Masquerade - A Short Romance

Chapter Six

Looking up at Noah, her jaw was completely slack as she looked to see his blue eyes glint with hope.

"Hello," he said to her with a small smile. She blinked, looking between him and the flowers that were now in her hands, the sweet scent wafting into the air and meeting her nose with a gentle greeting. They were beautiful, perfectly in bloom, with the thorns removed, and the stems wrapped in red and black plastic covering like you saw at the shops.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, looking up at the man that had haunted her dreams. This man, Noah, had been so kind and open with her, only to leave and shut her out, ignoring her existence. And yet, he stood before her dressed in a suit, completely delicious as his familiar scent wrapped around her, holding her close in a warm embrace. An embrace that she had missed for far too long.

He took the few steps before he was standing in front of her, their bodies all but touching. He was so close to her, she could feel the heat of his body radiating off of him, warming her all over. A blush crawled on her cheeks as it crept up her neck. With a small smile, he bent down to kiss her cheek and wrapped his arms around her. A sigh left his lips, closing his eyes for a moment as he savored the feel of her gentle body and touch against him. Why had he fought this for so long?

"I wanted to see you... I got your tickets." he whispered in her ear, not moving a muscle as she let out a shaking breath. Even after almost two months of him being away from her, and forcing herself to get over him and move on, she still was addicted to him. Everything about him was a lethal drug, surely going to be the downfall of her.

"Oh," was all she said. Stepping out of his reach, she looked down at the flowers. It was strange seeing her with brown hair, and not the beautiful wine color that he had grown to be so fond of over their time together.

"You were... absolutely wonderful tonight, if I may say so." he said with sparkling eyes. Monica felt her heart skip a beat at the complement. All night after the show, she had heard those very words spoken to her time and time again. Yet, coming from her filled her with a sense of pride. In that moment, all the anger and regret she felt towards this man, not the CEO, vanished. Noah, her Noah, stood before her. And that was enough of an apology for her. She knew the words would never pass his lips, for she never heard him apologize about anything. That was just his nature, she quickly learned.

"Thank you." she mumbled, lifting the roses to her nose to take a small sniff of them. She would need to get dressed and fix herself up before her family went to dinner. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get changed..." Monica said softly, turning to walk away and head towards her dressing room.

"Then allow me to escort you?" he offered, immediately moving to allow her to take his arm. A smile crawled on her lips and a blush tinted her cheeks as she timidly took it. What chivalry he was showing... it was a breath of fresh air.

"I believe I would like that very much," she said as they started walking. Moving around the backstage, she didn't question him how he had gotten back here, there was no need to. Backstage passes were easy to obtain, it just cost more money than was necessary. But, Noah didn't have that problem at all. She wondered if he had more money than he knew what to do with. "This is me," she said a minute later as they stepped up the stairs that lead to the dressing rooms. He smiled and took a step back, releasing her arm. Instantly, she felt cold and wished to drag him inside with her. But, he just kept the smile on his face.

"I'll wait for you out here." he offered, placing his hands into his pockets. "Do you have any plans after this...?" he asked.

Monica blinked a few times, not understanding this shyness about him. What had happened in Tokyo to make him seem not as confident as he once had been? "I'm going to dinner with my parents," she said softly, holding the roses against her chest.