word count: 1874
~ summary: you go to a party where everyone is wearing masks, which leads to you mistaking one person for another ~
———————————————————————
You pulled up to the large, white house that was practically a mansion compared to your own and stared at it in awe as your conscience shooed you inside to start partying.
You'd been to a one of these parties before, called a "Midnight Masks" party for obvious reasons which will be explained later. It was always hosted by the same people but it almost felt like the house had got bigger over the years. Or maybe it was because you were disoriented by all the stuff on your mind.
You were in a pretty serious relationship with your boyfriend, Tyler, but your thoughts frequently trailed off to think about your best friend, Grayson. It was totally inappropriate to be daydreaming about him while you were dating someone else but you just couldn't help it.
Grayson was so perfect.
Kind, loving, and, of course, insanely attractive. You had liked Grayson for a long time and wanted nothing more than to be his girlfriend but there was that nagging possibility at the back of your mind that it could ruin your entire friendship.
If he didn't feel the same way or thought it was strange, it would destroy everything. Three words, eight letters, practically a ticking time bomb.
You loved Grayson dearly and wanted to remain close to him until the end of time. Unfortunately, the only way to do that was to put a thick line between best friend and boyfriend. So, when Tyler asked you out, you thought it was the perfect opportunity to draw that line.
Grayson seemed very hurt and disappointed when he heard you had gotten in a relationship but you figured it was because he was afraid he'd be ignored, which would never be the case. Grayson was the most important person in your life and no boyfriend or other best friend could get in between that.
———
You started walking towards the grand entrance when someone strolling across the lawn caught your eye. You looked over to see Tyler kicking up dirt as he ambled towards the front door.
You walked over to him and smiled when he looked up.
"Hey babe!" you called sweetly.
"Oh hey," he replied, his voice dull.
He gave you an awkward side hug and held your hand reluctantly as you both walked through the tall double doors of the house.
When you got inside, he let go of your hand quickly and walked over to where his friends were to hang out with them. You let your hand flop to your side and heaved a sigh of despair.
Tyler was definitely not the romantic type. Almost every time you and Tyler hung out together, he always ditched you to hang out with his shitty friends.
Maybe Tiffany was right. Maybe things between you and Tyler weren't working out. I mean, she was your best friend and she wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. But you could always fix things. It would be hard but it wasn't impossible.
You stopped yourself from overthinking the situation because you didn't want to get lost in your thoughts for the millionth time that day.
Tiffany skipped over to you, causing you to force a smile as to not ruin her good mood.
"Hey!" she beamed. "Amazing party, right? It's so much better than last year's!"
"Ehh."
You tilted your fingernails from side to side to watch the light dance across them.
"Where did your date go? Did he run off with his friends too?" you asked, snappier than usual.
"What? No! Henry went to get a drink," she replied, sounding almost offended that that's what you thought of Henry. "Oh, there he is now!"
Henry walked over holding a Red Solo cup in his hand, swishing the liquid around. He put his other arm around Tiffany and offered her his drink. She smiled and shook her head, declining his offer.
You adjusted the black mask resting on your nose and awkwardly blew air out of your mouth.
"I'm gonna go dance," you murmured, annoyed with their adorable relationship.
Tiffany nodded and started giggling flirtatiously with Henry as they strolled off towards the kitchen.
You walked over to the dance floor to find Grayson because you knew he would be coming to the party.
While searching, you saw someone who looked like Tyler. With so much on your mind, you were practically drunk without the alcohol. You ran over to him, squeezing through groups of people, and gave him a big hug.
"Hey babe, what are you doing over here on the dance floor? I thought you were in the kitchen hanging out with your friends."
He looked so confused and lost so you just kept talking, figuring he had just finished a game of "Mystery Pill" with his drug addicted group of friends.
"Wanna dance?" you asked.
His confusion turned to satisfaction and he smiled and took your hand. He led you onto the dance floor and twirled you around, making you giggle.
You danced around for a while, syncing moves like you were characters from a movie.
"Wow, I didn't know you were such a good dancer!" you exclaimed.
"Yeah I kind of taught myself."
His voice sounded different, way deeper than usual, but you figured it was because he had a few drinks.
"Really? I thought you said you hated dancing," you claimed.
"Um, oh yeah, I did but I figured, I'd, uh, I'd try it and I ended up enjoying it a lot," he faltered.
