fun..like we did today. Our identities can remain secret, they aren't an important element of enjoyment as we were able to prove today." she finishes.
He pauses before replying, "I do like the idea of being anonymous. Gives me a sense of freedom, I don't usually have the luxury for."
"I know. And whatever we do won't affect our lives either because we don't have the same social circles. We're not even friends...or acquaintances."
"We're strangers" He agrees.
"Exactly."
"Well, it looks like we have a deal."
"Excellent"
He extends his hand and the woman shakes it.
"What do I call you though?" The woman asks.
"I don't know. If I could be anyone, I'd be...Edmond Dantes, from The Count Of Monte Cristo"
"That's amazing. I want to be Edmond too."
"That's cheating," he says factually.
"Okay okay," She laughs. "I'd be...Jane Austen"
"Like the writer?"
"Exactly like her."
"That's cool. I admire that" He replies.
"Thanks! Well then, until next time Dantes." She waves as she gets up from the bench wears her heels and moves out of the courtyard into the night.
"Until next time, Austen." He whispers to himself as he sips on his champagne, lost in thought.
------------------------------------------------------------
.......And that was chapter one! Did you like it? Would you take such a deal and befriend a masked man or woman? Let me know! Don't forget to vote and comment. Thanks!❤️😁