Page 1 of When Midnight Strikes
1
Danny
Every day as I walk the hallways of my apartment complex, my eyes search for him. My heart throbs for my neighbor, who I’ve admired in passing for the past three years. My gaze always lands right on him with his pitch-black wavy hair and deep brown eyes that look everywhere but in my direction. He never seems to notice me or give me so much as a quick glance, but I can’t help but notice him. It usually goes either way for me ever since my accident three years ago. Sometimes people can’t help but stare and sometimes people avoid looking my way altogether, because they worry they will offend me. Little do they know avoiding me offends me way more. Maybe I've managed to become invisible all these years.
I hurry into my apartment to avoid running into Melanie, one of my overly friendly neighbors. No matter how much I attempt to blend in, she always notices me. Her kindness towards me feels more like pity most days, but I know she thinks she's helping. I humor her now and again by accepting her occasional invite to brunch or coffee. Yesterday, she left me an invite to a New Year’s Eve party her boyfriend is throwing this weekend. I take a picture of the sparkly card sitting on my counter and send it over to my friend Vivian via text message. My phone buzzes in my hand seconds later.
Vivian:OMG, we totally are going to that party. I am so your plus one.
Me:You know I hate parties. Way too many people.
Vivian:Yes, but most of those people are too drunk to care about anything, and hello, did you see that the invite said it was a costume party? It says at the very bottom “masquerade ball.”
I glance down at the invite again, and it turns out Vivian is right. I must have missed that tiny little detail somehow.
Me:I guess I better go find me the perfect masquerade mask for the occasion.
Vivian:Yes! I just got off work so we can go today. Pick you up in an hour and we can grab dinner afterward?
Me:Do I even have a choice in any of this? Why even bother putting a question mark at the end of that sentence when it’s more like a statement than a question?
Vivian:You're right—you have no say! See you soon!
Releasing a sigh, I clutch the invitation to my chest. I haven't been to a party in years; I usually try to avoid them. Vivian has managed to convince me to go out with her to a few bars and clubs every once in a while. She knew me before the accident, so maybe that is why she’s able to look past the burn scars that cover the top half of my face. She is able to see me for the person I am, not for how I appear on the outside. I run my fingers over the top of my cheek bones, tracing over the mauled flesh. I still didn’t allow anyone else to touch my face. I didn’t like the memories it brought when I did it myself.
Years ago, I was just supposed to go in for a quick procedure for my deviated septum and came out of anesthesia with the top part of my face covered in third degree burns. I was told they were caused by a surgical fire. They are rare but can happen when the right things get mixed together in an operating room or, should I say, the wrong things. The alcohol base mixed with oxygen and the laser lights often allowed for ignition. Vivian was there for me when it happened and never left my side. She lived in the same small town I did at the time, and when she got a job offer here, I followed her to get a new start myself. It was just what I needed after what happened with my ex-boyfriend Patrick. Vivian knows to not mention his name anymore. Hearing his name doesn’t hurt me the way it used to. The mention of his name used to swell up inside me, painfully filling my ears until I could no longer hear anyone else. My family wasn’t happy when I left, and my relationship with them hasn’t been the same since.
A knock at my door brings me back to my current reality. I realize I'm still holding the invitation to my chest and set it down before starting toward the door. I was thinking I succeeded in avoiding Melanie, but I guess I was wrong. Vivian couldn't have possibly gotten here that quickly, and an hour to Vivian usually meant two hours.
It’s not as if anyone else ever visits me. I open the door and expect to see Melanie standing on the other side, but instead it's my dreamy neighbor, and he is glancing down at something in his hand. He finally lifts his face, and his mouth forms into a slight smile. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the scars on my face because instead of looking at them with curiosity or disgust, his gaze meets mine. His brown eyes have a bit of gold in them that I never noticed before, since I’ve never actually gotten this close to him until now. His hair is dusted with snow, and he is wearing a black coat with a red scarf wrapped around his neck, making it hard for me to not notice his golden, tanned skin buried underneath. He holds out his hand and is the first to break the awkward silence between us; I’m frozen by the sudden action.
“Hey there, I'm Cole, your neighbor. I think I got some of your mail by mistake. Are you Danny Welch?”After holding his hand out for too long, he lays his arm back by his side. I hope he doesn't find it to be rude. I didn't shake it because I didn't think I'd be able to release it and my palms are probably a sweaty mess anyway. I rub my hands on my jeans, nodding my head while my words remain lodged in my throat, unable to find their way out. He smiles again and hands the mail to me. “Well then, looks like this belongs to you. Must have made it into my box by accident.”
I take the mail before nodding again. “Thank you for bringing it by,” I finally manage to say.
He nods and takes a step back before glancing back into the hall. “Yeah, no worries. Well, have a good day, and I'll, uh, see you around.”
I’m only able to manage a slight wave before shutting my door. My back goes slack against it and I press back harder to keep from falling to the floor. I can’t believe we spoke—well, he talked to me, and I just stood there like a silent idiot. That is probably exactly what he thinks of me now. I was actually standing in front of my striking neighbor, and I lost my train of thought at the sight of him. He had this deep captivating voice, and for a minute I felt like I was in a trance when he first spoke to me. The way my name sounded coming out of his mouth was music to my ears.
I totally blew it though. There is no way he’ll ever talk to me again. My cat Felix rubs his body against my leg, letting out a meow as if he agrees with my statement. He is probably also pining for my attention since I’ve been spending the last few days writing at the coffee shop, which isn’t normally like me. But knowing my bed is just in the next room with a TV in it makes it hard for me to want to stay at my desk in my living room and write. I tidy up my living room a bit, trying to kill some time before Vivian gets here. I’m so lost in my thoughts while straightening my pillows that I lose track of time. The loud knock coming from behind me makes me jump, and Felix takes cover under the couch. “Coward,” I mutter under my breath.
I open the door to Vivian, shaking the snow from her hair and scarf. “Are you going to put a coat on, or am I going to have to drag your ass out here without one? We should get going before the snow picks up out there.”
I nod. “Yeah, yeah, all right. My neighbor came by with my mail, and it slowed me down a bit.”
Once I have my coat on, I pull my beanie and gloves from my coat pocket and tug them on. She shoots me a look of curiosity. “Oh yeah, was it Mister Hottie from across the way?”
I nod. “Yeah, it was, and I stood there like an idiot who forgot how to use words to communicate. Anyway, let’s just get this over with, shall we? Be glad I agreed to go to this ridiculous party to begin with.”
She laughs and I follow her to the car, slowly making our way down the snow covered sidewalk. The wind chill has me tugging my coat to my chest and begging to already be inside Vivian's warm car. "Can you hurry up and open the door, Viv? I'd like to get this over with and I'm freezing my ass off out here."
She quickly slides into the driver’s side with her lips quipped into a smirk. “Man, I’m really glad we are going to this party together. You sound like you are in desperate need of getting laid. Maybe once you do, you’ll lighten up more and stop acting like such a little uptight biatch.”
I strap myself into the passenger seat of her car. “I’m not uptight. I’m just having a rough week at work. The publishing company has been riding my ass lately and not in a good way.”
She snickers, “Yeah, well, hopefully, we will have a good time this weekend, and you will at least be able to drink your worries away or find someone who will ride your ass the right way.” She snickers at her own joke. “Anyway, I saw the perfect mask for you on the store’s website.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, if you like it, then that means I probably will hate it.”
