Page 5 of Masked
Of course, I know he’s home. Safe with mom. But how do you cope with what you’ve seen, when what you’ve seen is a matter of life and death?
I spin around to face the man I bumped into. He’s wearing a half-cut mask. It’s the snarling maw of some savage beast, and something about it works tremendously with his dazzling green eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” shouting over the music is a task in futility. But the stranger must’ve heard with how his eyes brighten.
“It’s really no problem,” he shouts back. “But I am gonna have to ask you to join me in a dance to make up for it.”
Tall and with a fine-as-hell body in a tight black shirt? I could do a lot worse than making up for my mistake with a dance. And if I’m not going crazy, and dad’s assailant really is here, I’m sure this guy will be more than enough to handle him.
“Sure, but you’re gonna have to keep up, bucko.” I grab the stranger’s hand and pull him closer to me. “I’m on a different level today.”
“That’s the only way, Doll-face,” he says, no doubt directed at my mask.
To add extra creep to the Halloween spirit, I designed my outfit around those old, eerie children’s dolls. The porcelain face type, cracking and breaking the section above my left eye, while the rest is a perfect replica. To compliment the mask, I’m wearing a thin, worn-out body suit with butterflies and flowers scattered across it.
We start dancing just in time for the DJ to flip songs and start something faster. The stranger and I move together, our bodiesin mismatched unison. I sway my hips, dip low and brush up against him. His hands snake around my body, hook around my thighs and latch as he breaks side to side.
As far as dancing goes, it’s passable. But the intimacy and heat, that’s a whole different story. Not exactly what I expected, but it’s the perfect distraction from what happened at home. One song turns to two, and the twins return but keep their distance while I groove with the stranger.
A few more songs go by, before the music cuts and the DJ announces he’s taking a break. He puts on a playlist to keep the party going, but it’s slower and quieter than before.
Prefect, I can grab a drink and get to know the stranger a little better before we come back to the dance floor for his next set.
“Now that we’ve had a dance, how about I buy you a drink?” The stranger asks, reading my thoughts.
“Sounds good to me.” I’ve got nowhere better to be. The twins have found some fresh meat of their own, and it’s my turn to keep from interrupting.
We grab our drinks, beers and tequila, and head outside for a breather. It’s crazy how a simple door is enough to block the sound from inside. The bass thumping in the background is obvious, but otherwise it’s mostly calm out here. Almost serene. The sprawling, blinding ropes of light, replaced by muted undertones. Screaming at the top of your lungs to get over the music, turned to hushed, lazy chatting from one small group, braving the first drops of an incoming rain storm for a cigarette.
So quiet, in fact, I can hear my own thoughts.
None of them pleasant.
We find a table in the furthest corner, away from prying eyes, and drink the tequila shots standing. It’s bitter, disgusting, burns the whole way down, and exactly what I need. He grunts and groans, pulling a face that scrunches the exposed half of his face.
I chuckle, because there’s something awfully funny about seeing a man suffer at the hands of his own terrible decisions.
“You weren’t kidding,” the stranger says, falling into a metal chair. “You were moving on a different level out there.”
“I’ve got a lot on my mind,” I smile weakly. With half my face covered, and the other painted to resemble nothing but black, it wouldn’t even show in my eyes. “Need to get it out somehow.”
“So why not talk about it? That’s what I’ve found always works,” he pulls a second metal chair closer to him, shielding it from the fall of heavy drops beneath a wide umbrella.
If he didn’t seem genuine enough, I might’ve thought harder on joining so close to him. Hell, if I hadn’t sucked down my good senses with that shot of tequila, I would’ve insisted on being opposite him. Instead, I accept his offer, slipping onto the chair.
“So, what’s got you so down?” He asks, sliding back until he’s pressed against the boundary rail.
I watched my dad get his head smashed in by a caveman.
Nope. Not going to say that, no matter how fuzzy I feel.
“Family drama.” A pretty polite way of putting it. “Definitely not something I want to go into right now.”
“Can’t be much help if you don’t let me in,” he reaches for his drink. Raises it to his lips, but waits before sipping. “You’ve gotta give me something.”
“Or we could enjoy the night and pretend everything’s fine.” I do the same, spinning the bottle in circles between my fingers.
“We could.” His free hand slides under the table and brushes against my knee. I presume it’s a mistake, but when it continues to linger on top of my thigh my heart starts thumping a little faster. “And I’ve got just the thing to clear your mind.”
