Masquerade

First meetings

The thing about masquerade balls is that you will never see these people again.

If Tord had thought that at all that evening, it wasn't holding him back from approaching the stranger.

Their mask was white, except for royal blue swirls and gems. It seemed to shimmer ever-so-slightly, the light from the new overhanging chandelier reflecting off it. They had a black suit, and an outline of blue roses covered it. The stranger had black dress shoes, but the base around the bottom was checkered black and white. He had light brown hair slicked back. His tie was blue, heck; everything about him seemed to be black or blue. He could even rival Tom. Tord chuckled at the thought; half wishing the Brit was here before shaking his head. He hates Tom! He's glad he isn't here!

One thing Tord noticed though was that he couldn't see his eyes. Either he was too far away, or the mask on the stranger was causing some shadowy effect and making it look like they were black. Whatever the case was, Tord didn't care. He might as well go ahead and talk to them.

After all, he'll never see them again, so why not?

He took a step forward, but as he did, about three different girls all raced forward to engage in conversation with the stranger... Of course. He was attractive, and probably straight. He would be more interested in dancing and flirting with all the ladies than he would talking to Tord.

Tord sighed, giving up. The stranger was now talking to a short girl in a jade gown, covered in ruffles. Her dark, curly hair bounced as she giggled at everything he said. Feeling downhearted, he turned away to go talk to someone else. Little did he know, the stranger had lost interest in the girl and had his eyes glued to Tord.

Looking around, Tord spotted Matt again. Every time Tord looked at him, he had to do a double take. His dress truly made him stand out, yet somehow, it suited him more than a boring suit would. He looked sad, and with a closer look, Tord noticed a few girls awkwardly walking the opposite direction of him. Chuckling, he approached the tall ginger, tapping him on the shoulder. Letting out a startled squeak, Matt turned around.

"Who goes there?" Matt shouted, confused, before looking down at Tord. Tord wasn't exactly short, it's just Matt happened to be one of the tallest people in the room. One of the tallest people in any room he walked into, in fact.

"Hello, Matt." Tord greeted, a large grin still pastered on his face.

"Who are you? And how do you know my name? Are you magic?!" Matt asked, wonder sparkling in his eyes. He had entirely forgotten about the girls. Tord rolled his eyes at Matt's sudden mood change.

"It's me, Tord. And I am not magic; your mask doesn't hide your face." Tord replied, matter-of-factly. He stifled a giggle, Matt's cluelessness distracting him from his failed attempt to talk to the new guy.

"Oh hey Todd!" The bubbly ginger either didn't hear the comment on his mask or didn't care, because he didn't seem offended in the least. In fact, he seemed ecstatic that someone recognized his beautiful face!

"It's Tord- never mind." Tord sighed. Matt is never going to get his name right, is he?

"Hey Todd, I think someone wants to talk to you." Matt remarked, looking over Tord's shoulder. Turning around, Tord saw him. The stranger from earlier. Walking towards HIM. Tord's heart started beating faster, threatening to burst out of his chest, but he took a deep breath and stood up straighter.

"Um... Hi" The man greeted awkwardly. Tord wanted to melt on the spot when he heard him speak. He was normally very composed and charming, causing everyone he wished to swoon. But this man was different, and made him feel helpless. His voice was deep and smooth with a British accent, full of unintentional charm, unlike Tom's. Tom's voice was obnoxious and cracked all the time. Or was it smooth, and Tord wasn't paying attention? Wait, why was he thinking about Tom again?! He has this beautiful stranger all to himself and the only thing he's thinking about is his annoying roommate.