She dared glance back at the table her parents, Aunts and Uncles occupied and stiffened when she spied Stefan and the platinum blonde-haired goddess she saw months ago at his grandfather's funeral.
As if touched by King Midas himself the lady who's arm was draped perfectly into the crook of Stefan's was wearing a gold dress with a sweetheart shaped front emphasizing the generously swelling roundness of her brèasts. Eyeing her up and down as a man would, Camelia's gaze narrowed at the side slit that opened at the upper thigh and slid down the length of her long leg–exposing their sexy killer shape.
Camelia's teeth were grinding together, noticing the blonde's warm 100 watt smile as she shook hands with her family members. The grace and quiet confidence the lady in question executed was intimidating. Her beauty alone was blinding.
Camelia was not modest and aware she was easy on the eyes but nowhere close to be as breathtaking as the woman. The mask over her face was heavily detailed and made of the finest gold material. Everything the lady wore looked as if it was made of 24 karat gold–and Camelia envied her.
She shifts her gaze to Stefan who looked like Ares, the Greek God of war himself in a black suit. Hair the color of dark chocolate stood out against the slightly tan skin of his face. The black mask encased over his face was just as black as the rest of his attire.
Every second that passed was torture. They looked like the perfect matched couple—light meeting the darkness, forming unitedly as one. All Camelia ever craved was standing in her place. She shakes her head as a small ball of jealousy fills her.
What screwed her up the most was the picture in her head of how it was supposed to be. To believe his proclamation–his promise to come back and rescue her someday came crashing before her, scattering her into pieces. She was blinded by loving him for so long. But she could not deny that she still has a crush on him and it was killing her. She hated it. She hated herself. Hated him.
The pedestal Stefan was once sitting on, in her eyes, shrunk considerably.
But no matter how many times she forces herself to believe it she knew any man that tries to walk into her future will always compete with him. It was going to be a trial to fill his shoes. The truth behind her realization was hard to swallow.
"Oh man she's hot!" She heard Max exclaim faintly from behind her.
"Stefan's mighty fine looking himself..." Murmured Gloriana as she too appraised the couple. "He looks so different from when I last saw him...when was it? Like ten years ago? Remember how nice he was Camelia?"
Without answering Camelia turned back stiffly and sat ram rod straight in her seat while massaging her temples.
"He played with us on your birthday," she reminds Camelia. "I can still imagine him in front of me jumping into the bounce house and scaring us. Later on he joined us for two games of hide and seek!" Gloriana smiled at the memory, a far away look in her eyes, continuing on. "As I recall you pouted your lower lip and gave him puppy eyes just to keep him to stay longer. It's like you snapped your fingers and like magic he stayed for another hour that afternoon, acting like a kid and making the party so much fun."
Yes. I remember all too well...Camelia answers silently.
She also remembered how his strong arms felt encircled around her small waist, twirling her in a circle until she couldn't see the world straight. Or the winks he sent only her when their eyes met. The small smiles he gave her when nobody was looking. A glint of mischief always present in his eyes. It was as if she and Stefan had a secret relationship, a bond, the world was oblivious about.
It was only a few hours that he stayed and indulged them as children, but Camelia had to admit, they were the best few hours of her life. Their brief time spent together felt like she had known him her whole life.
Camelia shook her head. It was all in the past now. All she had was memories. A bigger problem landed at her feet now and it was facing Stefan after all this time. Reaching for a cup of ice water on the table and taking a drink to moisten her parched throat, her eyes doubled in size spotting two extra unoccupied chairs at their table.
She pales. Please no.
Placing the water roughly on the table she reaches forward and plucks the white reserved cards on the table before the empty chairs and reads the names.
Stefan.
Selena.
Camelia's heart stops beating for a split second and she tries swallowing the lump that forms in her throat. She crumpled the cards in the palm of her hands, threw them on the floor, pushed her chair back and stood.
"Where do you think you're going?" Gloriana asked with narrowed eyes through her pink mask.
Max attention seemed to waver back to them as he watched her with questioning eyes. "I'm just going to get some air, I'll be right back." Turning away abruptly she almost collided with Stefan who looked to be approaching their table.
"Pardon me..." He said shifting his head to see who he brushed passed him hurriedly.
