Page 82 of His Two Hidden Masks

“When I go home,” she said, “I am going to go to bed with Troy and make him take me ten different ways.”

“Only ten?” Odessa said.

“Not everyone does yoga, Odessa,” Shea said with a wink.

We sipped our drinks, leaning into the soft velvet of our booth, still wearing our masks. Leo returned to the dance floor and was moving hip-to-hip with a black-masked hawk.

“I hope he is doing okay,” Shea said.

“He told you?” I said. We hadn’t talked about David at all at the table.

“We were there when the poorly timed text arrived,” Odessa said, wrinkling her nose. “I have never been a fan of dick pics, especially ones I don’t know.”

“Nobody wants to see a stranger’s ding dong,” Shea said, swirling her drink and making us all laugh.

“And what about you, Bella?” Odessa asked. “Are you dating anyone in this gorgeous city?”

“Me?” I laughed. “No.”

“That was a quick answer,” said Odessa.

“Too quick,” Shea said, pointing her finger at me.

“Well, I was engaged.” I took a sip of my Negroni.

“And you aren’t anymore?” Odessa said.

“No, I got to the altar. And…I left.”

“No,” Shea said. “You didn’t.”

“I did,” I said, nodding. “I ran. I ran out of the church. I think he just stayed there, wondering if I would come back. I didn’t.”

“My, oh, my.” Shea reached over and squeezed my knee. “Good for you.”

“Not sure I recommend it,” I said, shrugging and taking another drink. “I wish I had realized earlier that I couldn’t do it.”

“Do you wish you were married to him now?” Odessa said.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Good,” Odessa said. “No regrets. Do not doubt yourself. You have to listen to your heart, and sometimes, it takes time to understand what we really want. When you find love, you hold onto it with both hands.”

“Amen, sister,” Shea said. She held up her hand, and Odessa responded with a quick high five. Damn, I loved their energy.

“So, you two speak from experience?” I said, giggling.

“We speak as women who know that the path to love isn’t always easy,” said Odessa.

“Truth,” Shea said.

“Be kind to yourself, Bella,” Odessa said. “You shouldn’t be ashamed that you ran from the church. If people can’t accept your choices,” she shrugged, “fuck them.”

“Yes, fuck them,” I said, sipping my drink. Be kind to myself. It was such powerful and simple advice. Why did I find it so hard to follow?

That night was the real beginning of Carnival for me, although the festival would end in only a few days. Soon, the masks in this room would flow out into the streets, and everyone in Venice would be pretending to be someone else night and day.

Some of the people that night wore costumes they would wear again at the Doge's Palace Ball. I had gone to the ball once, with Leo after we graduated from secondary school.

---