When you dream a dream so realistic that every dream you dream has the same person in it, do you run away from it or try to find out who this person is?
Hayley Chen is an upcoming fashionista designer who has recently signed a contract with Vogue. S...
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It was the night of the Annual Winter Masquerade Ball at the house of Marques. Dignitaries from all over the country were invited to the Duke's mansion for the celebration, which was also for the engagement of his only child's. It was a marker on the events of the calendar that was to last throughout the century for it was the place many other engagements were also fixed.
The woman standing on the front steps looked at herself wearing a proper Qipao for once. She must have looked like a cartoon because she was not the one to wear dresses, and certainly not the ones that were a part of her traditions, although she loved the textures and had ideas for her Winter Collection that she was working on. Oh how she wished she could have showed up wearing trousers!
Walking into the mansion, her eyes began to immediately search for the obsidian eyes of the man that ruled her dreams, giving her company at times when she had never known to need it. Maybe they ruled each others', but she only cared about whether she could see him again or not.
It was fairly crowded as people had formed their own groups to talk to each other. The townspeople weren't chatty in reason but this night was an occasion for talks indeed. Hayley wondered how her brain was able to capacitate so much. After all, dreams aren't meant to be remembered, only experienced.
The crowd hushed suddenly and gave way to the young gentleman with slick black hair who was making his way down the hall. He walked in the centre, owning the entire room as he walked towards the hazel-eyed woman.
He had found her amidst the crowd.
He reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles while every pair of eyes in the room watched them with an interest only reserved for gossip columns. "I was wondering when you would come," he spoke in the British accent that she had always heard him in. This was one of those times where she could see him in a sherwani that brought out his features.
"Well, I've been the one waiting for you."
He looked at her intently with those deep eyes and wondered if she would accompany him for the first dance. He extended his arm out, indicating that he would like to be hers for the night.
They were each other's company every night, and this night was to be no different.
The two of them danced while the music took over their minds. The time seemed to be moving too quickly, but that seemed to happen when they were with each other, even if it was only a dream. The woman was constantly aware of the grip that he had on her waist as she had control over her breathing. He was the perfect gentleman that she could have dreamt of. But why was she meeting him every single night? Was he only a figment of her imagination, or was something wrong with her?
When the music stopped, the man spoke. "Come with me." He took her hand in his and the two of them started to make their way out of the filled room as other people started to take the dance floor.
The shadows of the two figures ran till they reached the verandah door that eventually led them to the Duchess' garden, who was always protective of the flowers that grew there. No one knew why she never let anyone inside but the woman had found herself in. She wondered how she knew that, but it didn't seem important. She was with him. What else could matter?
The two of them laughed as they gasped for breath, feeling like little children hiding in a part of a game. They wanted some time far away from the people that they knew and who knew them. The woman wondered if she had a family in this dream and thought about the man and what he was capable of. But being with him was like the opposite ends of magnets. They fit right with each other.
"Come on," he beckoned to the bushes that formed a small maze.
The two of them walked in silence, side by side with each other. There were the occasional stolen glances shared, as if they were the awkward youngsters that were courting each other. But this was a different situation altogether for these two did not even know each other's names.
"Can I see you?" She was the first to break the silence.
The man smiled, which was the sort of smile that could break any wall ever created. "You have seen me."
"I know, it's just...." They stopped walking to face each other. "I've never seen you in this time. I've never seen us....here....now."
The man nodded. "That's true. This is new," he sighed. "Well, I guess it is only fair if I ask you to remove your mask as well." He moved his hands to gently clutch her white-feathered mask. The back of his hand caressed Hayley's cheek, making her blush and sending soft tingles down her spine.
Her mask was removed. She was who she was.
The woman's hands trembled as she removed his mask, scared that his face would change as her imagination would take over the dream world. But it hadn't happened in the last six months and there was no indication for it to happen then.
His face remained the same. His natural brown-skinned face was accompanied by a beard and a moustache. Normally it wouldn't have suited people but this was different. He was different. He owned the look and he wasn't ashamed to admit it.
