Silent Strangers

TWENTY

Chapter TWENTY:
Grace

The conference room was blindingly bright, the chandeliers overhead casting sharp reflections on the marble floor. A large, round table sat in the middle, littered with swatches of fabrics in every imaginable shade of pastel. And sitting there, right in front of me, was my mother—gesturing dramatically at the color patterns as if they were the keys to world peace.

"Grace, darling, what do you think about this champagne blush for the drapery?" she asked, holding up a fabric so pale it could've been mistaken for a ghost.
I blinked at her, desperately trying to keep the smile plastered on my face. "Uh, yeah... it's... lovely."  Was it though?

I glanced sideways at Tobias, who was slumped in his chair, staring at the swatches with a deadpan expression. His fingers drummed on the table, his jaw clenched as he tried to contain what was clearly an overwhelming desire to either yawn or bolt from the room.
Our eyes met, and a moment of silent understanding passed between us. We were both stuck in the ninth circle of wedding planning hell.

"Maybe a rose gold accent with champagne blush?" my mother continued, her voice lifting as she spun in a little twirl to admire the imaginary wedding decor. Tobias leaned in slightly, muttering, "I'd rather we elope. Right now."

I almost choked on a laugh but managed to play it off as a cough. I couldn't hold it any longer. I needed an escape. My patience was hanging by a thread thinner than the veil my mother had likely already picked out for me."Mom," I said, sitting up straighter with sudden purpose, "I think I need to check my phone. I think someone from work has been trying to reach me all morning." I tried to sound serious, like my inbox was on fire."Actually, me too," Tobias chimed in. "Urgent... business stuff," he added, waving his hand vaguely.

My mother barely spared us a glance. "Alright, go ahead. But don't be too long, we still have to finalize the flower arrangements!" she called out cheerfully as we quickly excused ourselves.

The second we slipped out of the room and shut the door behind us, Tobias let out a breath he must've been holding for ages.
"God, I thought that blush color was going to kill me. Literally drain the life from me."
I couldn't help but snicker. "I swear she's more excited about this wedding than we are."

"We? Speak for yourself, Grace. I wasn't excited to begin with," Tobias shot back with a grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "So... where to now?"

I glanced down the long hallway, perfectly polished like everything else in this mansion of a wedding venue. A grand staircase to the left caught my eye, spiraling upwards with velvet carpeting. "Upstairs? I bet we could explore the rest of this place while we're hiding out. There's no way she'll notice."

Tobias raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the idea. "Lead the way, Grace. Let's make this day a little less unbearable."

We tiptoed up the stairs like a pair of kids sneaking away from detention. The place was a maze of empty rooms and corridors, all decked out in over-the-top luxury. I almost felt like we were trespassing, though technically this was our "wedding venue."

"Bet this room has something cool in it," Tobias whispered, as we reached a door at the end of the hall. He twisted the handle and pushed it open.

I peeked inside and instantly grinned. "Oh, jackpot." It was a massive walk-in closet, the size of a small apartment. And not just any closet—a closet full of costumes. The kind of costumes you'd see in a period drama, complete with feathered hats, poofy dresses, and those absurdly high collars.

Tobias eyed a Victorian top hat hanging on a nearby hook. "There's no way we're not trying these on."

I burst into laughter as he grabbed the hat and plopped it on his head, tipping it dramatically. "Sir Tobias of the Pastel Swatches, I presume?"

He snorted, grabbing a ridiculously large cape off the rack and throwing it over his shoulders. "And who might you be, Lady Grace of Endless Florals?"
I found a feathered masquerade mask and slid it on. "I am Lady Grace, ruler of the Glittering Event Horizon, queen of all things unnecessarily decorated." I held my head high and swished the poofy skirt of a gown off the hanger as I twirled.

We both dissolved into fits of laughter, the kind of genuine, unrestrained giggling that I hadn't felt in ages. The absurdity of it all—our fake engagement, our parents' over-the-top wedding plans, the secret escape plan that was far too reckless to think about—somehow melted away in this silly moment of freedom.

Tobias was still holding his cape, posing like a Shakespearean actor in the mirror when the door suddenly creaked open behind us.

We both froze, staring wide-eyed at each other like two kids caught in the cookie jar.

It was the janitor, looking half-amused and half-bemused. "Uh, do you two... need any help with... this?"
"No, we're good!" Tobias said, his voice an octave higher than usual as he whipped off the hat and cape in a blur of motion.

I quickly ripped the mask off my face and shoved it back on the rack, barely holding back another burst of laughter as we scrambled out of the closet.

Back in the hallway, Tobias grinned down at me. "Well, that was fun. Now what?"
"Now," I said, straightening my shirt and composing myself, "we try to look like responsible adults before my mom finds us."
"And we never speak of this again," Tobias added with a wink.

Okay why do my cheeks feel so warm all of a sudden?

We hurried back down the stairs, managing to compose ourselves just as my mother spotted us. "Oh good, you're back! Now about those flower arrangements—"

I sighed inwardly but smiled. "Of course, Mom. Let's pick those flowers." I glanced at Tobias, who gave me a subtle thumbs-up.

Even with all the madness, at least we still had these ridiculous moments to keep us sane. And for the first time in a long while, I realized that maybe we were going to be okay after all.