Fireflies flutter in her stomach. A rush of goosebumps erupted all over her body when the side of her body brushed against his hard muscled arm. The size of both his arms were wider than the width of her hips combined.
Camelia lost the struggle to shadow her eyes. The urge to peek from below her long dark lashes was to great to pass. She had promised herself to have more self-control but it was too late. Just one look, she promises herself. Upon a quick close inspection Stefan appeared taller, darker and even more handsome than she could remember in his expensive black Armani tux.
The only man that stood out.
Camelia lowers her gaze without looking up into his face, focusing on her red heels. She remains silent and slips passed him quickly, zig zagging through the maze of tables and chairs. She continued to rush back towards the ballrooms balcony.
The tall glass doors were wide open allowing guests a break from the stuffiness of the room. Camelia breathed in the dark cool nights air and let out a deep exhale approaching the rail and leaning against it as if her legs couldn't support her weight. Rubbing her temples again, she feels her skin cooling off.
Oh did she wish her parents never talked her into participating. It was a mistake to come tonight. To make things worse, Stefan had to enter into the picture.
"What am I going to do?" She asked the lone sky in a desperate voice.
A deep male voice echoed through the night and Camelia glances up. Her stomach plummets all the way down to her feet.
It was Stefan.
She observes from a distance taking advantage of the brief episode, he as always, oblivious of her company. It sounded like he was having a heated discussion with someone as he raked a hand through his wavy dark hair. It shone like silk under the moonlight while his broad muscled shoulders shifted, emphasizing his words.
"Do what has to be done, I don't want to be interrupted again." He replied in a clipped tone ending his call. He inhales deeply and turns slightly as if he felt her stare. She had hopes he would have strode right back into the ballroom after his conversation. Seems fate had other plans.
He stopped moving and Camelia stopped breathing.
Their eyes lock.
Camelia could sense his stare rake up and down her body when her skin felt the pressure of his heated gaze. His dynamic presence seemed to fill up the unoccupied space between them. Breaking the stare, he places his phone inside his jacket. He shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks and slowly approaches her.
His entire body executed raw power. Waves of confidence ooze from his aura. The rest of his features were hidden by the mask and shadowed by the dark night. He really did look the part of a Greek God exactly described in the books she read.
Her deep red lips parted, eyeing him as a greedy child enthralled by a piece of cake. He was every girl's dream.
"I didn't realize anyone was out here. Sorry if I interrupted your moment." He said. Camelia watches his lips move, spotting straight white teeth. His voice was deeper then she remembers. So manly. So grown up. So different.
He rewards her with a blinding smile.
Her heart begins galloping like a race horse as he narrows the distance between them. Camelia adjusts her posture and regards him with cool surprise. At the same time she stays emotionally guarded. "No you're fine, I was just getting some air." She replies as her hands circle her waist.
"Out here in the cold night? Are you ill?" He observes. Camelia could tell he was trying to be polite. Stefan always had that way about him where he spoke to people like they weren't strangers to him.
She turns her back to him and looks out into the distance, deciding not to answer. It was cowardly she knew, but itwas difficult not too keep staring at him like she was possessed.
"I apologize. I did not mean to upset you. I could just tell by your stance, your shoulders–seem stiff and from what I could see from past the mask, from your expression, you don't seem comfortable." He came to stand next to her keeping his gaze fixed out into the distance. They were so close their shoulders were touching but nothing else. "I apologize again if I seem too personal, I'm just good at reading people, it was part of my job description at one time..." He trails off with a deep burdening sigh.
Camelia had a sixth sense that always sensed things without knowing how. Something was wrong. Stefan was acting composed, but he was on the edge. It wasn't his body language alone but in the tone of his voice. He was stressed. As if the problems of the world weighed heavily on his shoulders.
She couldn't help herself, Camelia turns her head slightly to stare. Her eyes make contact with the side of his strong jaw which was so familiar yet so different at the same time. Squinting her eyes she searches the side of his eyes recognizing the strikingly beautiful blue-green color she'd dreamed of seeing again for the last ten years.
Up close he was even more handsome than she remembered, even with the mask hiding most of his features. The last time she saw him her vision was obstructed by sunglasses and now a mask. She had the urge to reach out and untie it from his face and reveal what her starving eyes were deprived of.
Stefan was unknowingly standing beside her. Speaking to her no less. And he had no clue.
