Why am I even here? Nobody thinks I'm welcome; they think that I don't belong amongst them. So why did I come? I mean, Melani might have asked me to come, but was it really worth it? These dark thoughts swirled arond in Jade's head mercilously, tormenting her and her pride.
She was a natrual wall-flower. She never strayed too far from the wall she leaned against, the snack table, nor the exit. Parties really weren't her thing. She preferred to be by herself, curled under her bed sheets with a good book or a movie. Yet somehow, she'd allowed her best friend, Melani, convince her to come to this masquerade ball. Jade had never even been to a Masquerade ball, so she found a simple, yet elegant mask she thought would be appropriate to wear to the ball. Both her dress and her mask were a deep, lake blue color with silver sparkles. And her dress was long, flowing to just below her ankles, there were slits in one side. It was strapless and hugged her every curve beautifully. Her medium long hair was worn down.
But the fact that this was a masquerade ball made her fears even more irrational. She wasn't ugly. Her hair was a deep, dark brown, and her skin was a milk chocolate color that glowed in the light cast from the chandaliers above. And it wasn't as if anybody knew who she was, and nobody would until midnight, she had even caught a few glances from some of the masked men there. They wanted to be the ones to dance with her when the first slow song came on. When one did, a few of the men started towards her, but someone beat them to it, sauntering over to her, as if the idea of him dancing with her had only just occurred to him.
"May I have this dance?"
Jade, almost completely absorbed with her own dark thoughts, she didn't notice the boy had even approached her.
"May I have this dance?" he asked again.
"What?" she said, caught off gaurd.
"May. I have. This dance." the boy asked for the third time. He was tall. His mask was as simple as Jade's: a red as dark as blood with gold sparkles, but his attire was much less formal than hers. Instead of a tux, the boy wore blue, somewhat baggy, jeans, a blood red shirt, and gold rolex. His skin a smooth carmel color. And threw the eye-holes, Jade could tell that his eyes were the same bright gold as autumn leaves.
She stared at the hand he'd offerred, at his long, graceful fingers, and traveled up his muscular forearm and bisceps, glazed over his broad shoulders and chest (she couldn't help but notice the way the fabric of his shirt clung to his washboard abs), before they settled on his eyes.
She blinked. She still had to give him an answer. "Sure." she mumbled, placing her hand in his carefully.
His graceful fingers enclosed around hers, he led her to the center of the ball room, ignoring the jealous groans and sighs of the men who weren't lucky enough to get a chance to dance with Jade. The boy pulled a nervous Jade closer to his chest, gently pressing his hands to her lower back. She, in turn, gently wrapped her arms around his neck. They swayed to the jazzy melody of Stevie Wonder's "True Love".
"So what's your name?" he whispered.
"It's Jade." she said, enjoying the way his hot breath stirred her hair.
"Well you're a lovely dancer, Jade."
"What's yours?" she asked.
"Noah."
"Well you're not too bad yourself, Noah." He chuckled softly. She smiled. "But aren't you nervous?"
"Why would I be nervous?"
"Well nobody else is dancing. We're the only ones."
He shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out to me."
"Really?" he nodded. "You must be pretty unobservant."
"That," he laughed. "Or I could just not care."
"Why wouldn't you care?"
"Why would I?" he countered.
Jade couldn't think of a good enough response to that, so the couple danced for the rest of the song in silence. As a Chris Brown song came on, Noah took her outside, into the chilly night air. Jade shivered.
"Are you cold?" she nodded mutely. Noah wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Gratefull for the warmth, Jade snuggled closer and lay her head on his shoulder. "Hey, Jade?" he asked after a minute.
"Hm?"
"Have you ever felt as if you've found exactly what you've been looking for?"
"Um... Why do you ask?"
"Because," he tilted her face up to his and leaned in close. Jade's breath hitched. "I think you're what I've been looking for." before Jade could respond, Noah lifted her mask and his off and coverd her lips with his. It was a kiss that filled Jade with a heat that started in her lips and radiated throughout the rest of her body. It was a kiss that caused Jade's heart to beat faster than the song playing back at the party. It was a kiss that caused the rest of the world to disolve so that only Jade and Noah existed.
The kiss was over too soon, and the couple found themselves breathless and filled with a new sort of emotion, One known as Love. They stared lovingly at one another. Neither felt inclined to look away.
"I think I'm in love with you..." Jade whispered finally. And in answer, Noah once again drew her body closer to his and rocked her gently.
As she bury her head into his chest, she listened to his heart beat, discovering that its rhythm was perfectly in-sync with her own.