*Ahem* Disclaimer; the upcoming scene may be very heartbreaking especially once you play the song. I hope you survive the whole chapter. And please, have a box of tissue on your side. That is all. Enjoy.
—
Stephen James as Alec James
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Annie
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" a voice exclaims. Everyone looks up to Travis who's standing in the middle of two staircases.
"If you may, please join us and dance. We have all night and plenty of music to dance to. I hope you all are prepared. Now grab someone! Dance! Be the life of the party!" Travis shouts, throwing his arms in the air in the most ecstatic way. I smile. Everything's so beautiful.
"Annie!" Danny — my friend runs up to me.
"Let's go dance, beautiful," he softly says, holding onto my hand. I shake my head and suddenly, I can't help but feel like someone's looking at me. I ignore Danny for 5 seconds as I examine the big room to see whose eyes kept burning the back of my head.
I roll my eyes and avoid the feeling.
It's just you, Annie, I thought to myself.
"Come on! Aren't you gonna take me?" I tease. Danny chuckles and throws the most handsome grin at me. His hands grasp my hands and pull me onto the dance floor. Once again, I feel someone's eyes trail behind me.
Shake off the feeling, Annie.
*PLAY MUSIC*
Danny and I get straight into the line that every other couple was in. Grinning, I link arms with Danny. The song starts and instantly, I recognize it. My stomach makes weird turns and I can't help but think of one person.
We both step forward once the violin starts playing. People behind us follow the same step. Then Danny and I turn sideways and come face to face across the other couples. The space between the couples across us is where we were supposed to intersect with and we were just about to walk in that space.
Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry.
We both turn and look forward again. I almost forgot this was a masquerade ball until I stare back at Danny and see him wearing his black mask with golden specks. Danny smiles at me and raises my arm, signaling that I should twirl.
Don't know how lovely you are.
My body spins and I land right into Danny's arms. His right-hand grips my waist, my right-hand rests on his left shoulder, and my left-hand links with his right hand.
"Annie?"
"Yes, Daniel?" His tone seems serious, so I'm going to say his full name. Danny leans in my ear as we dance to the song.
"You're really beautiful tonight. I honestly hope you find someone who truly loves you," he whispers. His breath lightly kisses the part between my ear and neck. My stomach makes weird turns. Danny pulls away and looks at me with a beautiful smile.
His sky blue eyes reflect my chocolate ones. Danny is charming. He's sweet. He's the boy next door. He's everything a girl would ever dream of.
I stare at him.
His brown hair was tousled like he just woke up and ran his fingers through his hair. His icy blue eyes glow so gorgeously. His face structure was so strong and built. I was always jealous of how sharp his defined jaw was. His plump lips look perfect and I don't regret that time we locked lips. And when he smiled, he smiled with his pearly white teeth and that made him look like an angel. My heart breaks knowing that he wasn't my mate.
I laugh.
"Well, you really look handsome as ever, too. I mean," I stop and straighten his tie, "look at you. I've never seen you this dressed since 2 years ago."
Danny laughs. "You're funny. I always wear suits."
I eye him sarcastically and when he playfully glares at me, I throw my head back in laughter. "Oh, Daniel."
Nobody said it was easy.
"Oh, quick! They're switching. Bye, Annie!" He hurried me and twirls me once again.
"Uh, bye! Meet a gir —" I couldn't finish when suddenly, I was gliding to hitting someone's chest.
It's such a shame for us to part.
Sparks flew instantly when this person's arms touched my arm. What the fùck?
I look up, fùcking surprised that I even feel sparks. This man was wearing a black mask with a gold outline. His green eyes look familiar to his mask because there was also a gold outline to his green eyes. I gasp. His eyes were beautiful.
Another surprise gasp escapes my lips when he grips my waist, almost protectively. I meet his eyes. They were speaking to me, but his mouth wasn't. His body language speaks to me, too.
No one ever said it would be this hard.
He offers his left hand and I raise my right hand, linking it with his. A tickling feeling courses through my body and my breath quicks it's pace. Who is this man and what is he doing to me? Staring into his eyes, it feels like it was only both of us in the room.
The way he glides us around so smoothly. The way he holds me so close. The way his eyes were saying You belong to me.
Chills run through my body when he looks at me. This feeling inside of me was telling me that I knew him, but he looks slightly different also. His hair was messed up and in different waves everywhere. His jaw, clean and sharp. His face looks very strong, especially his cheekbones. Oh, and his lips. They look soft and ready to place sins everywhere. On me.