The slight hesitation was odd. You knew something was up but you couldn't quite put your finger on what it was.
———
As the night went on, Tyler slowly became a whole different person.
He was so much sweeter, he was caring and considerate of others, he didn't drink any alcohol, and he never needed a minute to go outside and smoke a cigarette like he usually did, but you liked it. Whatever happened to him from the moment you two walked in to now, you hoped it was permanent.
You and Tyler hung out all night which was something you'd never done before. As much as you enjoyed it, it was still uncomfortably strange.
You decided to question his change in demeanor, though you were extremely nervous that it would ruin that perfect night.
———
You both stood on the balcony, overlooking the large, beautifully landscaped backyard.
"Is something up?" you asked, not looking at him.
"No, why?"
"You seem... different tonight. Like a whole other person."
He sighed and cleared his throat. You were ready for some sort of explanation, but, instead, he changed the subject.
"I've had a lot of fun tonight," he said, completely dodging your question. "But I wish I got to spend more time with you, and I honestly sometimes wish that you were mine."
"I am yours, silly. I'm your girlfriend, remember?"
"Yeah, I wish," he mumbled, tracing the outline of his mask, which was covering the left side of his face.
You walked closer to him and played with locks of his hair.
"And if you want to spend more time with me, you should stop ditching me every night to hang with your friends."
He cocked an eyebrow.
"You know, for some reason you look way hotter than usual. Like you seriously look so different," you said, causing Tyler to smirk.
You could hear the slow song beginning from inside so Tyler smiled and gestured towards the dance floor. You shook your head.
"We can dance right here."
He smiled and slowly placed his hands on the curve of your waist. The song playing from inside was subtle enough to calm you but loud enough for you and Tyler to dance.
You rested your arms on his shoulders and just stared at him, examining his face. He looked so perfect. You wished he looked like that all the time.
You swayed back and forth like a gentle wave in the ocean until your eyelids got heavy. You rested your head on his shoulder and he pulled you closer to him. He was much taller than you remembered.
He rubbed your sides with his thumbs as he hummed softly to the music. The rocking and Tyler's humming could've put you to sleep if you weren't in the middle of a party.
"I wish we could stay like this forever," you uttered, speaking your mind because you were half asleep. "Not smoking, not drinking, not avoiding me or being rude to me. And if you stayed this hot I wouldn't be so much more attracted to my friend Grayson than you."
Tyler chuckled and gripped your waist tighter.
The slow song finally came to an end but Tyler was still rocking.
"The song's over," he whispered, mentally catching you before you fell asleep.
You lifted your head off his shoulder and smiled. You looked him in the eyes and tilted your head to the side like a confused dog.
He was wearing a white contact on the side his mask was on.
"You never told me you were going to wear a contact," you said, pointing to his eye.
"Oh, uh, last minute decision before I left the house," he replied.
You were still left confused. You were sure he wasn't wearing that when you walked in. You would've noticed. And you remembered Grayson telling you that he was going to do that.
You decided to brush it off because you didn't feel like arguing with him.
"You're still holding on to me," you whispered.
"You're still holding on to me," he retorted.
"Well maybe I don't want to let go. Maybe I want to stay like this forever because I'm scared that tomorrow you'll turn back into the drunk, high, obnoxious Tyler. I want this Tyler."
He gulped hard. He was clearly nervous and overwhelmed.
You were about to ask him what was wrong when he suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips on yours.
You guys had kissed a lot before but it never felt like this. It was so intense and passionate. His hands dipped into your curves as you traced his jawline slowly. The music and the loud chatter coming from inside were all drowned out. The only thing you heard were the quiet hums of satisfaction escaping his lips. It felt like you were the only two people left in the house, in the world. It was like everything went silent.
Well, it was silent, until the clock struck midnight. The loud *dong* made you flinch slightly. You pulled away from each other slowly and Tyler almost looked surprised with himself.
It was time for everyone to remove their masks. You took off yours and smiled. Tyler took a deep breath and removed his.
You gasped. You couldn't believe who emerged from behind the mask.
"Grayson?!"
i decided not to finish this so it could be like a "finish the story" sort of thing. also because it was getting pretty long and writing the rest would make this the longest imagine in existence. so, go ahead and finish it. it can end however you want :)