How ironic was it that their paths would cross all this time and he didn't know who he was speaking to?
Camelia stiffened and blinked rapidly away shifting her gaze and keeping it firmly fixed out to the garden before her–afraid he could see her staring at him from the corner of his eye. "It's alright. I'm just nervous." She managed to supply him with a short curt answer before he thought she had gone mute.
"Stage fright?" He guessed, shifting slightly to look at her. It's like he read her mind.
How very intuitive.
"Yes." She replied looking up in embarrassment. He had this charm that allowed you to view him as a close friend than a stranger. He was distracting her and easing her out of her discomfort. It was the same technique he used on her when she was a child. Where nobody could climb over her walls, he gained her trust and did just that.
She had missed him so much. It made her heart squeeze tightly in her chest. He was her knight in shinning armor after all. He was the man that promised to never forget her birthday.
Camelia remembers the years of hoping and waiting. All those years of waiting. It was hard to forget someone she imagined she was going to spend the rest of her life with. However fictional it was she was so sure he was the one for her. Their souls had connected. She could feel it with every fiber of her being on the first day they met. It was a feeling no amount of words could describe.
But the doubt always made her question her sanity. The signs alone were enough to knock her off her path. First the funeral, where she believed a greater power united them but then she saw him embracing another. Again tonight, with the same girl. If it wasn't a sign from the fates telling her to stop believing she didn't know what was.
Her annoyance mounts remembering his golden girlfriend's arm enveloped into the crook of his elbow. All it did was open up old wounds. What was he still doing standing by her in the cold when he had a gorgeous woman he could go back to, she wonders?
"You don't have anything to worry about, you will knock people off their feet and capture their hearts with just one smile." Appreciating her appearance as he shamelessly looked her up and down. A instant blush flares on her cheeks. "You are more beautiful than all the woman in that room combined. Never doubt yourself. I barely know you so take it from a stranger, you are drop dead gorgeous, I can only imagine what's underneath...the mask." He boldly concludes with hooded eyes.
Camelia's eyes widened in surprise. A rush of heat suffused her body, he found her attractive.
I can only imagine what's underneath the mask....
The pleasure of his compliments warmed her battered soul making her wayward emotions bounce all over the place. What he would say if he knew who he was saying those sweet words to.
Would he be so bold?
How serious was his relationship if he was out here passing out compliments like she belonged to him? Or had the right?
The idea of revealing herself crosses her mind. Should she?
No. She thinks immediately feeling slightly devious. A small secret smile lights up her eyes.
It was her little secret for now. She thanked the stars she was wearing a mask.
It acted more like a barrier between her and others. It was fun and fascinating when she really thought about it. It was like the times when she went trick or treating and wearing a costume was mandatory for the holiday. She could hide, and cover her insecurities and identity behind the mask. With this sudden realization it surprisingly added a boost of confidence and relief to her once insecure ego.
A person's face revealed everything that was hiding on the inside and it was the perfect cover for tonight.
Nobody knew her. Nobody could recognize her.
"Thank you, you're too flattering." She replied looking at him boldly in the eyes and feeling a little flirtatious. You don't even have the slightest idea who your talking to...her mind whispered to him.
If you looked into my eyes would you see who's inside?
Stefan stood there watching her too intently, his gaze solely focused on her eyes. "Have we met before? You seem familiar." Closing the small distance between them, their chests were almost touching. His question was laced genuine interest.
He sensed her. That must be some sign from the heavens, isn't it? The child he saw ten years ago was now a full grown woman. Could it be they were meant for one another like she hoped?
Was there still hope?
Camelia observed the way his hands hovered around her arms as if he was going to touch her and held her breath. But ultimately he let them fall to his sides. A part of her was relieved and the other disappointed. A tug of war was waging inside her. It was a battle between the right and wrong sides.
She wanted to believe but at the same time she didn't want to be hurt again. Vulnerability had a price.
"I don't think so." She lied trying to withhold a smile. It was the most carefree fun she's had in a long time. Although she felt just a little guilty for lying, a emotion she couldn't say she's experienced before opened within. Control.
Camelia heard Stefan take a deep controlled breath from behind her. She believed everything happens for a reason. It was fate that brought them together, stealing a glance up at the stars. They had been her sanctuary, her companion, the only things she would confide her dreams and secrets to. They twinkled down at her like they were winking in approval. She closes her eyes and clasps her hands to her chest.
