Behind the Mask

~Chapter 2~

We were walking towards the closest pub we could find open at 3 o'clock in the morning, but it took a while until we arrived in front of a dump.

And the term was still sugarcoating the bare reality before our eyes.

The old building's walls had large fragments of paint ripped off and their base was covered in some muddy, rotten-looking layer that made the premises seem like they hadn't been populated in decades. The window just above my head was cracked, and the wind was siffling sinisterly through it.

And yet, the stranger simply smiled and showed me the way inside. He kindly held the door open for me, then we walked down some corridors until coming upon a strangely modern-looking sign that said 'free entry'. And once we stepped inside, my mouth was set ajar. The interior of this so-called dump could rival any modern club in elegance and style.

The hardwood floors we stood on were perfect for a dance-off, and the walls were covered with abstract, line and dot art, rendering the entire place a feeling of luxuriance. Colourful neon lights were hanging from the ceiling, bringing the old building to life. How could all this be hidden behind that façade outside?!

I was grateful for the mysterious boy's decision to bring me here tonight. It was by far the most beautiful pub I had ever stepped foot into, not that I had the chance to step into too many.

A blue-haired butler with glittery make-up soon approached us with a "good evening" in order to take our coats and escort us further inside the building. I mumbled a quiet "thank you", incredulous at the man's out of place hospitality.

"This place is amazing!" I yelled to the boy next to me, trying to make myself heard over the pumping music. "How did you even discover it?"

"I guess I'm just not the kind of guy who judges by appearance", he shouted back.

The response brought out a pang of guilt inside my chest, as I realized I was exactly that type of person.

"Well thank you for bringing me here, anyway."

"Oh, there's more to it. I have some old friends who work here, they can provide us with a cubicle where we can talk in private."

I, born and raised as a rational, cautious human being, would have seeked the first excuse to pop in mind in order to get out of the club as soon as a guy would have said that to me. But the way he said it made me feel like I had nothing to worry about. He had been nothing but nice to me the entire night, after all.

I just followed his footsteps as he headed to the place he must have been talking about... the 'cubicle', though, was the size of my bedroom back home.

I sat down on a fluffy, leathered couch that looked ridiculously expensive and he sat next to me, leaving just enough space between us as to not make me uncomfortable.

The eerie thing was that I wouldn't have minded him being closer, so I could actually connect with him somehow. This boy's entire existence intrigued me to no end. He showed up out of thin air and pushed me away from the car, he then refused to share his name and I was sure that I had seen his eyes before somewhere. I just had to know him.

I leaned closer to get a better view of his face until I could almost make something of his features - the curved top of his lips and the dark brown irises I kept losing myself into. Who are you? , I wondered, once again, to no avail.

Then I noticed the strange position the two of us had taken, engrossed in each other's presence. My bare thigh was pressed against his and my hands had made their way to his chest as I was leaning forward to him, wanting to get closer, even closer, constantly pulled in by his allure. He didn't waste the moment either and swiftly turned around to face me, placing his hand on top of mine and bringing them to his heart. This time, I was sure he could feel it too. Despite meeting him for the first time tonight, I felt like I'd known him for a lifetime.