“I think you’re making a mistake, baby. Don’t worry, I’ll give you one more chance to make the right decision.”
Seriously? Just who does this asshole think he is?
My mouth opens, ready to reject him again when a new voice beats me to it.
“I believe she already told you no, so why don’t you get the fuck out of here before I rearrange your face?”
I startle at the voice, since it sounds inhuman and I spin around to face the guy who’s now joined us, seeing nothing but a plastic skull mask behind a hood. The mask has neon purple lines surrounding the eyes and mouth, though it’s not like the usual neon masks you see with the X’s for eyes and instead actually looks like a skull. The black plastic makes the purple lights stand out even more, and a shiver wracks its way up my spine the longer I stare at him.
It takes me a few moments to realize he must have a voice modulator attached to the inside of the mask, because there’s no way that’s really the guy’s voice.
“I’m not as forgiving as you, so you only get one chance.”
Joshua’s eyes widen and he takes a step back. He’s slightly smaller than the newcomer, but from everything I’ve heard about him, he’s all bark and no bite so it doesn’t surprise mewhen he scampers away, leaving me to turn towards the new guy.
I cock my head as I stare at him, trying to see if there’s anything about him that I recognize, but he’s too well covered for me to figure out who he is.
“Thank you for that,” I say softly, a little wary of him but also thankful for the save.
“No thanks necessary. Are you okay?” He tilts his head, like he’s trying to read me, and I nod, giving him a small smile.
“I’m fine, he was just a nuisance. Do I know you?”
He chuckles, and it sounds slightly distorted through the mask, making me want to hear the real thing.
“Maybe, maybe not. I think the idea of a masked party is to be anonymous, is it not?”
Okay, so he’s going for dark and mysterious tonight, got it.
“Fair enough, would you like to sit?”
I’d never normally invite a stranger to sit with me, but something about this guy is pulling me towards him, and hedidjust get rid of the relentless asshole for me, so offering to let him sit with me is the least I can do, really.
He’s silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving mine as he attempts to stare deep into my soul. At a closer glance, I see that the eye holes in the mask are covered in some sort of material so I can’t see what color his eyes are.
“You sure? It seemed like you just wanted to be alone before that guy approached you.”
I did want to be alone.
Now, I’m not so sure.
I don’t know what it is about this guy, but he intrigues me, and I find myself not wanting him to leave.
“I’m sure.”
As soon as the words leave my lips, he slides into the seat next to mine. The bartender approaches, but he waves him off, focusing his full attention on me.
“Whyareyou sitting here all by yourself, anyways?”
“I needed a break,” I say with a shrug, hoping he doesn’t push the subject further. What would he think if he knew I didn’t even want to be here? If he knew that rather than going out clubbing like most girls my age, I’d rather be at home, sketching, reading, or doing literallyanythingelse? If he knew just how much of a pushover I can be? Most of the time when guys realize how much of a hard time I have telling people no, they use it to their advantage.
He wouldn’t be the first, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.
“Well, I’m glad I got to meet you tonight,” he says, and I swear I can hear a smile in his voice even though I can’t see his lips.
I don’t reply, I just sit and stare. Iswear, it feels like I know this guy, like we’ve met before, but if he knew me, why wouldn’t he just go ahead and tell me who he is? No, I must be imagining things, but the pull I feel toward him is… well, I don’t really know how to describe it, but he makes me want to let go. He makes me want to be myself, to let go of that image I’ve been taught to play into and just be me.
He makes me want to be wild.