"Ladies and gentleman the auction will be starting in five minutes...would all the eligible ladies please meet the coordinator behind the stage..."
The auctioneers loud voice boomed throughout the ballroom and passed into the night making Camelia stiffen slightly. Warm hands wrap around her upper arms making her cold skin raise goosebumps. Stefan's hands firmly gripped her and she didn't know what to think.
Was it possible to feel so lost and found all at once?
He pulled her back against his chest and she felt his warmth against her ear. "Who are you...?" He asked in a whisper. "Explain to me why I feel like I know you. It's not like me to approach someone so but when you first passed by me I had this odd sensation that we've met before. As crazy as this sounds I can't shake off the feeling in my mind..." He faltered, Stefan couldn't continue when all he could think about was the sweet smelling perfume dabbed behind her ears.
She smelled as sweet and appetizing as she looked. This female was different than all the rest. Most woman he's known before automatically gravitated towards him like a Venus fly trap. Woman flocked around him like they were under a spell.
But not this one.
They never turn their back to him. Oddly enough, he didn't like it. The lady in red captivated his attention. She was stunningly beautiful. The color was attractive on her and alluring but it wasn't the dress or the ruby lips, it was the person wearing it.
She wasn't like the others. This woman was innocent, he could tell. She was sweet, warm and inviting despite the uncertainty he felt from her earlier. He wondered if that's what influenced him to reach out to her.
Out of nowhere he received this random bold of awareness from her he needed answered. Something inside him wielded him in, a pull. It was strong and genuine.
Sensing her distrust and anxiety, Stefan disliked the vibes he felt off her. He found that he was anxious for her attention and trust. Without thinking his arms yearned to embrace and shelter her against him. Another bolt of awareness he did not have an answer to.
It was not lust wielding him in. He wanted to be near her, to protect and make sure she was safe. Whatever the strange connection between him and this girl, he didn't think he would ever understand it. All he understood was he wanted her and it shook his core.
"I need to go..." Was all she said still standing in the same position.
For all she knew about him he did this act with all the others in his life. However, as much as she wanted to believe the fantasy man in her mind, she did not know him. "You're not supposed to be touching me when you're here with someone else." She murmurs gravely.
If it was someone else other than Stefan holding her she wouldn't have given him her time of day nor would she tolerate his touch. Although it felt foreign to be held in such a way where no man had before, she felt safe and welcomed his comfort. It felt like she was born to be for him.
Camelia stepped away even though everything in her being wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. But she couldn't. He wasn't hers to claim nor was she his.
"Wait! I must know your name..." He demanded, making a grab for her again by reaching for her arm and pulling her around to face him.
Camelia collided with his hard broad chest, resting her clenched fists against him. "Why does it matter?" She replies, breathless.
It's like she already crashed and hit a wall with his words.
The desperation in his voice was astounding. A finger slid under her chin to lift her gaze which was firmly fixated on his chest. He nudged her head to look deeply into her eyes.
"I recognize your eyes–a deep blue but I cannot remember where. Tell me your name." Those lovely eyes. He's seen them before.
Stefan lowers his head trying to see passed the mask. Involuntarily his eyes flicker to her red inviting lips, begging to be tasted. They were perfectly shaped, plump and ripe for the taking.
Camelia notices immediately and shifts her head to the side pushing against his chest. "I really need to go, the auction is about to start!" She said in a rush. Before he insisted and kept pursing her, she turns away and never looks back, hurriedly making her way back inside and directly to the back of the stage.
For all she knew once he found out who she was Stefan could very likely push her away and always see her as a child. That barrier would be forever set in place and Camelia could not afford that loss. Her heart wouldn't be able to handle it.
For how long she could keep this secret she knew not. But of one thing she was sure.
He felt the connection too.
______________________________________________________________________________
A shout out to Mia-rella, Happy 30th Birthday!! 🎉
Hope it's a year filled with all your hearts 💕 desires!
Happy birthday to any reader that has an October birthday!!
Notice the longer chapters? I'm trying to include more content than my last story. His Duchess had shorter chapters in the beginning. It wasn't until later on that I began making them longer.
This ends with close to 4,000 words! Hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for reading—always enjoy the commenting and I thank you for voting!!
-Shaz