Page 13 of Be With Us: An Urban Foursome Love Story

Emilia grabbed for Cassian’s hand in the dark.

There was a low rumble, like thunder approaching, and then a voice reverberated around the room. A spotlight shone down from the ceiling illuminating the entrance which was now flooded by a thick cloud of dry ice.

The exuberant man appeared through the smoke.

‘Welcome one, welcome all. Welcome ladies and welcome gentleman and welcome to all those in between.’

There was a flash and a crash and new lights lit the space from hundreds of angles, transforming what initially appeared to be a gaudy, baroque ballroom into a bright, colourful, sophisticated and almost theatrical space.

Hung above them in the centre of the room were three giant masks, more than fifteen feet across, looking out and down on them all in every direction.

There was more too, somehow whilst the lights had been turned off and their attention had been drawn to the host, large Art Deco mirrors had been erected around the space, along with drapes which had unfurled from the ceiling. Venetian lamps and tables had sprung seemingly out of the floor, busts of Roman figures and Greek statues had appeared from nowhere and when Emilia looked closely she realised that the statues were living performance artists, standing stock still and naked, covered in a dusty white powder that gave the appearance of stone.

It was unreal and her eyes were wide with amazement. She realised she was still holding Cassian’s hand and she slowly relaxed her grip.

The atmosphere of the whole room had changed, it had gone from what seemed like a slightly awkward costume party, to, well… a Carnival of Debauchery.

The compere’s theatrical voice boomed through the room again. ‘And doth the evening hath begun, bare not your souls foul fiends of filth, but bare your flesh with masques of silk, on all fours though beggest sooth and in thine soul find ruin or truth.’

With this, the room shuddered with the sound of drums and a thunderous bass line as the music began and in the centre the younger crowd began to go wild.

Emilia was enthralled, but as much as she loved the intensity and theatrical power of it all, it was proving a little too much too soon.

She tugged at Cassian's arm and pointed towards an anteroom off the main event, and they began to weave their way through the crowd together, hand in hand.

As they walked, a young woman, masked and dressed in an elegant and entirely see through red-lace gown, slapped Cassian on the bum, pinching hard before disappearing into the crowd.

Once they reached the ante room, the sound of the music began to fade to a more manageable volume and they stepped over the threshold to find a more civilised scene, with couples talking, eating and drinking wine. Even the clothing that most of them wore was more in line with Cassian and Emilia’s choices and both of them began to relax a little.

‘We should mingle,’ said Emilia, winking and then noticing Cassian’s expression. ‘Are you okay?’

He nodded, ‘Just a little intimidated.’

‘You? I'm surprised. I like your honesty though,’ she said, smiling. ‘Come on, let's go find a nice group of people to slip into. We can be whoever we want, remember? We’re in disguise.’

She pulled him forward with a squeeze of her hand as she laughed.

*

Cassian first saw Amy in the reflection of one of the eight foot tall baroque mirrors which had been erected around the room like monoliths. Her bright red hair caught his eye, and he found himself drawn back to look for her, tuning out of the droning conversation he was stuck in with a banking executive from Slough.

‘I just don't understand why they insist on increasing funding to support these initiatives,’ the man was saying, when he was interrupted by a waitress offering a refill of his third drink of the evening. Cassian took the opportunity to excuse himself and headed towards the bathroom, leaving the man in the company of an equally disinterested woman, dressed in white with a mask that made her look a bit like a chicken.

As he feigned his exit, he looked across to where the attractive girl was stood and found her again. Looking at her properly now, he saw that her mouth was ever so slightly asymmetric, her lip curling in one corner to form a smirk, and she looked smart and driven, he could see that she was holding the attention of the group that surrounded her and not purely because of her striking looks. Then he saw that a tall man, with a sharp haircut and a well fitted suit, wearing a mask which gave him the appearance of a crow, was leaning into her, his hand softly placed in the small of her back, pride clear in his expression as she spoke.

Cassian found himself drawn to her, like he had discovered the life of the party, or a flame in the darkness, so much so that he found he was staring, and then her eyes caught his and for a brief and intense second they both gazed at each other, and she faltered.

He looked away, embarrassed and continued heading for the toilets, unsure of what else to do. He wanted to look back, to catch her eye again and feel that connection, but he was too embarrassed to do so. Inside the toilets, he headed into one of the cubicles and stood inside awkwardly before remembering why he was here. As he relieved himself he kept replaying the look in the girls eyes back in his mind.

He flushed, turned and then opened the door and came out to see the red woman’s partner, the man in the crow mask, slowly washing his hands in the sink. Cassian froze. The man looked up and glanced at him in the mirror.

‘My wife’s quite the centre of attention,’ he said. He looked around and picked up a paper towel as Cassian recovered. He stepped up to the sink to wash his own hands, smiling politely.

‘My names Mark,’ said the man.

‘Cassian’, he replied as he grabbed a paper towel for himself and dried his fingers before taking Mark’s hand. ‘She certainly draws a crowd.’

Mark laughed softly and turned back to the mirror. ‘Are you married?’

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