My eyes grow wide. Annie! What the fùck?!
Oh, God. Every part of him seems so alluring and mysterious.
Soon enough, the music ends. I quickly pull away from him, but he seems to not take the cue and holds me where I am. In his arms.
"Now, now. Do you think it's over? Nope. Lift up your mask and show your true identity," Travis says over the crowd of murmuring people.
"On the count of three."
"One." Am I ready to face this man?
"Two." Fùck. One more second.
My right-hand goes to the edge of my mask and he does the same.
"Three." Liftoff.
I slowly take off my mask and he follows. I couldn't really take in his features because of how we both take our mask off at the same time. But once he takes off his, my heart swells.
Hell no. How did I not tell before?
The sparks. The eyes. Oh, the eyes. And that smirk. That fùcking smirk.
I realize his arms were still wrapped around my waist and I push his grip off of me. "Get away from me, fùcking prick."
I try not to make a commotion and walk away from him. He has the audacity to come here, dance with me, and take his fùcking mask off in front of me? Oh, dear God. If he even follows me, I will have him removed.
"Annie! Wai —"
"Don't take another step towards me!" I shout, causing him to stop. He opens his mouth to speak, but I don't want to hear his voice.
"Alec, please. Just go," I retort. My voice sounds weak. I hate that he did this to me. I avoid looking at him, it makes every part of me go weak.
"Annie, hear me out please," Alec begs. He takes another step and I back away.
"Why, Alec? Why did you do it? Why did it take you 4 long years to come back? Wait, n-no. You never should've returned. It was so much better and easier when you were gone and our ties were cut," I say, my voice cracking at the end. Here comes the waterworks.
Alec opens his mouth and it looks like he's struggling to find the words. "I.. I am a fool. I was so young. I am so sorry. I came to apologize. I need to apologize, Angel."
And the tears drop.
Angel
Angel
Fùcking angel.
I love you, Angel.
"Well, fùck you. I don't want your apologies. I don't want anything from you. I just want you fùcking gone. Just leave me alone. Being near you makes me weak and my heart breaks every time I look at you. You don't know how much I wanted you to return and tell me that you still need me and only me. You never returned, because you told me that you loved another. I never had your heart, so you never should've returned." In every word, my voice continues cracking and I had to purse my lips to stop sobbing.
He stares at me, his green eyes fill with so much emotion as his eyes follow the first tear that falls down my cheeks to my jaw. I close my eyes tightly, hoping he'd disappear once I open my eyes, but he doesn't. More tears fall, very very heavily.
I don't love you anymore, Alec.
Are you sure about that?
Fùck no.
"Annie, please. Just please hear me out." His eyes give me sincerity and my heartaches. God, it never hurt this much before. I open my mouth to speak, but I can't say anything. More tears just fall and I cover my mouth from letting out a painful sob.
Alec looks like he can't take it anymore and comes up to me, but I back up. "Please don't. Just go away."
"What's going on here?" I close my eyes. Damn it.
"Vincent," Alec says, his voice very full of shock and maybe even a little fear. Thank God, my back was towards Vincent.
"Annie, what's going on?" Vincent asks again, ignoring Alec's presence completely. I let out a trembling sigh. My eyes open and I turn around.
"Nothing. He just wanted to talk and catch up," I explain. It's a truth and a lie together. The catching up part is a fùcking lie. I don't want to catch up on anything with him.
"Then explain to me why you're crying," Vincent pushes. I shut my eyes, just wishing to disappear in thin air.
Suddenly, I feel a tight grip on my arm. Looking up to see green eyes with golden borders, I try to escape his grip. I feel weak, but I was still able to at least fight him hard enough.
"Alec, let me go," I plea. He pulls me closer to him and I hear a low growl from behind me.
"No. You're not going anywhere. I let you go before .. And that was a mistake." I try so hard to avoid eye contact with him. That makes the situation worse because then I'll give in.
"Alec, you let my sister go before I do something you won't like," Vincent says, in a threatening tone.
"No, I —"
"Let her fùcking go, Alec. You don't deserve to even be breathing the same air as her."
"Vincent, just let me talk to her. Please. And I'll leave." I look at his eyes and it looks like he wanted to say more. He looks desperate. Almost like he needs me.
I finally find the courage to speak up. "I-I can't do this right now."
I pick up the sides of my dress and hurry away to the stairs. I have to get away from the tension. It was too heavy. Being in the same presence as Alec made me suffocate. I swore to myself long ago that I would never have to face him again, and yet, look what the cat rolls in.