Her voice was hypnotic, whispering like him, and he leaned his head a bit closer subconsciously, piqued by the sultry sound of her dialogue. Most often, he approached women unknowing of what their reaction to him might be. The sweet ones always seemed a bit startled, with a pink hue growing under their cheeks. However, this girl did not seem like a lady of delicate mind. She was bold, matching his energy in a way that was familiar. So much, yet he could not quite place it.
He wondered where he had perhaps met her before, and why they had not spoken sooner. Perhaps he had seen her around school, perhaps in one of his dreams, dressed in mauve lingerie on sunset clouds, but it was definitely somewhere.
Her identity was a secret from him, and he wondered how long things would remain that way, would they figure out who the other was? Or could he possibly take her mask down.
Then again, there was always that third option; to never know. Imagine the magnificence of that, to share a night with a total stranger, and never hear of them again. Never know when you did, at least. Because, every day, you would attend the same school together, walking through the same corridors, inches away, with no idea. The only thing that would exist in your mind was that sole picture, standing alone in your memory, of the mask of your lover. Their hair, their silhouette, their lips and the outlines of their eyes- but never their name. How beautiful would that be?
And the thought crossed Vincenzo’s mind as they spoke. Although he attempted to keep his composure at the ball, he was never a well-contained man, and he thought in grand sequences. They were not exclusively sounds in his mind, nor just pictures, but fragments of life, put together on the never-ending canvas that Vincenzo never seemed to stop expanding. And currently, he was picturing how she could become a part of the ensemble, how he could fit pictures of her features between forgotten pearls and stardust.
“As you wish” He smirked, following orders.
Vincenzo allowed her a bit of space, and begun to dance with her, their ticket into his memory. At a more reasonable distance, he was finally able to digest her visage, or, the pieces he had permission to see. Upon that first look, her eyes tantalized him. They were the shape of almonds, and the color of a hazy summer hill, but the way she looked at him- it did not correlate. She reminded him of a cat; quiet, yet sharp, and hopefully, not afraid to leave a few scratches where she touched. And a thousand times, he might have seen around school eyes just like them, but not like this.
They waltzed; back and forth, forth and back, as he led her to the edge of the dance floor, the meaning of his dialogue, until they seemed to escape the grasp of their reality, where their dance seemed to slow as the world sped up into a blur. “Close your eyes.” He told her, and then, he took the mystery girl through a seemingly small crevice in the grand wall, to where their bodies exited the ballroom, and the ceiling was replaced by a glass enclosure, emulating a taller shape than that of a dome. The crystals shone gold on their mosaic edges, and above that, the constellations gazed down at them from the distance, spread across the sky like a blanket was wrapped around the earth. And suddenly, no one else was in the room but them.
An oriel. That was where he had chosen to take her, at least for now. “Now open them.” He said, albeit a bit commandingly. That was due to his enthusiasm, feeling very particular about the serenity of the spectacle. But in the sight of the moonlight, it became noticeable how thin the material of his mask must have been, the paper-like texture showing in its under fold, staring at her above the checkers. He never did like to hide who he was. “Dance with me here.” Said Vincenzo, briefly looking up to signal to the scenery, yet still holding the soft pace, even though the music had lowered in volume from the distance. He spoke again as they continued, releasing the words when they came nearly chest to chest. “Is that what you want?”
He teased her with the question, knowing what must be her desires. Still, he decided to continue prompting her, curious to hear her speak again. And perhaps he also considered whispering once more, only to feel her lips graze his skin once more. “So, what was your reason for you dressing up today, hm? Was there someone to impress. Or do you just look like this all the time?” Vincenzo mused, hoping to enchant this woman in some permanent way, no matter how hard to please she seemed.
@Kristi Amani